DOI Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

The vision of the BLM is to best serve the needs of the American people through the balanced stewardship of nation's public lands and resources. The Bureau manages recreational, commercial, scientific and cultural interests and strives for long-term protection of renewable and nonrenewable resources, including range, timber, minerals, recreation, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values. BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

BLM manages more land than any other Federal agency- about 260 million acres or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub­surface mineral estate throughout the nation. BLM plays a pivotal role in creating a new energy frontier, tackling climate impacts, protecting America's treasured landscapes, managing water resources and riparian environments, and creating a 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps. Climate change is influencing the public lands in many ways and these changes can have impacts on our natural resources and quality of life. BLM is responding with two interconnected initiatives: a proposed landscape approach to land management, and Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs). The Bureau also participates in multi-agency and cooperative programs that address the challenges of climate change.                        

BLM has received funding for its climate change initiative in support of the Department's climate change initiative in both FY 2009 and FY 2010. The primary focus of this funding has been through the wildlife program within the agency and supports on-the-ground climate adaptation related projects and the development of REAs. On-the-ground projects fall into the following categories: Resource monitoring, air quality and climate information, species adaptation, guidance and strategy development, water resources, and data management. In FY 2010, the BLM received approximately $7 million in project funding.

The DOI Secretary's Climate Change Adaptation initiative recognizes the need to understand the condition of BLM-managed landscapes at a broad level; identify potential impacts from climate change; and develop and implement strategies to help native plant and animal communities adapt to climate change. These efforts are coordinated with other Interior bureaus and other partners through a network of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs). The President's proposed FY 2011 BLM budget includes a $2.5 million increase in support of the Climate Change Adaptation initiative, in addition to the $15.0 million increase the Bureau received in 2010.

 

> Strategic Plans 

Oregon/Washington (OR/WA). The BLM OR/WA 2015 Strategic Plan is well aligned with the proposed Department of the Interior 2010-2015 Strategic Planning Framework. By connecting the OR/WA Strategic Theme areas with the proposed mission areas of the DOI Framework, BLM is well positioned to proactively address future resource issues. The Bureau can continue to be a leader in landscape solutions as other program areas (recreation, grazing, fire, lands and minerals, etc) are enhanced or shaped through these concepts.

Overall, BLM does not appear to have a heavy external presence on climate change adaptation. A national climate change policy guidance for its programs is only in preliminary stages. However, the 2015 Strategic Plan will provide overall direction toward the BLM OR/WA vision over the next five years that includes integrating and complementing efforts of employees and dedicated partners for purposes of working to mitigate climate change impacts and develop adaptive measures. One strategy to achieve the overall vision is to ensure resilient landscapes by incorporating climate change considerations in decision-making. The plan lays out the blueprint for expected major issues in natural resources management and how BLM will respond. It gives BLM managers and employees a focus for their work over the next five years that can be adapted to the changes they are likely to see in their workforce, budgets, and environment.

The 2015 Strategic Plan describes ten broad strategic themes with the desired outcome, main strategies and key tactics summarized for each theme area. A key tactic in the climate change theme area is to continue participation and collaboration in interagency and other organizational partnerships such as Climate Change Collaborative (C3), the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), and USGS Science Centers for Climate Change. Collectively, agencies will provide a critical review of climate change predictions and indicators to help guide our management decisions in the future. Climate change issues also are addressed in the healthy land (riparian, forest) theme areas.                                           

• http://www.blm.gov/or/about/index.php, for About the BLM page and link to BLM OR/WA 2015 Strategic Plan (in Vision paragraph)      
• http://www.blm.gov/or/news/files/2015_SPOT.pdf, for BLM OR/WA 2015 Strategic Plan
• http://www.ntc.blm.gov/leadership/orientation/chapter_11.htm, for DOI Strategic Plan that guides BLM's work. Use this link: http://www.doi.gov/index.cfm 
• http://www.doi.gov/ppp/Strategic%20Plan%20FY07-12/strat_plan_fy2007_2012.pdf, for the DOI Strategic Plan FY 2007-2012
• http://www.doi.gov/whatwedo/climate/index.cfm, for DOI Climate Change page and link to strategic response to climate change

Arizona. The BLM Arizona Strategies reflect current DOI and BLM strategic direction, knowledge of the BLM Arizona workload, expected funding, and citizen expectations. It provides long-term direction that will guide priority setting. Addressing climate change is a necessary action for achieving sustainability of public lands (see BLM Strategic Goals Summary, Goal 1).

