Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the federal

government's ownership, management, use, and regulation of lands in the

United States, focusing on: (1) changes in the ownership of lands

managed by the four major land management agencies from June 1964

through September 1994; (2) changes in the number of acres managed for

conservation; (3) nonfederal acreage that is subject to federal rights

of use such as easements and leases; (4) acreage held in trust for

Native Americans; (5) acreage owned by 13 selected western states; and

(6) acreage transferred by three nonprofit organizations.

GAO found that: (1) between June 1964 and September 1994, the acreage

managed by the four major land management agencies decreased from 700.8

million acres to about 622.8 million acres; (2) the Bureau of Land

Management transferred significant acreage to the other agencies,

Alaska, and Native Alaskans; (3) the Fish and Wildlife Service, the

National Park Service, and the Forest Service increased the total acres

that they manage; (4) about 43.7 percent of the acreage these agencies

manage are for conservation purposes; (5) as of September 1994, the

federal government had rights-of-use through leases, agreements,

permits, and easements to over 3 million acres of nonfederal land,

usually to support the management of adjacent federal lands; (6) in

1995, the federal government held about 52.3 million acres in 33 states

in trust for Native Americans; (7) as of September 1994, the 13 western

states owned about 141.9 million acres; and (8) between 1964 and

September 1994, three nonprofit organizations transferred about 3.2

million acres to other public and private entities through sales,

donations, and exchanges.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

REPORTNUM: RCED-96-40

TITLE: Land Ownership: Information on the Acreage, Management, and

Use of Federal and Other Lands

DATE: 03/13/96

SUBJECT: Land management

Public lands

Land transfers

Non-profit organizations

State governments

Wildlife conservation

Property rights procurement

Native Americans

National parks

National forests

IDENTIFIER: Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

Oregon

Texas

Utah

Washington

Wyoming

******************************************************************

** This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a **

** GAO report. Delineations within the text indicating chapter **

** titles, headings, and bullets are preserved. Major **

** divisions and subdivisions of the text, such as Chapters, **

** Sections, and Appendixes, are identified by double and **

** single lines. The numbers on the right end of these lines **

** indicate the position of each of the subsections in the **

** document outline. These numbers do NOT correspond with the **

** page numbers of the printed product. **

** **

** No attempt has been made to display graphic images, although **

** figure captions are reproduced. Tables are included, but **

** may not resemble those in the printed version. **

** **

** Please see the PDF (Portable Document Format) file, when **

** available, for a complete electronic file of the printed **

** document's contents. **

** **

** A printed copy of this report may be obtained from the GAO **

** Document Distribution Center. For further details, please **

** send an e-mail message to: **

** **

** <info@www.gao.gov> **

** **

** with the message 'info' in the body. **

******************************************************************

Cover

================================================================ COVER

Report to Congressional Requesters

March 1996

LAND OWNERSHIP - INFORMATION ON

THE ACREAGE, MANAGEMENT, AND USE

OF FEDERAL AND OTHER LANDS

GAO/RCED-96-40

Acreage, Management, and Use of Federal and Other Lands

(140101)

Abbreviations

=============================================================== ABBREV

Letter

=============================================================== LETTER

B-270582

March 13, 1996

The Honorable Don Young

Chairman, Committee on Resources

House of Representatives

The Honorable Richard Pombo

House of Representatives

Over the years, the Congress has discussed the federal government's

ownership, management, and use of lands in the United States, as well

as the effects of federal (primarily environmental) regulations on

the use of both public and nonfederal lands. In response to your

request for information on these topics, we reported to you in

January 1995 on changes in the amount of federally owned land and in

the acreage managed for conservation.\1

As you requested, this report updates our earlier work through

September 1994 with the latest data available. Specifically, it

provides information on changes in (1) the ownership of the lands

managed by the four primary federal land management agencies--the

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department

of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife

Service, and National Park Service--from June 1964 through September

1994 and (2) the number of acres managed for conservation. This

report also includes information on the (1) nonfederal acreage that

is subject to federal rights-of-use such as easements and leases, (2)

acreage held in trust for Indians, (3) acreage owned by 13 selected

western states,\2 and (4) acreage involved in the land transactions

of three nonprofit organizations--the Nature Conservancy, The

Conservation Fund, and The Trust for Public Land.\3 Appendix I

contains, among other things, supplemental information on (1) the

means by which the four federal agencies acquired acreage and their

plans for acquiring additional acreage, (2) federal acreage where

hunting is not allowed, and (3) nonfederal acreage affected by

selected environmental regulations.

