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Did you know that within the Department of the Interior, there’s one agency that manages more than 245 million acres of public lands— an area larger than New York, Florida, Minnesota, and California combined? This same agency also raises more money each year for the American taxpayer from the use of these lands than it spends. In addition, it manages recreational activities, conserves much of our Nation’s natural and cultural resources, improves habitat for many species of wildlife and plants, and administers 700 million acres of mineral estate. And it does so with a work force of just 10,000 people. This is today’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These public lands, primarily in the West, extend across rangelands, forests, high mountains, arctic tundra, and deserts, and are one of America’s greatest assets—both economically and environmentally. In its management of these lands and resources, the BLM strives to balance economic benefits to our Nation with the conservation of precious natural resources. For example, while the BLM authorizes renewable energy production, mineral extraction, timber harvesting, and grazing across the National System of Public Lands, its conservation efforts ensure that our Nation’s natural, scenic, recreational, and cultural resources will be available to future generations of Americans.The BLM’s management of public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the national economy in 2010 and supported more than 500,000 American jobs.