Nationally, the BLM is responsible for carrying out a variety of programs for the management and conservation, of resources on 253 million surface acres, as well as 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate.
In Idaho, the BLM manages nearly 12 million acres of public lands, nearly one-fourth of the state's total land area. The Branch of Lands, Minerals & Water Rights administers the use and development of many of the resources found on these lands – including energy and mineral resources – along with managing real estate transactions involving public lands. The office is also custodian of land status records such as master title plats and cadastral survey notes and plats.
The
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) established the BLM’s multiple-use mandate to manage the public lands
“in a manner that will protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values; that, where appropriate, will preserve and protect certain public lands in their natural condition; that will provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife and domestic animals; and that will provide for outdoor recreation and human occupancy and use …”.
The Lands, Minerals & Water Rights branch coordinates with BLM
planning and
resource specialists to manage surface resources, minerals and water rights to ensure that authorized uses of public lands do nothing to diminish their health and productivity or impair their use and enjoyment by present and future generations.
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