--------------------

\1 Federal Lands: Information on Land Owned and on Acreage With

Conservation Restrictions (GAO/RCED-95-73FS, Jan. 30, 1995).

\2 We selected 12 western states--Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming--because the federal government owns at least

25 percent of the acreage in each of these states. In addition, you

asked us to include Texas.

\3 We selected these three organizations because they were the

nonprofit organizations that transferred the most acreage to one or

more of the four federal land management agencies during the 1990s.

RESULTS IN BRIEF

------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :1

Data from the four major federal land management agencies show that

the total acreage under their management decreased from about 700.8

million acres to about 622.8 million acres between June 1964 and

September 1994. Of the 622.8 million acres, about 272 million acres

(43.7 percent) were managed primarily for conservation and thus had

some limitations on their use.

Information on the acreage subject to federal rights-of-use, held in

trust for Indians, owned by states, and involved in the land

transactions of selected nonprofit organizations showed the

following:

As of September 1994, the federal government had obtained

rights-of-use for about 3 million acres of nonfederal land.

The federal government held about 52.3 million acres in trust for

individual Indians and Indian tribes in 1995.

Thirteen western states collectively owned about 142 million acres.

The three nonprofit organizations transferred (by selling,

donating, or exchanging) about 3.2 million acres to other public

and private entities between 1964 and September 1994.

BACKGROUND

------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :2

The federal government owns about 30 percent of the nation's total

surface area (about 650 million acres). Four major federal land

management agencies--the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management,

Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service--are responsible

for managing about 95 percent of these lands. The Department of

Defense manages most of the remainder.

Each of the four major federal land management agencies manages its

lands and the resources they contain on the basis of its mission and

responsibilities. The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land

Management manage lands for a variety of uses, including recreation,

timber harvesting, livestock grazing, oil and gas production, mining,

and wilderness protection. The Fish and Wildlife Service manages

lands primarily to conserve and protect fish and wildlife and their

habitat, although other uses, such as hunting and fishing, are

allowed when they are compatible with the primary purposes for which

the lands are managed. The National Park Service manages lands to

conserve, preserve, protect, and interpret the nation's natural,

cultural, and historic resources.

FEDERAL ACREAGE AND ACREAGE

MANAGED FOR CONSERVATION

------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :3

The acreage managed by the four major federal land management

agencies decreased by 78 million acres, from about 700.8 million

acres to about 622.8 million acres, between June 30, 1964, and

September 30, 1994. The change in the total number of acres managed

by the four land management agencies during this 30-year period is

shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Acreage Managed by

the Four Federal Agencies,

Fiscal Years 1964 and 1994

(See figure in printed

edition.)

As we reported earlier, the overall decrease in the number of acres

managed during this period occurred because a significant number of

the acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management were transferred

to other federal land management agencies, to Alaska, and to Native

Alaskans. The number of acres managed by the Forest Service, Fish

and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service increased, while the

number of acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management decreased.

In total, the acreage managed by the four agencies as of September

30, 1994, represented about 26.6 percent of the nation's acreage.

The acreage managed by these agencies increased over the 30-year

period in 46 states and decreased in 4 states. Figure 2 shows the

percentage change in the acreage managed by the four agencies, by

state, between mid-1964 and September 30, 1994. Appendix I provides

data on the acreage managed by each of the four agencies, by state,

as of mid-1964 and September 30, 1994.

Figure 2: Change in the

Percentage of Federal Acres

Managed by the Four Federal

Agencies Between June 1964 and

September 1994

(See figure in printed

edition.)

Over the period, the number of acres managed by the four agencies

primarily for conservation increased from about 66 million acres to

about 272 million acres. This total includes all of the lands

managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service,

as well as portions of the lands managed by the Forest Service and

Bureau of Land Management. Table 1 provides information on the

number of acres and the percentage of federal acreage managed for

conservation as of June 30, 1964, and September 30, 1994. Tables I.3

through I.5 in appendix I provide more detailed information on the

federal acreage managed for conservation.

