BLM managed lands in Alaska are full of superlatives – Alaska's longest running river: our mighty Yukon, the world's largest wild salmon fishery, the largest surging glacier in North America, the Arctic and sub-Arctic lakes and rivers that provide habitat for millions of migratory and resident bird populations, and the calving, insect-relief and wintering grounds of the largest caribou herd in Alaska to name a few. Within these vast, majestic lands Alaska Natives rely on subsistence resources to maintain a traditional lifestyle. Additionally, people from all over the world seek out some of Alaska's well-loved recreational areas such as the White Mountains and the Steese National Conservation Area – Alaskan's backcountry playground.
On December 22, 2010, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar signed Secretarial Order No. 3310: Protecting Wilderness Characteristics on Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This order establishes a policy that puts wilderness evaluation and protection back into its rightful place for the first time in seven years – squarely into the land planning process of the BLM, with new guidance to ensure input from public and local communities. Our BLM Wild Lands need your support.
Here's the message we'll deliver to your Senators and member of Congress:
Our BLM Wild Lands need your support. Congress is currently discussing the future of the BLM Wild Lands policy. The Wild Lands policy is not a new idea - it is a return to how BLM has administered land for decades. We must safeguard BLM's authority to manage our Wild Lands for their inherent wilderness values. In Alaska, the Bureau of Land Management administers approximately 75 million surface acres of federal public land - an area larger than the state of New Mexico. Much of the land in Alaska under the BLM's authority has not been inventoried; in fact, a statewide inventory has never been conducted.
Please support our BLM Wild Lands and BLM - any decisions for lands in Alaska should be based on sound science.
