[Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation] -- National Trust president Richard Moe (pictured) testified before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on June 7th on HR 2016, a bill to make permanent the National Landscape Conservation System under the Bureau of Land Management. The Conservation System is a collection of 26 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that contain some of the most significant national monuments, national conservation areas, national wild and scenic rivers, wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, and national historic and scenic trails located on public lands. Moe’s testimony emphasized that HR 2016 would confer official statutory basis to and raise the recognition of the unique archeological and cultural resources of the Conservation System. However, he was quick to point out that the bill does not mean that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would have to abandon its traditional multiple-use mandate. In fact, Moe’s testimony advocated for people having wide access to BLM lands and to be able to enjoy them. In addition, he stated that “codification of the Conservation System would not impact private in-holdings or lands managed by other agencies; alter existing oil and gas or grazing leases or other grandfathered uses; limit public access or activities such as fishing and hunting; or in any way affect units that are co-managed with other federal agencies, as only BLM lands would be included in the System. Neither would it affect the underlying enabling legislation for individual units.”