Table 1

Number and Percentage of Acres Managed

for Conservation by the Four Federal

Agencies, Fiscal Years 1964 and 1994

Bureau of Fish and

Forest Land Wildlife National

Service Management Service Park Service Total

------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ============

1964

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total acreage 186,274,576 464,346,607 22,650,737 27,493,836 700,765,756

managed

Conservation 16,018,661 628 22,650,737 27,493,836 66,163,862

acreage

Percent managed

for conservation 8.60 \a 100.00 100.00 9.44

1994

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total acreage 191,573,857 267,102,376 87,487,290 76,588,003 622,751,526

managed

Conservation 49,893,688 58,165,321 87,487,290 76,588,003 272,134,302

acreage

Percent managed for

conservation 26.04 21.78 100.00 100.00 43.70

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\a Less than 0.005 percent.

Source: GAO's analysis of data provided by the departments of

Agriculture and the Interior.

ACREAGE INCLUDED IN FEDERAL

RIGHTS-OF-USE, HELD IN TRUST

FOR INDIANS, OWNED BY STATES,

AND INVOLVED IN NONPROFITS'

LAND TRANSACTIONS

------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :4

As of September 30, 1994, the four federal agencies had obtained

rights-of-use to over 3 million acres of nonfederal land through

leases, agreements, permits, and easements. Generally, these

rights-of-use are obtained from owners of nonfederal lands to support

the management of adjacent federal lands. For example, easements can

be obtained to provide members of the public with access to federal

lands. Table 2 summarizes the acreage associated with the various

rights-of-use obtained by these agencies. Tables I.9 through I.12 in

appendix I provide details on the number of acres to which each

agency has obtained rights-of-use in each state.

Table 2

Nonfederal Acres for Which the Four

Federal Agencies Had Rights-of-Use as of

September 30, 1994

Agreemen Easement

Acreage Leases ts Permits s Total

-------------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------

Number of acres

171,244 642,200 66,965 2,120,29 3,000,70

1 0

Percentage of acres

5.7 21.4 2.2 70.7 100.0

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: GAO's analysis of data provided by the departments of

Agriculture and the Interior.

In addition, other lands are held in trust for Indians, are owned by

states, and have been acquired and subsequently transferred to others

by nonprofit organizations, as the following data show:

Lands held in trust by the federal government for individual

Indians and Indian tribes totaled about 52.3 million acres in

1995. These lands were located in 33 states. Table II.1 in

appendix II provides data on the number of acres held in trust

in each of the 33 states where Indian lands are located.

Thirteen western states collectively owned about 141.9 million

acres as of September 30, 1994. Table III.1 in appendix III

shows the acreage owned by each of the 13 states.

Collectively, from July 1964 through September 1994, three nonprofit

organizations--the Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, and The

Trust for Public Land--transferred about 3.2 million acres to others

from their holdings through sales, donations, and exchanges. Table 3

shows the acreage involved in each organization's land transactions.

More detailed information on the land transactions of these

organizations is contained in appendix IV.

Table 3

Acreage Involved in the Land

Transactions of Three Major Nonprofit

Organizations Between July 1, 1964, and

September 30, 1994

Acres

Nonprofit organization Acres on hand Acres acquired transferred Acres on hand

------------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- --------------

The Nature Conservancy 69,424 3,051,730 2,495,366 625,788

The Conservation Fund 0\a 159,804\a 85,282 74,522

The Trust for Public Land 0\b 606,883\b 585,205 21,678

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\a The Conservation Fund was incorporated on March 8, 1985; it had no

acres on hand at that time.

\b The Trust for Public Land was incorporated on May 5, 1972; it had

no acres on hand at that time.

AGENCIES' COMMENTS AND OUR

EVALUATION

------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :5

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, Fish and

Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs

and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service provided

oral comments on a draft of this report. Generally, the agencies

agreed that the information provided in the report was accurate. On

the basis of their comments, we incorporated technical corrections

and clarifying information into this report where appropriate.

Fish and Wildlife Service officials told us that the vast majority of

the increase in that agency's acreage from 1964 to 1994 resulted from

additions to the national wildlife refuge system in Alaska. These

lands were transferred from the Bureau of Land Management upon

enactment of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. We

refer in appendix I to two major land transfers from the Bureau of

Land Management to the Fish and Wildlife Service that expanded the

national wildlife refuge system in Alaska.

