Public and Federal Lands

1. Public and Federal Lands

2. I. Regulation of Federal Lands • No nation has set aside as much of its land for public use, resource extraction, enjoyment, and wildlife habitat as the US. • The federal government manages roughly 35% of the country’s land, which belongs to all of us! • About 75% of this land is in Alaska, and another 20% is in the western states.

3. D. As a percentage of land in the state, Nevada has the highest percentage of land publicly owned.

4. E. U.S. Public Lands are managed, in order of restrictions to use: • Natural Resources Land (BLM) • National Forest/Grasslands Land (USFS) • Wildlife Refuges (US FWS) • National Parks (NPS) • National Wilderness System

5. F. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages National Resource Lands. These lands are used primarily for mining, oil and gas extraction, hunting, and livestock grazing. G. The purpose of BLM lands is to equitably use and develop our nation’s National Resources H. Taylor Grazing Act of 1937 changed BLM grazing from commons resource to permits.

6. I. BLM Nation’s single largest landowner: 106 million ha (261 million acres) across 12 western states 1. Ranchers can graze cattle on BLM lands for low fees 2. Low fees encourage overgrazing 3. Ranchers and environmentalists have teamed up to prevent development and sprawl on BLM lands

7. BLM Land

8. BLM managed land has a multiple-use, sustained yield mandate. Meaning it is devoted explicityly to commercial use such as mineral development and grazing, and this use should be sustainable as much as possible. The money from federal lands use is put in the U.S. treasury, for the use and benefit of all U.S. Citizens.

9. If no BLM? Example: The DRC (democratic republic of Congo) is very mineral-wealthy, having an estimated reserve of diamonds, gold, uranium (WWII bombs build with DRC uranium) copper, and coltan (used as a raw material to fabricate electrical components, DRC has 70% of the world’s supply) worth more than $24 trillion dollars.

10. But no system to distribute wealth to citizens… 1960 – 1997 Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko embezled/took $4 billion dollars 1997 – today Civil war, foreign corporations, and neighboring countries exploited minerals 70% of country is malnourished

11. I. Regulation of Federal Lands J. U.S. Forest Service - Manages 122 National Forests and 22 National grasslands. 1. USFS lands can be used for logging, mining, livestock grazing, oil and gas extraction, recreation, hunting, and conservation of watershed and wildlife resources.

12. I. Regulation of Federal Lands 2. Mission of National Forest System: • To grow trees, produce timber, protect watersheds, and ensure future timber supplies • Resulted from depletion of U.S. forests and fear of a “timber famine” • 77 million ha (191 million acres); 8% of the U.S. land area 3. The U.S. Forest Service was established in 1905 • Manage forests for the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run, including logging

13. 4. Issues facing the forest service include determining the appropriate level of timber harvest and fire safety. There have been severe fire seasons the last several years, and there has been intense debate about undergrowth and fuel load removal (remember fire policy was total supression from 1916 to 1968).

14. I. Regulation of Federal Lands Four National Forests in Texas – All in East Texas, one National Grassland

15. U.S. National Grasslands

16. I. Regulation of Federal Lands K. National Wildlife Refuges – Administered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. L. Most Refuges protect habitats and breeding areas of waterfowl and big game to provide a harvestable supply to permitted hunters, or protect endangered species or habitat. M. National Wildlife Refuges don’t allow camping, and there are only a few that allow oil and gas development, or mining.

18. black capped vireo

19. Endangered Golden – Cheeked Warbler

20. N. Issues in managing National Wildlife Refuges include motorboat debates and the access of oil extraction in wildlife reserves.

21. O. Case Study of Issues in Wildlife Refuge Use: ANWR 1. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is called "America's Serengeti" for its tremendous biological productivity and diversity, the coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most intact and untouched ecosystems in America.

22. 2. The refuge is home to 42 mammal species, including more than 120,000 head of caribou; 36 species of fish, and over 160 species of birds. Many of these birds migrate to and from all fifty states and from six continents to feed and reproduce.

