National Landscape Conservation System

Our mission is to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant

landscapes of outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values 

for present and future generations of Americans.

BLM/WO/GI-06/027+6100

Cover Photo: Scientists from the 

Museum of Western Colorado 

work at a paleontology dig at 

Mygatt-Moore Quarry in Rabbit 

Valley of McInnis Canyons 

National Conservation Area in 

Colorado.

Inside Cover Photo: 

Grand Staircase-Escalante 

National Monument 

paleontologist Dr. Alan Titus (left) 

and volunteer Dave Cox prepare a 

fossil specimen for exhibit.
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy 

Dear Reader

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pleased 

to present the National Landscape Conservation System 

Science Strategy. This strategy will guide the science 

program for the National Landscape Conservation 

System (NLCS) over the next 10 years. The strategy 

presents goals for science within the NLCS, followed 

by a series of objectives and actions to achieve those 

goals. The strategy is based on authorities in the 

Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Antiquities 

Act, Wilderness Act, National Trails System Act, 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and enabling legislation 

and Presidential proclamations for individual units of 

the NLCS. It is tiered to the BLM’s broader science 

strategy, while recognizing the unique values of NLCS 

units.

The NLCS consists of more than 26 million acres that 

include National Monuments, National Conservation 

Areas, Wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and 

Scenic Rivers, National Scenic and Historic Trails, 

and other congressionally designated public lands; all 

designations are herein referred to as NLCS “units.” 

The NLCS mission is to conserve, protect, and restore 

these nationally significant landscapes of exceptional 

cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the 

benefit of current and future generations. This science 

strategy focuses on achieving a greater understanding 

of these values by emphasizing scientific study within 

NLCS units. The strategy outlines actions to promote 

science within NLCS units, implement a standard 

process for permitting and reporting scientific research 

within the NLCS, integrate scientific findings into 

management decisions, and use knowledge gained 

from scientific inquiry for internal and external 

communication. 

The natural resource and social issues within NLCS 

units are representative of those occurring throughout 

the BLM. Thus, understanding gained from science 

conducted on NLCS units can be applied to other 

public lands, allowing the NLCS to function as an 

outdoor laboratory for science and best management 

practices across the BLM. Communicating findings 

from scientific investigations conducted within NLCS 

units to both a wider BLM audience and outside the 

agency will, therefore, maximize the overall utility of 

these findings across landscapes. 

It is our hope that this document will encourage 

science within the NLCS, effect positive change 

in managing at the landscape level, and promote 

communication about science and cooperative 

conservation throughout the BLM and with 

the public. 

Recommended by: 

Elena C. Daly, Director

National Landscape Conservation System

Bureau of Land Management

Approved by:

James M. Hughes, Acting Director

Bureau of Land Management

A BLM biologist weighs a golden eagle chick within the 

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area along 

the Snake River Canyon in Idaho.
National Landscape Conservation System
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy  

Introduction

The BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System 

comprises BLM-administered public lands that 

have received special recognition and protection 

through congressional and Presidential conservation 

designations. The NLCS science strategy responds 

to the legal mandate in the enabling legislation and 

proclamations to promote and foster both basic and 

applied science by presenting a plan to facilitate 

scientific understanding of the BLM’s NLCS units. 

In both the national BLM science strategy (2000) 

and the NLCS science strategy, the term “science” 

is defined broadly, including basic and applied 

research in both natural and social science, as well as 

inventory and monitoring initiatives. The national 

science strategy primarily describes an approach for 

identifying science needed to address management 

issues, communicating those needs to science 

providers, and incorporating the results into the 

decisionmaking process. That framework applies to 

the NLCS as well. 

In addition to the BLM’s broad mandate to conserve 

scientific resources under the Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act, the NLCS has specific 

congressional and Presidential direction to protect 

scientific values. The NLCS must protect the 

scientific and other natural and cultural resources for 

which its units were designated, which requires an 

understanding of what and where these values are, 

what condition they are in, and how best to manage 

them. Also, because of the increased public interest in 

these specially designated lands, NLCS units provide 

significant outreach and education opportunities 

for which scientific knowledge is integral. These 

circumstances are addressed by this NLCS science 

strategy. 