The Chief of the National Park Service's Land Resources Division

commented that the Service does not increase the acreage of the

National Park System; that is done by the Congress or by presidential

proclamation. We have included this information in appendix I.

---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.1

We performed our work from February 1995 through February 1996 in

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. We

did not independently verify the data provided by the various

agencies, states, and organizations. A complete discussion of our

objectives, scope, and methodology is contained in appendix V.

As requested, unless you publicly announce its contents earlier, we

plan no further distribution of this report until 30 days after the

date of this letter. At that time, we will make copies available to

interested congressional committees and Members of Congress; the

Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior; Interior's Assistant

Secretary, Indian Affairs; the Chief of the Forest Service; the

Directors of the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife

Service, and National Park Service; the Director, Office of

Management and Budget; and other interested parties. We will also

provide copies to others upon request.

Please call me at (202) 512-3841 if you or your staff have any

questions about this report. Major contributors to this report are

listed in appendix VI.

Victor S. Rezendes

Director, Energy, Resources,

and Science Issues

CHANGES IN ACREAGE AND USE OF

LANDS MANAGED BY FOUR FEDERAL

AGENCIES

=========================================================== Appendix I

This appendix provides information on changes in federal land

ownership and on the percentage of each state's acreage managed by

the four major federal land management agencies. In addition, it

provides information on the federal acreage managed for conservation,

acreage acquired by the four agencies between June 30, 1964, and

September 30, 1994, and acreage the agencies plan to acquire in

future years. It also provides information on the federal acreage

where hunting and other activities are not allowed, nonfederal

acreage for which the agencies have obtained rights-of-use, and

nonfederal acreage affected by selected environmental regulations.

CHANGES IN FEDERAL LAND

OWNERSHIP

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:1

The acreage managed by the four federal land management agencies

decreased by 78 million acres during the 30-year period. Table I.1

shows the changes in the acreage managed by the four federal

agencies.

Table I.1

Changes in the Federal Acreage Managed

by the Four Federal Agencies, by State,

Fiscal Years 1964 and 1994

Increase

Increase (decrease)\ Increase Increase Total change

State 1964 1994 (decrease) 1964 1994 a 1964 1994 (decrease) 1964 1994 (decrease) in acreage

---------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ------------ ----------- ------------

Alabama 631,542 662,755 31,213 1,971 110,963 108,992 9,047 16,392 7,345 9,169 11,501 2,332 149,882

Alaska 20,741,964 22,053,445 1,311,481 288,541,18 88,296,012 (200,245,17 18,634,685 76,321,982 57,687,297 7,797,255 52,203,556 44,406,301 (96,840,097)

8 6)

Arizona 11,410,808 11,250,006 (160,802) 13,034,217 14,257,940 1,223,723 6,977 1,673,906 1,666,929 2,474,249 2,692,176 217,927 2,947,777

Arkansas 2,423,425 2,551,017 127,592 2,074 291,166 289,092 123,899 300,899 177,000 7,915 102,983 95,068 688,752

California 19,970,522 20,625,419 654,897 15,616,779 17,301,768 1,684,989 58,188 242,034 183,846 4,496,680 4,844,421 347,741 2,871,473

Colorado 14,330,694 14,495,948 165,254 8,311,968 8,303,010 (8,958) 19,937 63,910 43,973 566,654 592,247 25,593 225,862

Connecticut 0 24 24 0 0 0 0 342 342 972 6,393 5,421 5,787

Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 0 15,193 23,968 8,775 0 0 0 8,775

Florida 1,075,089 1,136,990 61,901 1,423 25,277 23,854 106,955 241,905 134,950 1,535,610 2,441,712 906,102 1,126,807

Georgia 786,784 864,063 77,279 0 0 0 377,787 471,750 93,963 35,038 57,593 22,555 193,797

Hawaii 0 1 1 0 0 0 256,183 288,008 31,825 239,368 256,453 17,085 48,911

Idaho 20,345,861 20,447,140 101,279 12,310,977 11,845,472 (465,505) 17,969 47,061 29,092 58,444 99,915 41,471 (293,663)

