The Bureau of Land Management’s 

National Landscape Conservation System

The 264 million acres of BLM-managed public lands

represent a priceless legacy and a long-term

investment for the American people. Prized

originally for their commodity value, the public lands

today offer much more: unparalleled recreation

opportunities and, in an increasingly crowded West,

one of the last guarantees of open space, a signature

element of this region where the majority of public

lands are located. 

In June 2000, the BLM responded to growing

concern over the loss of open space by creating the

National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). 

The NLCS brings into a single system some of the

BLM’s premier designations. By putting these lands

into an organized system, the BLM hopes to increase

public awareness of these areas’ scientific, cultural,

educational, ecological and other values. The NLCS

consists of the following:

• National Conservation Areas

• National Monuments

• Wilderness Areas

• Wilderness Study Areas

• Wild and Scenic Rivers; and 

• National Historic and Scenic Trails 

While the NLCS is new, the idea of managing special

BLM lands for conservation is not. Congress

designated California’s King Range National

Conservation Area in 1970, and the Steese National

Conservation Area in Alaska is over 20 years old. In

1996, the BLM was entrusted with management

responsibility for its first National Monument with

designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National

Monument in Utah. Since then, the agency’s role in

managing ecologically significant areas has grown

significantly: the BLM now manages 14 National

Conservation Areas and 15 National Monuments.

All units in the NLCS comprise lands that were

already under Federal management. In addition, the

NLCS does not create any new legal protections. 

Although the BLM is continuing to manage the units

at the local level, the NLCS provides overall

guidance and direction for the system. In developing

management plans for NLCS lands, the BLM is

working with local residents, particularly with regard

to amenities such as food services and lodging, which

will be located in communities adjacent to NLCS

lands.

The BLM’s management of all public lands,

including those in the NLCS, is guided by the Federal

Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), signed

25 years ago. This landmark statute has provided for

multiple use of the public lands and given the BLM

important flexibility in managing the land to meet the

changing — and growing — demands of the region. 

The five fastest-growing States are all in the West,

and over 20 million people now live within 25 miles

of BLM-managed public lands. 

Today, FLPMA enables the BLM to manage the

public lands not only for their commodity value, but

also for their recreational opportunities and

environmental qualities, such as open space. The mix

of permitted uses depends on an area’s resources;

some BLM land is managed primarily for energy

production, for example, and some for the protection

of specific threatened or endangered species. The

Act also ensures that many of BLM’s traditional

activities, such as grazing and hunting, will continue

on lands within the NLCS, provided these activities

are consistent with the overall purpose of the area.

In a crowded West, NLCS lands are special. They

offer havens of solitude and a reminder of the West as

it originally was. The BLM is proud to be stewards

of these unique places.

With over 800 units in the NLCS, it is not possible to

describe them all. Summarized below, however, are a

few of the areas in the System.
National Conservation Areas

(dates of congressional designation appear in parentheses)

Black Rock

Desert-High Rock

Canyon 

Emigrant Trails

(December 21, 2000)

This area includes

nearly 800,000 acres in

northwestern Nevada

and protects wagon ruts,

historic inscriptions, and

a wilderness landscape

largely unchanged from

when pioneers moved

westward in the 1800s.

California Desert (October 21, 1976)

This area’s 10.6 million acres feature vast desert

areas with myriad wildlife and recreational

opportunities. 

 

Colorado Canyons (October 24, 2000)

From saltbush desert to the spectacular canyons of the

Black Ridge Wilderness, this diverse area in westcentral Colorado encompasses over 122,000 acres,

including more than 75,000 acres of wilderness. 

El Malpais (December 31, 1987)

These 226,000 acres of rugged lava flows in westcentral New Mexico display some of the Nation’s

most significant geological, cultural, scenic,

scientific, and wilderness resources.

 

Gila Box Riparian (November 28, 1990)

This 22,000-acre desert oasis contains cliff dwellings,

historic homesteads, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep,

and more than 200 species of birds in southeastern

Arizona.

Gunnison Gorge 

(October 21, 1999)

A variety of natural and

geologic features and

unsurpassed recreational

opportunities are on

display in western

Colorado’s Gunnison

Gorge, a 57,725-acre

area. 

This unit supports a

diverse range of uses

such as whitewater

rafting, big-game

hunting, and domestic

livestock grazing.