• http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/strategies.html, for BLM Arizona Strategies page

NOTE: click on BLM homepage map and link into other states for strategic plans and land use/resource management plans for district offices, field offices and management areas

 

> Landscape Approach to Land Management

The BLM recognizes that the public lands are facing increasingly complex and widespread environmental challenges that transcend traditional management boundaries. These challenges include managing wildfire, controlling weeds and insect outbreaks, providing for energy development and urban growth, and addressing pervasive impacts from the effects of climate change. A broad, landscape-scale management approach can help better understand these challenges and support balanced management of natural resources.

Landscapes are large, connected geographical regions that have similar environmental characteristics, such as the Sonoran Desert and the Colorado Plateau. These landscapes or ecoregions span administrative boundaries and can encompass all or portions of several BLM field offices.  A landscape approach examines such larger areas to more fully recognize natural resource conditions and trends, natural and human influences, and opportunities for resource conservation, restoration, and development. The approach seeks to identify important ecological values and patterns of environmental change that may not be evident when managing smaller, local land areas.

The BLM's proposed landscape approach supports Secretary Salazar's key directions and priorities for the DOI and builds on land management concepts and experiences that have been evolving for nearly three decades. A landscape approach informs and enhances local management; the broader perspective provided through a landscape approach will help focus and integrate these local management efforts. A landscape approach also provides an important foundation for developing coordinated management strategies with partner agencies, stakeholders, and American Indian Tribes.

The BLM's proposed landscape approach consists of five interconnected components that provide a framework for integrating science and management. The five components are: Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs), ecoregional direction, field implementation, monitoring for adaptive management, and science integration.

 

> Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs)

REAs improve the understanding of how landscape conditions may be altered by ongoing environmental changes and land use demands. REAs are designed to provide a baseline, or snapshot, of an entire ecoregion's ecological values, conditions and trends and potential risks from climate change, wildfires, invasive species, energy development, and urban growth. REAs are called "rapid" assessments because they synthesize existing information, rather than conduct research or collect new data, and are generally completed within 18 months.

In 2010 BLM launched seven REAs; four have been contracted out and are projected for completion by January of 2012, and an additional three are expected to be contracted out by the end of FY2010. The REAs should provide timely and useful information for making decisions on BLM lands in a broad, ecological context, though the means to best use and incorporate the REAs into decision-making is in an early, progressive stage of development.

A clear nexus exists between REAs and some of the work of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), and a number of LCCs are explicitly incorporating REAs into their programs. Also, a strong overlap appears to exist between REAs and the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program that includes NPScape, a "landscape dynamics monitoring project". The NPS program is increasingly collecting and analyzing information to detect ecological changes and trends in landscape-scale indicators. However, no formal linkages between the programs are made in external documents of either program.

• http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/climatechange.html, for Climate Change page and BLM's response to climate change with proposed landscape approach to land management and REAs
• http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/climatechange/documents.html, for Related Documents page, BLM's response to climate change, DOI climate change direction, and other
• http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/climatechange/assessmentsqa.html, for Questions & Answers: Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) page
• http://www.dmg.gov/documents/BR_Rapid_Ecoregional_Assessment_BLM_102809.pdf, for more information on REAs; including definition and purpose, goal and objectives, ecoregional scale for assessments, phased approach to assessments, and resource values and change agents of concern
• http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/index.cfm, for NPS I&M Program page and links to program networks, resource inventories, ‘vital signs' monitoring, data management, natural resources GIS, applications & databases, reports and documentation, and other  information
• http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/I&M_ProgramBrief.pdf, for brief description of NPS I&M Program, including background, primary program goals, highlights and accomplishments, map of the 32 I&M ecoregional networks, list of 12 baseline natural resource inventories for the parks and other
• http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/monitor/npscape/index.cfm, for NPScape, a landscape dynamics monitoring project; includes conceptual framework, measures, methods, GIS data, and other

 

> Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs)    

LCCs are applied, self-directed conservation partnerships among DOI agencies, notably U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with BLM in a support role, other federal agencies, states, tribes, non-governmental organizations, universities and others to address the challenges of climate change, land use, and other stressors across broad areas in an integrated fashion. LCCs link science and management and are fundamental units of planning and science capacity in carrying out the functional elements of FWS strategic habitat conservation (SHC). They provide scientific and technical support for on-the-ground strategic, landscape-scale conservation in an adaptive management framework that emphasizes science-based biological planning, conservation design, research, inventory and monitoring. The products that LCCs develop help to inform and improve conservation delivery efforts on the ground.