Illinois 211,554 272,492 60,938 0 227 227 50,593 69,770 19,177 91 142 51 80,393

Indiana 125,890 193,036 67,146 0 0 0 111 8,030 7,919 3,283 13,110 9,827 84,892

Iowa 360 0 (360) 0 378 378 26,028 39,570 13,542 1,374 1,663 289 13,849

Kansas 107,114 108,175 1,061 1,297 9 (1,288) 15,073 28,774 13,701 39 468 429 13,903

Kentucky 460,693 684,454 223,761 0 0 0 61,438 2,154 (59,284) 62,909 94,097 31,188 195,665

Louisiana 591,637 603,288 11,651 7,288 309,611 302,323 229,217 443,570 214,353 2,396 12,365 9,969 538,296

Maine 50,023 53,040 3,017 0 0 0 22,701 44,772 22,071 41,932 71,404 29,472 54,560

Maryland 0 0 0 0 0 0 19,425 40,162 20,737 41,146 58,831 17,685 38,422

Massachusetts 1,651 0 (1,651) 0 0 0 8,117 12,225 4,108 35,537 53,355 17,818 20,275

Michigan 2,579,834 2,853,950 274,116 5,946 74,854 68,908 102,045 113,003 10,958 597,901 689,684 91,783 445,765

Minnesota 2,770,352 2,826,931 56,579 40,732 151,255 110,523 212,544 426,237 213,693 95,463 233,417 137,954 518,749

Mississippi 1,134,006 1,155,613 21,607 2,227 57,211 54,984 56,980 194,904 137,924 24,638 102,653 78,015 292,530

Missouri 1,372,081 1,490,087 118,006 323 2,321 1,998 39,392 47,356 7,964 12,321 66,125 53,804 181,772

Montana 16,637,813 16,868,073 230,260 8,262,282 8,075,850 (186,432) 114,287 607,513 493,226 1,064,411 1,221,819 157,408 694,462

Nebraska 339,716 352,133 12,417 6,058 7,493 1,435 138,813 162,963 24,150 2,373 5,556 3,183 41,185

Nevada 5,058,500 5,813,980 755,480 47,194,741 47,959,301 764,560 222,612 2,294,898 2,072,286 647,201 777,902 130,701 3,723,027

New Hampshire 678,104 723,296 45,192 0 0 0 40 3,042 3,002 1,786 9,657 7,871 56,065

New Jersey 0 0 0 0 0 0 17,046 55,769 38,723 15,006 48,453 33,447 72,170

New Mexico 9,086,505 9,326,582 240,077 13,826,454 12,890,539 (935,915) 85,600 326,581 240,981 251,607 384,025 132,418 (322,439)

New York 13,747 13,750 3 0 0 0 12,690 23,602 10,912 20,087 49,311 29,224 40,139

North Carolina 1,125,196 1,240,781 115,585 0 0 0 96,549 401,238 304,689 347,317 369,053 21,736 442,010

North Dakota 1,104,850 1,105,779 929 77,070 61,377 (15,693) 225,457 459,871 234,414 70,450 72,351 1,901 221,551

Ohio 110,852 220,020 109,168 0 0 0 2,669 7,772 5,103 8,560 26,579 18,019 132,290

Oklahoma 271,403 301,757 30,354 29,124 2,327 (26,797) 79,654 99,011 19,357 7,901 9,880 1,979 24,893

Oregon 15,465,016 15,661,441 196,425 15,617,181 15,726,434 109,253 451,015 530,116 79,101 166,760 195,371 28,611 413,390

Pennsylvania 471,620 513,229 41,609 0 0 0 4,258 9,960 5,702 24,064 65,616 41,552 88,863

Rhode Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 1,494 1,468 0 5 5 1,473

South Carolina 587,164 611,269 24,105 0 0 0 136,571 109,724 (26,847) 4,442 26,598 22,156 19,414

South Dakota 1,988,290 2,011,887 23,597 280,473 279,085 (1,388) 40,644 192,032 151,388 144,540 154,345 9,805 183,402

Tennessee 598,837 631,713 32,876 0 0 0 1,958 45,004 43,046 258,463 346,744 88,281 164,203

Texas 775,296 754,979 (20,317) 0 0 0 117,416 384,833 267,417 853,680 1,172,471 318,791 565,891