King Range (October 21, 1970)

West of Arcata, thirty-five miles of remote coastline

comprise the 57,000-acre King Range, the nation’s

first National Conservation Area.

Las Cienegas (December 6, 2000)

This area’s 42,000 acres of desert grasslands and

rolling oak-studded hills in south-central Arizona are

home to a great diversity of plant and animal life,

including several threatened or endangered species.

 

Red Rock Canyon (November 16, 1990)

This 197,000-acre area outside of Las Vegas boasts

unique geologic features, plants, and animals that

represent some of the best examples of the Mojave

Desert. The area offers spectacular climbing, and

hiking opportunities.

San Pedro Riparian (November 18, 1988)

This 56,500-acre area in southeastern Arizona

supports over 350 species of birds, 80 species of

mammals, and 40 species of amphibians and reptiles.

 

Snake River Birds of Prey

(August 4, 1993)

Home to the largest

concentration of nesting

raptors in North America,

this 485,000-acre area in

southwestern Idaho provides

a complete and stable

ecosystem where both

predators and prey occur in

extraordinary numbers.

Steens Mountain (October

30, 2000)

Officially called the Steens Mountain Cooperative

Management and Protection Area, these 425,500

acres in southeastern Oregon include volcanic uplifts,

glacier-carved gorges, wild rivers, and diverse plant

and animal species.

Steese (December 2, 1980)

This 1.2-million-acre area in east-central Alaska

contains a Wild and Scenic River, crucial caribou

calving grounds, and Dall sheep habitat.

Headwaters Forest Reserve (March 1, 1999)

These 7,400 acres in northern California, co-managed

with the State of California, protect old-growth

redwood stands that provide habitat for threatened

species such as the marbled murrelet, a seabird, and

coho salmon.
National Monuments

(dates of presidential proclamation appear in parentheses)

Agua Fria (January 11, 2000)

An hour north of Phoenix, Agua Fria’s 71,000 acres

host one of the most significant systems of late

prehistoric sites in the American Southwest.

California Coastal (January 11, 2000) 

 This National Monument includes all the islands,

rocks, and pinnacles off the 840-mile California

coast. These areas provide essential habitat for an

estimated 200,000 breeding seabirds.

Canyons of the Ancients (June 9, 2000)

Located in southwestern Colorado, this 163,000-acre

area contains the richest known concentration of

archaeological sites in the United States. 

Carrizo Plain (January 17, 2001)

Remnant of a once-vast grassland astride the San

Andreas Fault zone, this unit’s 204,000 acres in

central California are a critical refuge for several

endangered and threatened animal and plant species. 

Cascade-Siskiyou

(June 9, 2000)

The convergence

of geologically

young and old

mountain ranges

gives this 53,000-

acre Monument in

south-central

Oregon an

extraordinary

degree of

biological

diversity.

Craters of the Moon (November 9, 2000)

The 272,000 acres of this remarkably preserved

volcanic landscape on Idaho's Snake River Plain

contain an array of exceptional features, including

cinder cones and vast lava fields. 

Grand Canyon-Parashant (January 11, 2000)

This 808,000-acre unit contains outstanding

geological and paleontological features in

northwestern Arizona. 

Grand Staircase-Escalante (September 19, 1996)

Labyrinthine red rock canyons, high plateaus, and

dramatic cliffs and terraces make up this stunning

1.9- million-acre area in southern Utah.

Ironwood Forest (June 9, 2000)

This 129,000-acre area protects an unique ironwood

forest and a wide array of bird and animal life in

southern Arizona. 

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks (January 17, 2001)

This area in northern New Mexico protects over

4,000 acres of cone-shaped rock formations resulting

from volcanic eruptions and erosion that first built up

and then wore down this landscape.

Pompeys Pillar (January 17, 2001)

William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

carved his name on this sandstone butte overlooking

the Yellowstone River, adding to a rich record of

historic inscriptions now protected as a 51-acre area 

in central Montana. 

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains 

(October 24, 2000) 

This 86,500-acre, congressionally designated

National Monument in southern California hosts over

500 plant and animal species, including the Federally

listed Peninsular bighorn sheep.
National Monuments (continued)

Sonoran Desert (January 17, 2001)

Wide valleys separated by rugged mountain ranges

offer dense forests of saguaro cactus — excellent

habitat for a wide range of wildlife species — in this

409,000-acre area in southwestern Arizona.