To date, many scientific endeavors on NLCS 

units have been and are being performed without 

consistent procedures for authorizing, obtaining, or 

disseminating project results. A systematic method 

to manage and promote science within NLCS units 

will increase the efficiency and value of scientific 

investigation for the NLCS unit, science providers, 

and the public at large. This strategy establishes a 

framework for facilitating science within the NLCS, 

the results of which can be applied across landscapes, 

promoting cooperative conservation. 

Because of its remoteness, in 1996 Vermillion Cliffs National Monument became a long-term release site for the California 

condor reintroduction program in northern Arizona.
Professor Scott Hughes, 

Geosciences Department Chair, 

Idaho State University, describes 

rift volcanism for Great Rift 

Science Symposium participants 

at South Grotton Spatter Cone 

Complex in Craters of the Moon 

National Monument.

A volunteer from the Arizona 

Archaeological Society examines 

rock art near the edge of Silver 

Creek Canyon in the Agua Fria 

National Monument. Volunteers 

have devoted thousands of hours 

to recording and analyzing 

prehistoric petroglyphs in the 

monument.
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy  

The goals of science within the NLCS are to:

•	 Gain scientific understanding of NLCS

resources and landscapes and the benefits

they provide the American public

•	 Apply scientific understanding to

management, education, and outreach

The objectives and actions that follow provide the 

framework for how the NLCS will achieve these goals.

Objective 1: Promote scientific study within 

NLCS units.

Rationale: NLCS units have been designated by 

Congress or the President in part for 

their extraordinary scientific resources. 

Generating knowledge about natural and 

social resources of the NLCS is the first step 

toward achieving an understanding of these 

treasures. Therefore, projects in the natural 

and social sciences that take advantage of 

these resources should be encouraged. Science 

plans and designated science coordinators/

contacts for NLCS units will serve as the 

basis for acquiring a scientifically defensible 

assessment of NLCS resources through a wide 

range of activities. 

Actions

1.1 Develop science plans for individual 

NLCS units.

Each NLCS national monument (NM) 

and national conservation area (NCA) 

will develop a science plan (Appendix 

A). Plans will be based on four areas 

of emphasis: 1) scientific investigation

of natural, social, and cultural resources 

referred to in each unit’s enabling 

language, 2) studies that directly 

provide information to be used in 

Bureau management decisions, 

3) multidisciplinary syntheses of science 

results for planning and implementation 

processes, and 4) efforts to communicate 

scientific findings to the public. All

units’ science plans will include sections 

on baseline inventory and monitoring as 

part of identifying their science needs. 

NLCS areas other than NM/NCAs may 

also develop science plans.

1.2 Designate a science contact for each 

NLCS unit.

Each NLCS unit will designate a contact 

for science providers who will be 

responsible for responding to research 

requests submitted through the new 

BLM Research Permit and Reporting 

System (RPRS) (Appendix B). Science 

coordination responsibilities could 

range from full-time to collateral duties, 

depending on need. 

1.3 Conduct outreach to science 

providers. 

NLCS science coordinators/contacts, 

unit managers, and state NLCS program 

leads will conduct outreach to outside 

researchers about NLCS science needs. 

Individual NLCS units will conduct 

outreach through the BLM RPRS, the 

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units 

program, and grassroots networking 

with potential researchers. Outreach can 

also be conducted through unit-specific

or NLCS-wide science symposia, 

professional and departmental meetings, 

and the Internet. 

Objective 2: Implement a standard process for 

permitting and reporting scientific research within 

NLCS units.

Rationale: A consistent process for science providers to 

learn about science needs, obtain research 

permits, and report the progress and results of 

science conducted on public lands will enable 

the BLM to more effectively and efficiently 

NLCS Science Goals and Objectives
 BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy

interact with our science partners and more 

accurately report the magnitude and value 

of scientific activities within the NLCS. A 

system that streamlines the permitting and 

reporting process decreases the workload for 

both science providers and Bureau staff and 

managers.

Actions

2.1 Provide a central location to access 

information regarding scientific 

research on public lands.

The BLM RPRS will provide a venue for 

science providers to learn about NLCS 

scientific needs, resources, and contacts. 

The initial BLM RPRS is being piloted 

on a subset of NLCS units in fiscal year

2008. The pilot sites will be evaluated 

and, if successful, the system will be 

implemented throughout the NLCS 

and optionally may be deployed 

Bureauwide. Appropriate Bureau 

websites (e.g., NLCS units and the BLM 

science center) will provide a link to the 

BLM RPRS.