Guided by DOI's newly created Energy and Climate Change Council (formerly Climate Change Response Council), LCCs will provide new science capacity for FWS and partners and will complement USGS Climate Science Centers (CSCs) from a FWS mission and partner-based perspective. Regional CSCs and a LCC network were established by DOI Secretary Ken Salazar via Secretarial Order 3289 to develop strategies for managing climate change and other impacts on natural resources. Efforts will focus on impacts that typically extend beyond traditional jurisdictional boundaries, such as the effects of climate change on wildlife migration patterns, wildfire risk, drought, or invasive species.

DOI has established 21 (22?) LCCs encompassing all 50 States and U.S. Pacific Islands. FWS is a primary lead on LCCs and has invested the most resources into establishing and staffing them. Eight LCCs received funding in FY10 through FWS. Additional LCCs are being established with support from BLM, the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service and the EPA.

• http://www.doi.gov/lcc/index.cfm: for interactive map and link to each LCC with information on participating bureaus, points of contact, resource management challenges and other; also includes brief description of function and services of LCCs
• http://www.fws.gov/science/SHC/lcc.html, for FWS national Landscape Conservation Cooperatives page for information about all LCCs and Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC)
• http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/climateadaptation/documents/landscape-conservation-cooperatives-lccs-0, for TNC LCC page with more information on SHC and LCCs, including links to USFWS presentations and overviews and a table identifying the national LCCs          
• http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/climateadaptation/documents/doi-u.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-usfws-or-fws/view.html, for TNC USFWS page with more information on SHC and LCCs

 

> BLM Programs, Resources, Products

BLM Information Center

• http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Direct_Links_to_Publications.html, for General Publications of Interest page, with link to BLM 9/2008 science strategy, BLM library and other

BLM National Training Center (NTC)

• http://www.ntc.blm.gov/krc/, for Knowledge Resource Center page and links to information to fulfill learning needs

BLM Science Program

• http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/science/index.php, for program page, with link to BLM library, USGS Climate and Land Use Change Program, USGS climate change science topics, and other
• http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/science.html, for Science Resources page, with link to BLM 9/2008 science strategy, BLM library, and to DOI, BLM and other agency/institution climate change programs, activities and resources; also link to considerations and tools for ecoregional assessment and a paragraph with link highlighting BLM adaptations to changes in climate

BLM Botany Program

• http://www.blm.gov/or/programs/botany/climate_change.php, for Climate Change: Special Status Species page; proposed project aims to study the reason for population decline in several SSS plant communities and design management measures. 

 

> Other Programs, Resources, Products

U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)

USGCRP is a Congressionally-authorized consortium of 13 federal agencies, including DOI, responsible for various aspects of global change research, including coordinating climate change research activities of the agencies. It has produced important products related to climate adaptation for wildlife and ecosystems and maintains a comprehensive website with a variety of climate change science resources and publications. Research aims to provide science-based applications and tools for sustainable natural resource management.

• http://www.globalchange.gov/, for the USGCRP homepage; with links to Federal Agencies and their roles in climate research and to news, publications and resources; also links to various climate change and adaptation pages, and to October 2010 ICCATF progress report to President Obama
• http://www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators/toolkit, for the USGCRP resources page and "Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands, A Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators"
• http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/climateadaptation/documents/u.s.-department-of-interior-doi-0/view.html, for TNC DOI page with more information on the USGCRP

 

U.S. Fire Learning Network (USFLN)

The USFLN is a joint effort of The Nature Conservancy, the  U. S. Forest Service and several DOI agencies, including BLM, with a goal of accelerating the implementation of ecologically appropriate and culturally acceptable fuels reduction and fire regime restoration in high-priority habitats and landscapes. It fosters innovation and transfers knowledge acquired from numerous multi-agency, community-based projects to other landscape projects, scientists and decision makers.

