The Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for managing and conserving most federal lands and natural resources, as well as programs related to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. The National Park Service also falls under the DOI’s jurisdiction.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the DOI responsible for administering U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees public lands and minerals, national parks, and wildlife refuges. The DOI upholds Federal trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and Native Americans.
The federal government owns and manages roughly 640 million acres of land in the United States, or 28 of the 2.27 billion total land acres. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS) are part of the DOI.
Federal lands are publicly owned lands in the United States managed by the federal government, including 901 federally recognized areas, encompassing approximately 35 million acres, primarily across 12 western states. The Department of the Interior prepares for and responds to emergencies on Department-managed lands as part of its responsibilities.
The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, about 28 of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. This important law allows almost 290 million acres of federal land to be privatized in coming decades. However, the 160-acre allotments are too small to make them viable.
The Department of the Interior transfers jurisdiction of 65.74 acres of federal land to the Department of the Army in Arizona and New Mexico. The DOI is responsible for managing nearly 500 million acres of land, or one in every five acres of land in the United States.
📹 Why Nevada Owns Less than 20% of Nevada
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What are federal lands in the USA?
The United States Federal Government is the proprietor and overseer of a multitude of lands, including national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, military reservations, and public-domain land. These holdings are managed with the dual objective of preserving the country’s natural resources and facilitating the conduct of various activities.
Is there any US land that isn’t owned?
In 2023, towns and cities in the United States offer free land to those willing to build a home or start a business. These programs require applicants to meet specific requirements, such as building a home within a certain period and paying a deposit towards the land. The deposit may or may not be refundable once construction is complete. To qualify for financing, applicants must have a high-enough credit score and cash for deposits and closing costs. To get free land, applicants must also meet specific tasks and obtain financing in order. This process can take time, so applicants should start well in advance of their desired application date.
Can you buy federal land in USA?
The purchase of excess federal land may be conducted through individual sales, which encompass a range of properties, including undeveloped land, office buildings, warehouses, and single- and multi-family residences.
What family owns the most land in the world?
The British Royal Family, under the leadership of King Charles III, currently possesses the largest land ownership title in the world, encompassing over 6, 600, 000 acres of land across multiple global territories, representing approximately one-sixth of the planet’s surface area. This extensive domain encompasses a multitude of territories across the globe.
How much land in the US is owned by the federal government?
The federal government manages approximately 640 million acres of land in the United States, accounting for 28 of the total land area of 2. 27 billion acres. Federal lands are publicly owned lands, and Congress has the power to retain, buy, sell, and regulate them under the Property Clause of the United States Constitution. These powers have been recognized in Supreme Court decisions. The majority of federal lands (610.
1 million acres or 95% area in 2015) are administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), or United States Forest Service (USFS).
These lands are part of the Department of the Interior, while the Forest Service is part of the Department of Agriculture. An additional 11. 4 million acres (about 2 of all federal land) is managed by the United States Department of Defense (DOD). The majority of federal lands are located in Alaska and the Western states.
Why is there so much federal land in the West?
This strategy, which was sometimes endorsed by official sources, proved effective in the eastern and midwestern regions due to the relative ease with which land could be managed and settled.
Who controls the federal territory?
The governance of Malaysia is divided between the federal government and state governments, with federal territories being directly administered by the federal government. The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia lists the specific responsibilities of these governments, which can be legislated on by individual states. However, legal scholars view this as a “pauper’s bequest” due to the large scope of matters listed in the Ninth Schedule.
Nine peninsular states, based on historical Malay kingdoms, are known as the Malay states. Each state has a hereditary ruler as titular head of state and an executive Chief Minister or Menteri Besar as politically responsible head of government. The federal head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is elected among the nine rulers to serve a 5-year term. Former British settlements and crown colonies of Penang and Malacca (both peninsular), and Sabah and Sarawak (both on Borneo), each have a titular Governor appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and an executive Chief Minister or Ketua Menteri.