2.2 Monitor research activities to ensure 

compliance with BLM requirements 

and help facilitate research project 

logistics.

Scientists will use the BLM RPRS to 

apply for permits and report the progress 

and results of scientific activities

within NLCS units. The NLCS science 

coordinators/contacts will ensure that the 

researcher has obtained the necessary 

permits prior to beginning work (e.g., 

sensitive plant/animal species, cultural 

resource, and paleontology permits), 

as well as verify compliance with 

applicable laws, regulations, Department 

and Bureau policies, and Executive 

orders. For example, some NLCS units 

have specific policies designed to protect

the areas’specific values (Appendix

C). NLCS staff will then work with the 

researchers to locate appropriate study 

sites and will maintain communication 

with the researcher regarding logistics of 

the project (e.g., when field workers will

be on site, what their plot markers look 

like, etc.). 

2.3 Track scientific activities within NLCS 

units.

The BLM RPRS will allow scientists to 

submit the required Investigator Annual 

Reports online. Report guidelines will 

be a part of the BLM RPRS. These 

reports will be part of the database of 

the objectives and general findings of

scientific study conducted within NLCS

units.

Objective 3: Communicate the results of scientific 

study internally and integrate this knowledge into 

management decisions.

Rationale: Scientific information must be 

communicated internally to reach our goal 

of using scientific understanding of NLCS 

resources to inform management decisions. 

Scientific understanding gained from science 

conducted within the NLCS can be applied 

to other public lands, allowing the NLCS to 

function as an outdoor laboratory for science 

and best management practices across BLM 

landscapes. 

Actions

3.1 Facilitate the transfer of scientific 

information from researchers to the 

NLCS.

NLCS unit managers will access 

Investigator Annual Reports for 

scientific studies performed on public

lands through the BLM RPRS. In 

addition, researchers will provide final

reports (including project objectives, 

methods, data, conclusions, and whether 

or not the results were peer-reviewed/

published) and other peer-reviewed 

publications to the hosting NLCS unit 

through the science coordinator/contact 

and the BLM science center in electronic 

form. The NLCS offices will also

request that all scientists incorporate 

a technology transfer product. This 
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy  

can take the form of a short briefing

document on the project summarizing 

how the findings could impact various

management issues. Researchers can 

also participate in informal presentations 

with BLM staff to discuss their research 

in the context of current management 

issues.

3.2 Facilitate periodic syntheses of 

scientific topics of interest.

NLCS units will help facilitate synthesis 

of current knowledge about especially 

relevant scientific issues. For example,

state NLCS leads, unit managers, and 

unit science coordinators/contacts will 

organize opportunities for meetings, 

workshops, and/or science symposia. 

Units will work in close coordination 

with adjacent BLM field offices and

state, regional, and national science 

coordinators to plan and leverage 

support for such opportunities.

3.3 Issue guidelines for interpreting and 

integrating scientific information into 

decisionmaking.

Policy will be created using BLM 

examples, to help managers and staff 

complete the cycle of integrating science 

into their decisionmaking process. 

These recommendations will tier from 

the BLM’s broader science strategy.

Objective 4: Communicate scientific findings 

externally.

Rationale: Informing the general public, local 

communities, researchers and institutions, 

and other land managers about the results of 

scientific activities within NLCS units will 

foster appreciation for and enjoyment of the 

landscape in which they live and work and 

promote cooperative conservation.

Actions

4.1 Use knowledge gained from science 

within NLCS units in interpretive 

activities.

Science highlights will be incorporated 

into interpretive activities (e.g., visitor 

center displays, road- and trailside 

kiosks, guided hikes, brochures, and 

websites) to enhance explanations 

of NLCS units’ special features. As 

projects are completed, new information 

will become available and incorporated 

into interpretive activities. Some science 

projects may even allow for visitors 

to work side by side with researchers, 

helping visitors better understand and 

appreciate the scientific process.

4.2 Provide scientific information 

and opportunities to educational 

institutions.

NLCS units will provide such services 

as outdoor classrooms (e.g., www.

handsontheland.org), field trip and

volunteer opportunities, hands-on 

demonstrations of how to collect 

and interpret various types of data, 

and research prospects (for graduate 

and undergraduate students, such as 

GeoCorps). Web-accessible lesson plans 

and classroom satellite broadcasts that 

focus on science from NLCS units, such 

as Share the Adventure!, will help make 

NLCS science available to students 

across the country.