Utah 7,946,494 8,109,316 162,822 23,472,577 22,167,464 (1,305,113) 97,303 100,953 3,650 1,509,075 2,090,120 581,045 (557,596)

Vermont 232,469 354,256 121,787 0 0 0 4,252 6,427 2,175 2,517 9,770 7,253 131,215

Virginia 1,453,853 1,650,526 196,673 0 0 0 16,685 117,642 100,957 289,173 322,160 32,987 330,617

Washington 9,688,321 9,171,108 (517,213) 259,170 352,332 93,162 107,716 136,050 28,334 1,238,676 1,943,567 704,891 309,174

West Virginia 905,647 1,032,135 126,488 0 0 0 215 2,100 1,885 8,087 51,166 43,079 171,452

Wisconsin 1,469,215 1,519,364 50,149 181 160,167 159,986 166,650 188,405 21,755 73,992 135,744 61,752 293,642

Wyoming 9,143,784 9,258,609 114,825 17,442,886 18,392,533 949,647 40,127 57,606 17,479 2,343,284 2,393,476 50,192 1,132,143

====================================================================================================================================================================================

Total 186,274,57 191,573,85 5,299,281 464,346,60 267,102,37 (197,244,23 22,650,737 87,487,290 64,836,553 27,493,836 76,588,003 49,094,167 (78,014,230)

6 7 7 6 1)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note:The information shown on the acreage managed by the four federal

land management agencies is as of the following dates: for 1964, as

of June 30, 1964; for 1994, as of September 30, 1994.

\a According to Bureau of Land Management officials, the Bureau's 1.1

million acre increase from 1964 to 1994 for 11 eastern states

(Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan,

Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Wisconsin) did not result from

land acquisitions but reflected the addition in 1986 of withdrawn

public lands that had not been previously inventoried and accounted

for by the Bureau.

Source: GAO's analysis of data provided by the departments of

Agriculture and the Interior.

As table I.1 shows, during the 30-year period, three of the

agencies--the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National

Park Service--increased the number of federal acres that they

managed: the Forest Service by over 5 million acres, the Fish and

Wildlife Service by about 65 million acres, and the National Park

Service by about 49 million acres. According to Fish and Wildlife

Service and Park Service officials, these increases occurred

primarily as the result of congressional authorization or executive

order. The Bureau of Land Management decreased its holdings by 197

million acres during the period, primarily because a significant

portion of the over 113 million acres transferred to the state of

Alaska and to Native Alaskans was under its management. In addition,

two major transfers of land to the Fish and Wildlife Service--12

million acres in 1979 and about 37 million acres in 1980--expanded

the national wildlife refuge system. In 1979, the Bureau of Land

Management also transferred about 41 million acres of land to the

National Park Service to expand existing, or create new, national

parks, monuments, and preserves.

During the 30-year period, the number of acres managed by the four

federal agencies increased in 46 states and decreased in 4 states.

As table I.1 shows, for five states--Arizona, California, Florida,

Nevada, and Wyoming--the amount of federally managed land increased

by at least 1 million acres during the 30-year period. The amount of

federally managed land decreased during this period in Alaska, Idaho,

New Mexico, and Utah.

PERCENTAGE OF EACH STATE'S

ACREAGE MANAGED BY THE FOUR

FEDERAL AGENCIES

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:2

As of September 30, 1994, the four federal agencies managed about

622.8 million acres, or 26.6 percent of the 2.3 billion-acre surface

area of the United States. Table I.2 shows the percentage and amount

of each state's acreage managed by the four federal agencies.

