The BLM manages nearly 23 million acres of public lands in Utah, accounting for about 42 percent of the State's land base. Numbers of operators have dropped from 4,380 to 1,572 during the same time. This decrease in grazing has allowed the rangelands to regenerate back to a healthy condition. Historic photographs have been retaken and compared as a means of showing the change in condition. The results of the nation's early settlement policies have exceeded the wildest 19th century expectations.
People continue to move westward to take advantage of economic opportunities.
But they are also attracted by the West's quality of life - open space, spectacular scenery, clean air, and clean water. These virtues are often attributable directly to the presence of public lands. And these lands provide significant economic benefits to the nation and to the counties where they are located. The BLM is one of the top revenue-generating agencies of the Federal government, taking in more money than it spends each year. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 guide BLM's management of livestock grazing on public lands.