The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. It manages more than 260 million acres of America's public lands. Most of the BLM land is located in the American West and Alaska but there are large tracts in areas east of the Mississippi River.

This agency is probably the least known among all the public land agencies. Most people know about the National Park Service or the Corps of Engineers, but few know about the Bureau of Land Management. Perhaps this is because much of the land they manage was once considered the "leftovers" of public lands -- the best areas being turned into national forests, parks, or wildlife refuges.

When you consider the millions of acres they manage, the BLM offers more recreational opportunities over a broader geographical area than any other Federal land agency. Nearly 60 million people a year visit these areas for hiking, fishing, horseback riding, camping, and other activities. That's a relatively small number when you consider the 280 million visitors that the National Park Service receives each year.