Malaysia’s ethnically and religiously diverse population is spread throughout the country and not inherently reflected by the borders of the states. However, there is a significant distinction between the peninsular states and the two East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, which have significant indigenous populations. Both states have greater autonomy, including additional powers over their immigration controls as part of the 20-point agreement and 18-point agreement drawn up by the respective states when they, together with the Federation of Malaya and Singapore, formed Malaysia.
Who owns the most federal land?
The U. S. National Park Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Bureau of Land Management, and U. S. Forest Service oversee approximately 95% of federal land, ranging from 608 to 610 million acres. Alaska has the most federal land, with 222. 7 million acres, while Nevada has the highest percentage of federal land within a state at 80. 1%. Connecticut and Iowa have the lowest percentages at 0. 3% each.
Who is the richest land owner?
King Charles III of England and the British Royal Family own over 6, 600, 000, 000 acres of land worldwide, covering 1/6 of the planet’s surface. The Catholic Church owns 177 million acres of land, including churches, schools, farms, and religious landmarks like the Scala Sancta and Apostolic Palace. The Inuit people of Nunavut in Canada, granted ownership of a separate territory called Nunavut in 1993, are the third largest landowner in the world. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act of 1993 granted the Inuit people ownership of 87 million acres, making it the largest land claim settlement in Canada’s history.
Who is the owner of federal land?
Federal Land, a subsidiary of the Philippines’ GT Capital Holdings Inc., was established 50 years ago by Dr. George S. K. Ty. Under the direction of his son, Chairman Alfred V. Ty, the company has diversified its activities beyond the construction sector. Chairman Ty attributes the company’s success in delivering large-scale, high-quality developments to his own passion for architecture. This has positioned Ty’s as a leader in the industry.
Do states have control over federal land?
The Property Clause of the Constitution vests Congress with ultimate authority over federal lands. However, states possess legal authority to manage federal lands within their borders.
📹 Should public land remain under federal control?
The fate of several national monument areas will be decided Thursday. In the West, the federal government owns and manages …
If there’s ever any doubt about the Forest Service’s mission, just note that it’s in the Department of Agriculture. A National Forest is essentially a great big tree farm. And as such, those nearby can get a Christmas Tree for WAY less than you would spend at a Christmas Tree Farm. And by that I mean for a $10 permit you’re allowed to take a tree any size up to 20 feet. You just have to be able to haul it yourself (and cut it down without killing yourself or anyone else).
When I told my friend that the DoD owns the least amount of land of the federal land managers they were suprised, they knew that America has a massive military. And I simply said “with human made machines you can neatly pack them into hangars and warehouses. With forests and parks they are just big empty spaces of nature. The DoD is still the one with the most ‘power’ it just doesn’t have all the land”
The Forest Service, in its own right, is a timber sale company, much like the article said. An excellent podcast sort of showcasing this example is “The Timber Wars”, which is about the management/sale of old growth forest and how selling forests for timber puts the balance of endemic animals off. It’s much less about OR v USA, but it does very strictly have to do with the forest service and land management
I live in Oregon. We have over half of the state federally managed. We hike, bike, camp, fish, and hunt all over our federal lands, here. Over 400,000 hikers live in our state alone. I’ve hiked on over 800 miles in the last 5 years, and almost all of it has been on federal land. Most states cannot be trusted to manage land. Overall, federal land does a better job at preserving OUR land for recreation and preservationist reasons. On the east coast, most of the land is developed and privately owned, and because of that, it is generally far more altered and off-limits to recreation. On the west coast, we are SO LUCKY to have all this federal land to explore, hike in, and enjoy. Remember, much of national forest land is designated as wilderness, which means that it is set aside in a completely natural state, for primitive recreational activities, such as hiking and backpacking. Yay! Recreation and tourism is far more important than resource extraction. Fact: the outdoor recreation economy is larger than all other resource extraction economies, combined. It supports over 7 million jobs, and makes billions of dollars. Makes sense to preserve it!
Super vid! As a Westerner (Utah) I live in fear of the state obtaining ownership of federal land. Although the Fed’s administration is clunky at times, the various bureaus attempt to make rational decisions. As things stands now great swaths of open land are available for recreation. I’m pretty certain that the primary focus under state administration would be selling land in order to balance budgets. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Ask Arizona about pressure to sell their State Trust Lands.
