These lands also produce a large portion of the Nation's fertilizer minerals, mineral materials, gold, silver, and other metals. Timber production and livestock grazing are also important uses of the public lands. Livestock grazing on the public lands is central to the livelihood and culture of many local communities. In 1998, the BLM authorized livestock grazing for more than 17,000 operators on about 164 million acres public land in 16 western States, providing 10.1 million animal unit months of grazing. Many of these provide for the basic infrastructure of society, meeting the needs of local cities and towns.
States share in a large portion of the revenues collected.
To date, the BLM has inventoried a total of 13.4 million acres and recorded 220,809 cultural resource properties. A total of 739 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern totaling almost 13.1 million acres have been designated nationwide on the public lands to protect important historical, cultural, scenic and natural areas or to identify areas where hazards to human life and property exist. About 7 million of these acres have been designated to protect biological resource values. The BLM also continued to manage 34 Wild and Scenic River segments totaling 2,038 miles, including 392 miles of the Fortymile River in Alaska, the longest designated river in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The BLM also continued to move forward in managing the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.