In general there are four types of government or public lands in Colorado. They are:
- National Forest
- BLM (Bureau of Land Management)
- State Land
- National Monuments
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| Mountain Stream |
National forests comprise the second largest area of public lands: almost 200 million acres, the equivalent of California, Oregon, and Washington combined. There are 155 national forests in the nation, mostly in the West and in Alaska. The Forest Service was established in 1905 and, in addition to national forests, it also administers 20 national grasslands covering four million acres. National forests are administered under the concept of multiple use for sustained yield, which tries to balance such diverse activities as grazing, logging, mining, recreation, and watershed protection. The total acreage for National Forest in Colorado is 14,508,108 acres. Grasslands comprise 628,380 acres of this.
The Bureau of Land Management administers 264 million acres of public lands, most of it in the western states. The ecological, aesthetic, and economic value of these lands is inestimable. The BLM also manages mineral rights underlying 564 million acres of public lands. Founded in 1946 by combining the General Land Office with the Grazing Service, the BLM was considered a "multiple use" agency focusing on grazing and the development of timber and mineral resources. Today, the BLM also manages wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national conservation areas, a national monument, watersheds, historic and archaeological sites, and a multitude of recreational activities in 12 western states. The BLM manages 8.3 million acres in Colorado for use such as recreation, mining, wildlife habitat and livestock grazing.
The National Park System preserves some of the nation's most spectacular scenery and hallowed cultural and historical sites. Totaling 83 million acres, the system includes 54 national parks with a combined area of 54 million acres. Another 24 million acres are in national preserves; unlike national parks and monuments, the preserves allow hunting and the extraction of minerals and fuels. The 369 individual sites within the National Park System also include national monuments, national seashores and lakeshores, battlefields, historic trails, and buildings.
State land was established in 1876 and includes more than 3 million acres of surface rights and 4 million acres of mineral rights that the federal government gave to Colorado primarily to generate revenue for public education. In Fiscal Year 1997-1998, the State Land Board helped to provide a total of $36.2 million in benefits to Colorado's public schoolchildren, and nearly $800,000 to seven other smaller trusts.
The Board generates income for its trust beneficiaries primarily through agricultural leases for grazing and crop lands, mineral development
and interest earned on invested funds. In recent years, the Board has
also expanded its efforts to increase revenue through commercial development activities and leasing lands for hunting, fishing and
other recreational activities.
