What are public lands?
Transcript:
Did you know there are four federal land systems? And one of them is the National System of Public Lands? It represents 10% of the U.S. land base and boasts some of this nation’s most iconic scenery yet most Americans have never heard of it.
Sometimes just referred to as the “Bureau of Land Management lands”s – or “BLM Lands’ for short,” this system is as diverse as it is broad stretching from the boreal forests of Alaska to the Chihuahuan desert and everywhere in between. Within its many ecosystems are over 300 threatened and endangered species and thousands of at-risk plants and animals — such as the Gunnison Sage-Grouse who awes with its unique strutting dance and the Mojave Desert Tortoise who has evolved to survive the blistering desert heat.
As a result of dedicated citizen advocacy over many decades, just over 1/10th of the system is permanently conserved. The rest remains generally open to activities – like energy development, livestock grazing, off-road driving and mining, jeopardizing wildlife and plants that are on the edge of extinction. As the extinction crisis accelerates, our vigilance is needed now more than ever to ensure our National System of Public Lands is a safe home for America’s wildlife.
Defenders Of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America.
Defenders Of Wildlife
