Natural Resources

Center Content: 

volunteers help to plant native seeds

Get Involved

The BLM’s work in plant conservation and management is done in partnership with all BLM programs and in cooperation with other federal and state agencies, industry, and the American people to achieve its goals. 

Internships

Each year, the  Conservation and Land Management (CLM) Internship Program places 75-100 graduates from colleges and universities across the country in five-month paid internships to assist biologists and other professional staff who work with a variety of federal agencies as well as non-profits focused on conservation efforts.

Since it began in 2001, the program has successfully placed more than 1,100 interns with federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), as well as other non-profit partners.  Interns apply their education to important conservation projects, while experiencing new landscapes, habitats, and species diversity. More than half of all CLM interns participate in the Seeds of Success program.

Chicago Botanic Garden manages the CLM internship program, including recruitment, training, and placement of interns. Recruitment efforts include advertising to over 1,200 colleges and universities across the USA via listserves, email, websites, and flyers. Suitable applicants are subject to an intensive selection and interview process. Mentors are consulted for feedback on applicants, which is critical to a strong partnership between the CLM program and its partners. Most interns attend a week-long training workshop held at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where they learn from experts in the field and are able to network with fellow interns. The CLM program helps interns explore career opportunities and goals and assists program partners with a wide range of conservation goals.

In Your Own Backyard

BudBurst and the BLM’s National Conservation Lands

As a founding member that provided the initial funding for the 2007 pilot program that became Project BudBurst, the Bureau of Land Management has been a longtime supporter of BudBurst’s mission and goals. Opportunities to participate in BudBurst data collection exist in all programs within the BLM’s National Conservation Lands.

●    National Monuments - Lands designated by presidential proclamation or by Congress to protect historically or scientifically significant resources, objects, and values.
●    National Conservation Areas - Lands designated by Congress to conserve and protect historically or scientifically significant resources, objects, and values.
●    Wilderness Areas – Lands designated by Congress where the land is mostly undisturbed. The land retains a primeval character, without permanent improvements and generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature.
●    Wilderness Study Areas – Generally have the same attributes as Wilderness Areas but have not yet been designated as Wilderness Areas or released for other uses.
●    The Wild and Scenic Rivers - Rivers designated by Congress which possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values and are preserved in free-flowing condition.
●    National Scenic and Historic Trails – Scenic Trails designated by Congress that provide significant scenic, historical, natural, and/or cultural resources for conservation and recreation.  Historic Trails designated by Congress that are routes of travel that have national significance and showcase significant cultural or historical features.

The partnership between BLM and BudBurst is beneficial for everyone involved including educators, students, families, and individual volunteers. Projects for BudBurst can be done anywhere plants exist, and BLM lands like the ones listed above have an abundance of opportunities across approximately 245 million acres of BLM-managed, public lands.