• http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/climateadaptation/documents/fire-learning-network/view.html, for TNC Global Fire Initiative page and information on the USFLN
• http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/climateadaptation/documents/blog/two-webinars-forests-climate-change-aug-4-aug-11/view.html, re two August 2010 webinars on forests and climate change

 

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network

The CESU national network has been established with an overarching goal of improving the scientific base for managing federal lands by providing high-quality scientific research, technical assistance, and education to resource and environmental managers. It is a nationwide consortium of federal agencies, universities, conservation organizations, and other partners working together to support agency missions and informed public trust resource stewardship. One objective is to build capacity and enhance coordination of climate change management and adaptation efforts among management agencies.

CESUs are based at host universities and focused on biogeographic regions of the country. To date the nation had been divided into 17 biogeographic regions, each served by a distinct CESU that is structured as a working collaboration among partners. Each regional unit operates independently and in association with one national network and is directed by specific mission, vision, goals and objectives and a strategic plan.

• http://www.cesu.psu.edu/, for CESU homepage with national network map and regional CESU networks

 

Selected Reports, Documents (acquired with BLM homepage search engine)

Forest Management

• http://www.wy.blm.gov/fireuse/pubs/ClimateChange_Forests.pdf, for journal report, "Climate Change and Forests of the Future: Managing in the Face of Uncertainty"; a conceptual framework for managing forested ecosystems under an assumption that future environments will be different from present but that we cannot be certain about the specifics of change (Journal of Ecological Applications by ESA, December 2007)
• http://www.wy.blm.gov/fireuse/pubs/ForestsPestsClimate.pdf, for workshop report, "Forests, Insects & Pathogens and Climate Change"; useful approaches to preparing for the impacts of climate change on western forests and their insect and pathogen systems (ESSA Technologies Ltd., October 2007)
• http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/pub_comments/forum/UploadedFiles/860c2adb-39b8-47df-ab51-235a8847ce11.TXT, for conclusions of report, "Forests and Climate Change: Role of Forest Lands as Carbon Sinks" (World Forestry Congress, October 1997)                                                                               

Wildland Fire, Ecosystem Management                                                              

• http://www.nifc.gov/QFR/QFR2009Final.pdf, for "The Quadrennial Fire Review (QFR) 2009"; integrated review by federal agencies and partners that constitute the wildland fire community; goal is to evaluate current mission strategies and capabilities against best estimates of the fu­ture environment for fire management; objective is to create an integrated strategic vision document for fire management in the face of climate change effects and other factors (December 2008)
• http://www.nifc.gov/QFR/QFRResearchAdvanceBriefingReport.pdf, for advance briefing report, "The Future of Wildland Fire Management: Fire Research Perspectives"; one chapter addresses climate change, ecosystem dynamics and effects on fire management (The Brookings Institution, January 2008)
• http://www.wy.blm.gov/fireuse/pubs/Vol-6_fire_nonnative_invasive_plants.pdf, for technical report, "Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Fire and Nonnative Invasive Plants"; global climate change is addressed as an emerging issue in management of invasive plants that threaten forest integrity (USDA Forest Service, September 2008)
• http://www.wy.blm.gov/fireuse/pubs/Vol-2_Flora_rmrs_gtr42_2.pdf, for technical report, "Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Effects of Fire on Flora"; one chapter addresses possible influences of changing climate on vegetation, fuels, and fire; the complexity and uncertainty of global climate change and its interactions with vegetation means general and tentative expectations for ecosystem and fire management (USDA Forest Service, December 2000)

Ecoregional Assessment             

• http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/programs/science.Par.23352.File.dat/ClimateChange-EcoregionalAssessment.pdf, for current literature review, "Understanding the Problem of Climate Change and Western Ecosystems: Considerations and Tools for Ecoregional Assessment"                          

Environment 

• http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/files/Ch_3_Climate_Change_Addition.pdf, for short report, "Climate Change"; summary of potential impacts of greenhouse gases on global climate; changes to air temperature, precipitation, air quality; response of diverse plant and animal species