Upper Missouri River

Breaks 

(January 17, 2001)

The breathtaking

limestone bluffs along

this 149-mile, 377,000-

acre stretch of Missouri

River in central

Montana remain almost

exactly the same as

when Lewis and Clark

described them in their

expedition journals.

Vermilion Cliffs (November 9, 2000)

An outstanding assemblage of deep, narrow canyons

make the 280,000 acres in this northern Arizona

Monument ideal for hiking and exploring.

Wild and Scenic Rivers

The NLCS includes

36 Wild and Scenic

Rivers accounting for

a total of over 2,000

miles. These Rivers,

in four Western States

and Alaska, offer

unparalleled

opportunities for

recreation.

National Scenic and Historic Trails

BLM-managed portions of the National Scenic and

Historic Trails are also part of the NLCS. Nine

Historic Trails — including those followed by Lewis

and Clark and pioneers heading to Mormon Country

— commemorate the nation’s cultural heritage, while

the Continental Divide and Pacific Crest Scenic

Trails offer 641 miles of some of the country’s most

spectacular mountain settings.

Wilderness and Wilderness Study

Areas

Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas also fall

under the NLCS. One hundred forty-eight

Wilderness Areas total more than 6 million acres;

over 600 Wilderness Study Areas — units under

interim management while their wilderness potential

is reviewed — account for just under 18 million

acres.
Bureau of Land Management 

National Landscape Conservation System

NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREAS (14)

Date Designation BLM Acreage

ALASKA Steese 12/80 Legislation 1,194,923

ARIZONA Gila Box Riparian 11/90 Legislation 22,047

Las Cienegas 12/00 Legislation 41,960

San Pedro Riparian 11/88 Legislation 56,400

CALIFORNIA California Desert Conservation Area 10/76 Legislation 10,671,080

Headwaters Forest Reserve 03/99 Legislation 7,400

King Range 10/70 Legislation 57,288

COLORADO Colorado Canyons (CO/UT) 10/00 Legislation 122,182

Gunnison Gorge 10/99 Legislation 57,725

IDAHO Snake River Birds of Prey 08/93 Legislation 484,873

NEVADA Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon 12/00 Legislation 797,039

Emigrant Trail (NV/CA)

Red Rock Canyon 11/90 Legislation 196,890

NEW MEXICO El Malpais 12/87 Legislation 226,000

OREGON Steens Mountain Cooperative 10/00 Legislation 425,550

Management Protection Area

Total 14,361,357

NATIONAL MONUMENTS (15)

Date Designation BLM Acreage

ARIZONA Agua Fria 01/00 Proclamation 71,100

Grand Canyon-Parashant 01/00 Proclamation 807,241

Ironwood Forest 06/00 Proclamation 129,022

Sonoran Desert 01/01 Proclamation 408,646

Vermilion Cliffs 11/00 Proclamation 280,324

CALIFORNIA California Coastal 01/00 Proclamation 1,000 (approx.)

(840 miles of coastline)

Carrizo Plain 01/01 Proclamation 204,107

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains 10/00 Legislation 86,400

COLORADO Canyons of the Ancients 06/00 Proclamation 163,852

IDAHO Craters of the Moon 11/00 Proclamation 271,845

MONTANA Pompeys Pillar 01/01 Proclamation 51

Upper Missouri River Breaks 01/01 Proclamation 377,346

NEW MEXICO Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks 01/01 Proclamation 4,148

OREGON Cascade-Siskiyou 06/00 Proclamation 52,947

UTAH Grand Staircase-Escalante 09/96 Proclamation 1,870,800

Total 4,728,829
Bureau of Land Management

National Landscape Conservation System

Designation Number of Units BLM Acreage

WILDERNESS AREAS Legislation 148 6,253,783 acres 

(10 Western States)

WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS Admin. Designation 604 17,191,707 acres 

(11 Western States and Alaska)

WILD & SCENIC RIVERS Legislation 36 2,056 miles 

(4 Western States & Alaska)

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS Legislation 9 3,623 miles

—California

—El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

—Iditarod

—Lewis and Clark

—Mormon Pioneer

—Nez Perce

—Oregon

—Pony Express

—San Juan Bautista de Anza

NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS Legislation 2 641 miles

—Continental Divide

—Pacific Crest