23. 3. There has been much debate about opening ANWR up for oil drilling, and the general purpose of wildlife refuges (do we or don’t we allow resource extraction? What are the rules?) 4. USFWS is proposing wilderness designation for most of ANWR, which would not allow for energy extraction

25. I. Regulation of Federal Lands N. National parks = public lands protected from resource extraction and development. Set aside specifically to protect “scenic beauty” and provide recreation, then ecosystem management and preservation of wildlife became major focus in the 60’s. O. 58 major National Parks, 331 other sites, including national historic sites, national recreation areas, national wild and scenic rivers

26. P. The first National Park to be established was Yellowstone in 1972. Congress authorized to establish National Parks, the President can establish national monuments on his own.

27. I. Regulation of Federal Lands Q. Only camping, hiking and other recreation, sport fishing, and boating can take place in National Parks. R. In general, National Parks and Monuments consider preservation their priority, and don’t permit activities that harves or remove resources.

28. S. Issues the National Park service is dealing with are appropriate levels of funding for maintianing National Parks, and a debate about the role and place of motorized vehicles in National Parks (conservation vs. access). • Snowmobiles in Yellowstone/Teton – prohibited • Helicopter Air tours – Grand Canyon • Traffic Jams – Yosemite shuttle system

30. Major US National Parks

31. I. Regulation of Federal Lands Q. The most restricted public lands are part of the National Wilderness System. These are part of other federal lands – they just have an additional wilderness designation. R. Only non-motorized recreational activities are allowed, and no roads are built.

32. I. Regulation of Federal Lands S. The U.S. Wilderness act of 1964 recognized wilderness (an area undisturbed by people) as something to be preserved as part of a nation’s natural capital.

33. Dark Purple = Federal Wilderness Areas

34. II. Goals of Park Management • What should be preserved in a National Park or Monument? The following are goals/guidelines for what should be preserved (Botkin and Keller, pg 254) • Preservation of unique and scenic wonder of nature, such as the Grand Canyon. • Preservation of nature without human interference

35. II. Goals of Park Management 3. Preservation of nature in a condition thought to be representative of some prior time (prairies before settlement), or a historical event of national significance 4. Wildlife conservation, including conservation of the required habitat and ecosystem of the wildlife. 5. Conservation of specific endangered species and habitats.

36. II. Goals of Park Management 6. Conservation of total biological diversity of a region. 7. Maintenance of wildlife for hunting 8. Maintenance of uniquely or unusually beautiful landscapes for aesthetic reasons 9. Maintenance of representative natural areas for an entire country.

37. II. Goals of Park Management 10. Maintenance for outdoor recreation, including a range of activities from viewing scenery to wilderness recreation (hiking, cross-country skiing, rock climbing) and tourism (car and bus tours, camping) 11. Maintenance of areas set aside for scientific research, both as a basis of park management and for the pursuit of answers to fundamental scientific questions.

38. II. Goals of Park Management 12. Provision of corridors and connections between separated natural areas.

40. B. Habitat fragmentation threatens species 1. Contiguous habitat is chopped into small pieces

41. The SLOSS dilemma C. Which is better to protect species? 1. A Single Large Or Several Small reserves? 2. Depends on the species: tigers vs. birds D. Corridors = protected land that allows animals to travel between islands of protected habitat 1. Animals get more resources 2. Enables gene flow between populations

42. E. Biosphere reserves have several zones • This can be a win-win situation for everyone

43. 1. Central

44. III. Wildlife Management A. We have used the maximum sustainable yield model to manage fisheries, endangered species, and game animals.

45. B. Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is defined as the population size that yield maximum production, and allow the population to be sustained indefinitely. C. MSY population size is half of a population’s carrying capacity in the environment.

46. D. If the population is estimated correctly, species levels will stabilize. This is called optimum or maximum sustainable population. E. If the population is estimated incorrectly (overestimated) then the population crashes. F. We now use minimum viable population to manage endangered species – the estimated smallest population that can maintain itself and genetic variability.