Federal Lands : Agency Management and Resource Development

Ownership and use of federal lands have stirred controversy for decades. Conflicting public values concerning federal lands raise many questions and issues: how much land the federal government should own, how managers should balance conflicting uses, whether Congress should designate specially protected areas, and when and how agencies should collect and distribute fees for land and resource uses. Congress continues to examines these questions, particularly in assessing the various uses that might be made of the federal lands, through legislative proposals, program oversight, and annual appropriations for the four major federal land management agencies. This book provides an overview of how federal lands and resources are managed, the agencies that administer the lands, and the authorities under which these agencies operate.