4.3 Share scientific information with local 

communities and the general public.

Forums will be provided in which 

residents of local/gateway communities 

can learn about NLCS science. Forums 

could include lecture series, field

tours, opportunities to volunteer with 

researchers, and newsletters. Presenting 

information to communities will 

help facilitate transitions associated 

with rapid change throughout the 

West. Scientific findings of broader

significance will be posted on BLM

websites.
Fish and Wildlife Service biologists use 

common murre decoys to lure the highly 

social birds back to the rocks within the 

California Coastal National Monument. 

These rocks were important predecline 

locations for murre breeding colonies.

A researcher from Northern 

Arizona University/Ecological

Restoration Institute collects data 

for an ongoing pinyon-juniper 

research project within the Grand 

Canyon-Parashant National 

Monument.
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy  

Purpose

Outline how the particular NLCS unit will help to 

achieve the overall NLCS science goals to: 1) gain 

scientific understanding of NLCS resources and 

landscapes, and 2) apply scientific understanding to 

management, education, and outreach.

Standard NLCS Unit Science 

Plan Components

1. Identify the unit’s scientific mission

•	 List the science values identified in the unit’s

designation

• Summarize the baseline condition of natural 

and/or cultural resources

• Enumerate the unit’s resource management 

plan connections, drivers, and requirements

2. Identify science needs 

• Prioritize internal science needs including 

baseline inventory and monitoring (e.g., 

natural and cultural resources, demographic 

and economic information)

• Describe opportunities and needs for 

scientific research

3. Outline the strategy to meet science needs

• Identify the unit science coordinator/contact

• Identify current and potential science 

providers, partners, and collaborators

• Outline a plan for completing baseline 

inventories

• Develop a long-term monitoring strategy

• Detail the plan to promote science within the 

unit

• Link unit science projects to local, regional, 

and national efforts

• Arrange for the use of the new BLM RPRS

4. Specify a strategy for integrating scientific 

understanding into management decisions

• Develop a strategy for transferring 

information from researcher to staff

• Identify opportunities to share especially 

relevant scientific information among

scientists, managers, and staff

• Arrange for the next stage of the resource 

management plan (development, 

implementation, or evaluation)

• Ensure compliance with legislative, 

statutory, and regulatory factors (e.g., 

National Environmental Policy Act)

5. Describe how scientific findings will be 

delivered to the public

• Identify interpretive activities related to 

science

• Specify and post/advertise opportunities for 

educational institutions

• Develop plans for sharing information with 

other agencies/land managers

•	 Propose specific outreach to local

communities and broader audiences

6. Describe existing scientific projects

• List project title, contributors, a brief 

description, and status (planned, in progress, 

completed, etc.) for current science activities

Appendix A: 

NLCS Unit Science Plan Outline
 BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy

The NLCS is working in partnership with the 

National Park Service (NPS) to adapt their Research 

Permit and Reporting System (RPRS) for the 

BLM and ensure the two systems are compatible. 

Major Features Found on the 

BLM RPRS

• Information about BLM research permit 

application requirements and field work

restrictions

• Web link and science coordinator contact 

information for each NLCS unit

• Searchable database of NLCS units’ 

science needs and opportunities

• Online application for a permit to conduct 

research within the NLCS

• Online submission of Investigator Annual 

Reports for scientific studies conducted on

public lands

• Searchable database of the objectives and 

findings (as reported in the Investigator

Annual Reports) of science previously 

conducted within the NLCS

Benefits for the BLM

• Supports the President’s electronic 

government (e-gov) initiative

• Creates a user-friendly, centralized forum 

to communicate BLM research needs to 

science providers

• Provides managers, planners, and 

interdisciplinary teams easy access 

to science reports that will be used in 

decisionmaking 

• Allows the BLM to monitor research 

activities, ensuring projects are in 

compliance with laws, regulations, 

land use plan decisions, and National 

Environmental Policy Act requirements

•	 Decreases workloads for field staff

through task automation and a reduction 

in the number of direct inquiries regarding 

science needs and opportunities

•	 Enhances the BLM’s profile within the

science community, thereby increasing 

the BLM’s capacity to leverage funding 

through partnerships with researchers

• Provides useful information for BLM 

education, community outreach, and 

interpretation efforts

• Facilitates the BLM’s ability to gather 

information, imposing fewer data calls on 

field offices

• Promotes consistency within the 

Department of the Interior

Benefits for the Research 

Community

• Provides a centralized access point to learn 

about science needs and opportunities 

across BLM jurisdictions

Appendix B: 

