To early settlers, our nation’s land resources seemed unlimited and the public land was totally unregulated. For the first century and a half, it was the policy of our government was to encourage agriculture by giving public lands away.

In Wyoming and elsewhere, millions of sheep and cattle were grazed on public rangeland between the 1880’s and 1930’s.

Great damage was done to many areas by overgrazing by plowing lands unsuitable for farming.  The crisis that resulted from these policies became known as the dust bowl.  It was in this context that the agency now known as the Bureau of Land Management (or BLM) has its roots.

For many years it was half-jokingly said the BLM was manager of the lands that nobody wanted… deserts, depleted rangelands, failed homesteads and so on.

That has all changed.  Livestock and minerals development are still important on BLM lands, but so are forestry, water development, wildlife habitat, wild horses and burros, cultural resources and outdoor recreation.  Somebody wants to use even the most desolate of landscapes these days, sometimes just to look at them.  The BLM manages over 18 million acres in Wyoming for multiple uses and these lands are a huge benefit to the economy and culture of the Cowboy State.