The Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) offers some of the West’s most spectacular landscapes, which the agency manages for conservation purposes under its multiple-use mandate. These wild and often remote places provide opportunities for scientific research, recreation, and a wide range of other uses. The NLCS, created in 2000, is comprised of more than 800 units totaling more than 25 million acres.

These areas consist of the BLM’s National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and National Scenic and Historic Trails.
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.

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.

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