Much of the grazing on the national land reserve is seasonal in character, supplying only a small percentage of the total feed supply for the Nation's livestock industry. But without the use of this forage, year-round livestock production would be seriously handicapped in many local areas. In addition to domestic livestock, an estimated 1.2 million big game animals find a large share of their livelihood on public lands. These include deer, antelope, elk and moose. Wise Regulation of the Range Wise regulation and management of the range requires that surveys be made to map and evaluate the vegetation cover, available water, topography and other physical features limiting the number of livestock and big game which can utilize the range. Surveys must also be made to determine the capability of private lands to support livestock during the period they are not on the national land reserve. Involved are the private lands of some 18,000 operators who are licensed to graze 8.5 million head of livestock in the grazing districts. Continued range use supervision assures compliance with the terms of grazing licenses issued, prevents grazing trespass, and provides conformance with the established range management programs. Continuous studies help determine the condition of the range and assure effectiveness of range use practices and livestock use adjustments. Water Shortage a Chronic Problem BLM lands are in that portion of the Western States where water shortage is a chronic problem and natural vegetation is sparse and delicately adapted to special conditions. Serious conservation problems, created by uncontrolled use and neglect during past decades, exist in a tragically high proportion of the area. Deterioration of the plant cover has caused not only a reduction in forage production but also critical erosion conditions. These in turn cause loss of soil and water, stream pollution, floods and damage from silt and sediment. Land treatment practices-such as pitting, furrowing and ripping-retard runoff and also condition the soil so that sufficient moisture is absorbed and kept to maintain plant growth. Where valley bottoms have been deeply gullied, large detention structures are needed to slow down flood waters and reduce the cutting force of concentrated runoff. Water captured in these detention dams may be diverted to level areas to produce abundant growth behind spreader dikes. Grazing Management Proper grazing management is a conservation measure, essential in curbing vegetative deterioration and halting erosion. In some cases it may be the only practice needed. In most areas, however, the remnant of native grasses is insufficient to rejuvenate the stand in a reasonable period of time. In these areas of extremely poor range, the remaining surface soils are incapable of absorbing and holding what little precipitation does fall in the form of rain and snow. It is questionable if some of the more critical lands would improve under any system of management without application of special practices to hold the soil and establish a vegetative cover. Some of the conservation practices that can be used to treat and restore rangelands are seeding of grasses, and brush control by burning, chemical and mechanical methods. These practices result in rapid establishment of valuable forage species-which in turn retard or prevent the invasion of undesirable weeds and brush. In addition, these plants form a soil-binding cover that resists erosion and holds back excessive runoff. Water for livestock requires many facilities in arid lands, including wells, ponds, and spring developments. Fences must be constructed to control the movement of livestock, to protect newly seeded areas and to assist in livestock handling. Access must be provided by truck trails, bridges, cattle guards and stock trails. Projects for the Future There are over 43,000 projects for the management of range and livestock and for conservation purposes on the national land reserve. These projects include 22,000 miles of fence, 1.5 million acres of brush control, 2.5 million acres of grass seedings, 1,300 water detention structures, and 11,000 stock water ponds. Fire is a serious problem, requiring the time and effort of BLM range men throughout the summer months. Fires caused by careless smokers, lightning and other causes burn an average of 264,000 acres Federal rangelands are potentially a great national asset. Wise management, for the production of forage, protection of watershed, and prevention of erosion, is one of the Bureau's most challenging responsibilities. Through skillful application of existing management techniques, and through research leading to new and improved practices, BLM is striving to meet the challenge. Resources of Our Public Lands THE Bureau of Land Management is one of the few Federal Government agencies that returns to the Treasury of the United States far more funds than are appropriated. Since 1812, in fact, the Bureau and its predecessors have received well over $2 billion from the sale of the resources of our public lands. More than half of the total, $1.7 billion, has come since 1946 when the Bureau of Land Management was established. For the last fiscal year, gross receipts from the sale and management of public lands and resources totaled $159,246,157. Where do these monies come from? Last year mineral leases and permits returned $116,981,971, including $7,304,687 from rents and royalties on the Outer Continental Shelf. Next in dollar value was the sale of timber, bringing $32,125,757. Public land sales brought $4,500,000, while the revenue from grazing leases, licenses, and permits totaled $2,982,188. Fees and commissions brought $2,476,549; rights-of-way, $209,724; and other sources brought $219,968. Of the Bureau's receipts for fiscal year 1961, $51,935,891 was returned to 27 public land States, including $14,454,673 which went to the 18 western Oregon timber land counties. The Reclamation Fund received $52,261,699, and $51,500,444 went to the General Fund of the Treasury. Also $3,233,499 was transferred to other Government agencies; $314,624 earmarked for Indian trust funds; and approximately $739,842 returned to the grazing districts for range improvements. In the early years of the General Land Office the sale of Government land was considered a primary source of revenue for the young Nation. Today, the sale and lease of the resources of the land loom far more important than does the sale of land itself-clear demonstration of the changing values of our public lands. FLY across the heartland of the United States today and you will see below a vast checkerboard, with fields and roads and cities laid out in a precise north-south, east-west arrangement. Practically the only features that don't run by the compass are the ridges and valleys and streams. A map depicting our country as it was at the end of the Revolutionary War would show vast expanses of land occupied by various Indian tribes but owned by various nations of the world. During the half century beginning in 1803, some two-thirds of the present United States, except for Alaska, was acquired by purchase, cession, or annexation. At the close of the Revolutionary War, plans were already being made for the orderly expansion of the new nation. Farsighted Thomas Jefferson conceived the idea of dividing the vast wilderness to the west into the present township and section plan so striking to the air traveler of today. It is rumored that George Washington, himself a surveyor, objected to Jefferson's plan, but nevertheless Congress approved it on May 20, 1785. Today we are the one nation in the world with a land pattern based on a system of surveys making available to the people a precise, easily described method of choosing their desired share of the land surface. Essentially the same system is used today in Alaska to mark the boundaries of our last frontier. One of the most significant features of the system is that land boundaries can be established before settlers arrive. As we watch the struggles of other countries in carry ing out land reform programs, we realize how for tunate we are to have inherited a system that made suitable parcels of land available to pioneer families. Cadastral Surveying The term cadastral surveying means a system of government surveys of large areas, with baselines providing reference points from which private surveyors can make subdivisions and accurate descriptions. In each State a baseline has been established, and this baseline runs east and west. A principal meridian, running north and south, provides the other reference line. Townships 6 miles square, containing 36 sections of a square mile each, are marked off from the baseline and the meridian. Modern cadastral engineers are using electronic distance measuring equipment to establish control points for their work-increasing accuracy and saving man-hours. |