Could you please do that Reservation article? Especially how states like Wisconsin handle having whole counties labeled as such. Speaking of Wisconsin, could you clarify what Governor Walker did with the DNR? Or, for that matter, what the DNR generally is?? Thanks and kudos for the MTG imagery.👍😎 Peace!✌😇✝
As an American from the West, this is why we are constantly complaining about Federal Land. Americans in the East don’t understand why Red, Blue, or other, Western Americans tend to universally hate federal land (not saying to get rid of national parks, just maybe don’t drop atomic bombs on us and wonder why so many people have cancer)
The article should have mentioned the difference between federal property and federal enclaves. Federal enclaves (like the District of Columbia) truly are not part of any state. Federal property is still part of the state it’s in, it’s just owned by the federal government, and Congress is allowed to pass any law that is “necessary and proper” regarding them, rather than be restricted to the enumerated Article I powers.
As an Idahoan, the issue of “public lands” is extremely contentiousness and among the biggest issues in state poltiics. Personally, I’m against any move that significantly reduces the size of forests or other nature areas preserved on national land. In Idaho, there are few places you cant go to hunt, fish, camp, hike, road trip, etc with amazing amounts of unbroken nature. But I worry that if public lands were handed over to the state we would end up with a lot more companies controlling land they don’t want you travling on that was formally your favorite place to hike or hunt.
You mentioned that people “say” they live on Federal land, but the boundaries are shaped all weird that keeps them in a local jurisdiction? I know in the Presidio in San Francisco, they have a few thousand people who rent homes in old barracks and officer housing. And the United States Park Police is in charge of patrolling that and enforcing laws in their rented homes. 🙂
I’m taking a shot every time Grey mispronounces “Nevada”. I might also be perusal this article on a loop. I might be an alcoholic. But if you get the urge to make another article where you say “Nevada”, the second syllable is pronounced with the short a, as in “map”, no the schwa sound, was in “mom”. Have fun!
The actual answer, for Nevada, is that the amount of land the federal government owns in the state is written into the state constitution and has to do with the Civil War. Maybe it’s just me, but I wish this article had been “Why does the federal government own so much western land” and then a follow up being “Why Nevada Owns Less than 20% of Nevada” talking about Nevada and how it was formed.
Very informative and entertaining article. However, your characterization of how states with lots of federal land feel about the subject isn’t entirely fair. In most situations, there’s a pretty good working relationship between the state and federal governments in relation to the management of the land. Also, the states benefit greatly from any resource acquisition that occurs on federal land within their borders, and also from the grazing rights, which are usually free.
2:04 before the mechanic was removed, that land could be used to reduce mana burn. Or, there may be some shenanigans you can pull to use that to lessen an opponent’s land. Or or, you can use it as an easy sacrifice when your opponent forces you to destroy a land. Or or or, an easy card to discard when one of your creatures or spells call for it. Basically a dead card in your deck reserved for being eliminated
Most federal lands ensure that our water ways are maintained under federal control because they provide resources to multiple states, especially where water is more scarce out west. If you let the state control it, you’d leave other states dried up, or with polluted water suppies. If you sold it off to private industry and they go bankrupt, there’s no one to manage it and it could end up being controlled by a foreign power, or fall into disarray. Also it ensures that the federal government has to protect federal lands if we we’re attacked in war. So if we we’re invaded and they took over our biggest waterways those states wouldn’t be SOL.
I propose a solution. Start designating the land as either wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, hunting reserves, or sell to private buyers. I believe the land right now is in a sort of purgatory and would be better suited if it was designated as one or the other. Simplest thing to do is divide it up for all groups to get a share of the pie. 80% of Nevada does not need to be held for hunting, or camping. More like 1-5%. And if the government only wants to get rid of some of the land, so be it, its still a good start.
We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with its living and its decaying trees, the thunder-cloud, and the rain which lasts three weeks and produces freshets. We need to witness our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander. Henry David Thoreau