Bureau of Land Management
Lowry Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado.
Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Bureau of Land Management manages over 260 million acres of federal land, primarily in the eleven western states and Alaska. These lands contain the largest, most diverse and scientifically important body of cultural resources managed by any federal agency. Ranging from prehistoric cliff dwellings, rock art and sacred sites of continuing significance to Native Americans, to historic mining structures and ranches, cultural resources managed by BLM represent the tangible remains of over 13,000 years of human adaptation on the North American continent. Over 278,000 cultural properties have been recorded on BLM land, a fraction of the 4 to 4.5 million estimated to exist. A variety of factors currently threaten these resources, including inadequate information about the location, condition and significance of sites, insufficient funding to identify, evaluate and protect them and activities like oil and gas development and motorized recreation. BLM also faces significant challenges in monitoring and protecting cultural resources from theft, looting, inadvertent destruction and the forces of nature.
Current Issues
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in southwestern Colorado contains the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States. Unfortunately, prior to its establishment in 2000, BLM leased over 80 percent of the land now within the Monument for oil and gas development.
Grand Canyon-Parashant and Vermilion Cliffs National Monuments Resource Management Plans
Out of this landscape and in recognition of the area’s historic importance and scenic beauty, President Clinton created two new national monuments in 2000: Grand Canyon-Parashant and Vermilion Cliffs.
Monticello Field Office Resource Management Plan
The Monticello Field Office manages an extraordinary array of significant cultural resources in southeastern Utah, including the Alkali Ridge National Historic Landmark and the Grand Gulch Archaeological District, a 4,240-acre complex of prehistoric archaeological sites listed in the National Register.
Nine Mile Canyon
Utah's Nine Mile Canyon may contain over 10,000 prehistoric rock art images and has been described as the "world's longest art gallery." Unfortunately, industrial traffic associated with oil and gas development on the plateau above the canyon may permanently impair these images and forever alter the context and integrity of Nine Mile Canyon.
Parowan Gap
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, Parowan Gap in southwestern Utah contains an exceptionally high concentration of prehistoric rock art panels. The Paiute Indian Tribe and Hopi Tribe claim cultural affiliation to many of these images, and have also notified the Bureau of Land Management that the area surrounding the district contains a number of sacred sites and traditional cultural properties.
Recapture Wash
Sometime during 2005, an unauthorized system of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trails was constructed in Recapture Wash, a canyon managed by BLM on the outskirts of the southeastern Utah town of Blanding. At least twelve prehistoric archaeological sites were directly damaged by the trail system's construction and the ATV use it precipitated, including nine sites eligible for listing in the National Register that exceed one acre in size.
San Juan County
One of San Juan County’s most well known archaeological landscapes is the 475,000-acre Cedar Mesa area, whose topographic boundaries can be defined roughly by the San Juan River on the south, Arch Canyon and its tributaries on the north, Red House Cliffs on the west and Comb Ridge on the east.
Case Studies
Arch Canyon Ruin
In 2004, the National Trust provided BLM with the financial support needed to stabilize Arch Canyon Ruin, a major Ancestral Puebloan architectural site situated at the mouth of Arch Canyon, Utah.
Weatherman Draw
In 2002, the National Trust intervened after BLM granted an energy company permission to drill for oil in Weatherman Draw, a valley near Warren, Montana. Following lengthy negotiations between the energy company, tribal representatives, BLM, and the National Trust, the company agreed to waive its development rights and donate its leasehold interest in Weatherman Draw to the National Trust.
Resources
Testimony of Richard Moe on the Management of OHVs on Public Lands (June 5, 2008)
National Trust President Richard Moe's written testimony on the management of off-highway vehicles by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service provided to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Cultural Resources on the Bureau of Land Management Public Lands: An Assessment and Needs Analysis (May 2006)
The National Trust's report on the state of cultural resources management by the Bureau of Land Management.
