The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages a wide variety of resources spread
over 258 million acres of public lands and 700 million acres of subsurface
mineral estate. These public land resources include timber, forage,
energy and minerals, recreation, wild horse and burro herds, fish and wildlife
habitat, wilderness areas, and archaeological and paleontological sites. 
The
BLM has been given specific resource protection and law enforcement responsibilities
that relate to its resource management mission. There are many federal
laws and regulations that relate to public lands and resources. These
laws and regulations are often quite unique in that they apply only to federal
lands and have no counterparts in state law.
The BLM fields a force of approximately 200 Law Enforcement Rangers (uniformed
officers) and 70 Special Agents (criminal investigators) who enforce a wide
range of laws and regulations in the prevention, detection, and investigation
of crimes affecting public lands resources. These crimes include mineral
resource theft; wilderness area violations; hazardous materials dumping; archaeological
and paleontological resource theft and vandalism; cultivation, manufacture,
smuggling, and use of illegal drugs; timber, forest product, and native plant
theft; off-highway vehicle use; alcohol related crimes; and wildland arson.
The public lands managed by the BLM are predominantly located in the western
U.S., including Alaska, and consist of extensive grassland, forest, high mountain,
arctic tundra, and desert landscapes. Each of these landscapes has a
diversity of resources. As a result, the specific duties of each BLM
law enforcement officer can vary considerably. For example, in the southwestern
desert, officers may spend a considerable amount of time dealing with large
numbers of recreational off-highway vehicle users as well as archaeological
resources crimes; officers along the southern border frequently contend with
the effects of illegal border crossing and drug smuggling; officers in urban
interface areas encounter a variety of trespass crimes to include arson and
hazardous materials dumping;and officers in the northern states regularly
deal with marijuana cultivation and illegal commercial outfitting activities.
If you’re someone who wants to pursue a career in law enforcement in
an outdoor setting, then the BLM may be for you. We take pride in tackling
some of the toughest and most unique challenges that Federal law enforcement
has to offer.