The BLM Research Permit and Reporting System
BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy  

• Increases researchers’ abilities to interact 

with BLM staff, locate study areas in the 

most appropriate locations, and develop 

projects most useful to the BLM

• Provides quick access to previous and 

ongoing projects, fostering collaboration 

between researchers and reducing 

duplication of studies

• Streamlines permitting and reporting for 

projects undertaken at multiple sites, across 

multiple years, or across jurisdictions

Current Plans for the BLM RPRS

The BLM RPRS is being piloted on a subset 

of 10 NLCS units. Pilots include: Agua Fria 

National Monument, San Pedro Riparian National 

Conservation Area, Aravaipa Wilderness, 

Headwaters Forest Reserve, California Coastal 

National Monument, Gunnison Gorge National 

Conservation Area, Snake River Birds of Prey 

National Conservation Area, Upper Missouri Breaks 

National Monument, Steens Mountain Cooperative 

Management and Protection Area, and Grand 

Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

• Fiscal Year 2008 – Test the BLM RPRS in a 

live environment (1-year pilot)

• Fiscal Year 2009 – Evaluate tests and 

prepare to expand to all remaining NLCS 

units

• Fiscal Year 2010 – Evaluate the BLM RPRS 

for implementation Bureauwide

A BLM range technician counts cottonwood saplings near Pablo Rapids in Montana as part of 

the cooperative cottonwood study between BLM and the U.S. Geological Survey in the Upper 

Missouri River Breaks National Monument.

Scientists conduct vegetation 

transects as part of a project 

examining the response of 

butterfly diversity to grazing in

the Cascade-Siskiyou National 

Monument in Oregon. One 

hundred fifteen butterfly species

have been catalogued in the 

monument.
10 BLM National Landscape Conservation System Science Strategy

The BLM encourages natural and social scientific 

research on all NLCS lands. Certain units such as 

Wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), and 

Wild Rivers have special requirements that set them 

apart from other types of public land.

In general, a researcher may remove or disturb 

natural resources in BLM Wilderness, WSAs, and 

Wild Rivers if project impacts preserve wilderness 

character. Ordinarily, this means research must be 

accomplished using nonmotorized hand tools and 

cause only minimal surface disturbance. 

Wilderness and Wild Rivers

Researchers are encouraged to conduct scientific 

investigations that are dependent on the natural 

setting of Wilderness and Wild Rivers. The BLM 

may consider exceptions to some of the following 

prohibitions on a case-by-case basis.

Researchers are generally prohibited from: 

• Building temporary roads, aircraft landing 

strips, heliports, or helispots

• Using motorized equipment; or motor 

vehicles, motorboats, or other forms of 

mechanical transport

• Landing aircraft or dropping or picking up 

any material, supplies, or people 

• Building structures or installations 

• Cutting trees

Wilderness Study Areas

Researchers are generally prohibited from:

• Driving off designated routes of travel

• Creating surface disturbance that requires 

reclamation (recontouring topography, 

replacing topsoil, or restoring native plant 

species and cover)

• Building temporary roads, aircraft landing 

strips, heliports, or helispots

• Landing aircraft or dropping or picking up 

any material, supplies, or people

• Building structures or installations

• Cutting trees

Appendix C: 

Conducting Research in BLM-Managed Wilderness, 

Wilderness Study Areas, and Wild Rivers

Scientists collect fairy brine shrimp on the Carrizo Plain 

National Monument in California as part of the vernal pool 

monitoring projects.
Editing, design, and layout provided by the

BLM National Science and Technology Center’s Publishing Staff, Denver, Colorado.

Oregon Archaeological Society 

volunteers pick bone, stone, and 

fire hearth charcoal from screens at

the Mortar Riddle Site in the Steens 

Mountain Cooperative Management 

and Protection Area.

Paleontologists from the 

Smithsonian Institution 

examine specimens 

in the Fossil Forest 

Research Natural Area 

in New Mexico.

BLM staff take global positioning 

system readings at Kasha-Katuwe 

Tent Rocks National Monument.
Archaeological resources 

are documented at Lowry 

Pueblo, a National Historic 

Landmark, located in the 

Canyon of the Ancients 

National Monument 

in Colorado.