Table I.2

Percentage of Each State's Acreage

Managed by the Four Federal Agencies as

of September 30, 1994

Total

federal

Bureau The four acreage

Total of Land Fish and National federal managed by

acreage of Forest Manageme Wildlife Park agencies the four

State state\a Service nt Service Service \b agencies

------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- ------------

Alabama 33,431,680 1.98 0.33 0.05 0.03 2.40 801,611

Alaska 393,747,20 5.60 22.42 19.38 13.26 60.67 238,874,995

0

Arizona 72,963,840 15.42 19.54 2.29 3.69 40.94 29,874,028

Arkansas 34,036,480 7.49 0.86 0.88 0.30 9.54 3,246,065

California 101,676,16 20.29 17.02 0.24 4.76 42.30 43,013,642

0

Colorado 66,624,000 21.76 12.46 0.10 0.89 35.21 23,455,115

Connecticut 3,548,160 0\c 0 0.01 0.18 0.19 6,759

Delaware 1,534,080 0 0 1.56 0 1.56 23,968

Florida 38,392,320 2.96 0.07 0.63 6.36 10.02 3,845,884

Georgia 37,745,280 2.29 0 1.25 0.15 3.69 1,393,406

Hawaii 4,133,760 0\c 0 6.97 6.20 13.17 544,462

Idaho 53,487,360 38.23 22.15 0.09 0.19 60.65 32,439,588

Illinois 36,059,520 0.76 0\c 0.19 0\c 0.95 342,631

\d

Indiana 23,158,400 0.83 0 0.03 0.06 0.92 214,176

\d

Iowa 36,016,640 0 0\c 0.11 0\c 0.12 41,611

Kansas 52,660,480 0.21 0\c 0.05 0\c 0.26 137,426

Kentucky 25,863,040 2.65 0 0.01 0.36 3.02 780,705

Louisiana 31,776,000 1.90 0.97 1.40 0.04 4.31 1,368,834

Maine 21,594,240 0.25 0 0.21 0.33 0.78 169,216

Maryland 7,870,080 0 0 0.51 0.75 1.26 98,993

Massachusetts 5,914,240 0 0 0.21 0.90 1.11 65,580

Michigan 37,448,320 7.62 0.20 0.30 1.84 9.96 3,731,491

\d

Minnesota 54,014,080 5.23 0.28 0.79 0.43 6.73 3,637,840

\d

Mississippi 30,903,040 3.74 0.19 0.63 0.33 4.89 1,510,381

Missouri 44,613,760 3.34 0.01 0.11 0.15 3.60 1,605,889

Montana 94,109,440 17.92 8.58 0.65 1.30 28.45 26,773,255

Nebraska 49,522,560 0.71 0.02 0.33 0.01 1.07 528,145

Nevada 70,762,880 8.22 67.77 3.24 1.10 80.33 56,846,081

New Hampshire 5,941,120 12.17 0 0.05 0.16 12.39 735,995

New Jersey 5,257,600 0 0 1.06 0.92 1.98 104,222

New Mexico 77,822,720 11.98 16.56 0.42 0.49 29.46 22,927,727

New York 32,056,320 0.04 0 0.07 0.15 0.27 86,663

\d

North 33,710,080 3.68 0 1.19 1.09 5.97 2,011,072

Carolina

North Dakota 45,250,560 2.44 0.14 1.02 0.16 3.76 1,699,378

Ohio 26,450,560 0.83 0 0.03 0.10 0.96 254,371

\d

Oklahoma 44,737,920 0.67 0.01 0.22 0.02 0.92 412,975

Oregon 62,139,520 25.20 25.31 0.85 0.31 51.68 32,113,362

Pennsylvania 28,806,400 1.78 0 0.03 0.23 2.04 588,805

\d

Rhode Island 787,840 0 0 0.19 0\c 0.19 1,499

South 19,960,960 3.06 0 0.55 0.13 3.75 747,591

Carolina

South Dakota 49,357,440 4.08 0.57 0.39 0.31 5.34 2,637,349

Tennessee 26,972,800 2.34 0 0.17 1.29 3.79 1,023,461

Texas 171,057,28 0.44 0 0.22 0.69 1.35 2,312,283

0

Utah 54,338,560 14.92 40.80 0.19 3.85 59.75 32,467,853

Vermont 6,153,600 5.76 0 0.10 0.16 6.02 370,453

Virginia 27,088,640 6.09 0 0.43 1.19 7.72 2,090,328

Washington 45,207,680 20.29 0.78 0.30 4.30 25.67 11,603,057

West Virginia 15,508,480 6.66 0 0.01 0.33 7.00 1,085,401

Wisconsin 35,932,800 4.23 0.45 0.52 0.38 5.58 2,003,680

\d

Wyoming 62,604,160 14.79 29.38 0.09 3.82 48.08 30,102,224

=========================================================================================

Total 2,340,750, 8.18 11.41 3.74 3.27 26.60 622,751,526

080

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\a This information, provided by the Bureau of Census, Department of

Commerce, reflects data from the 1990 Census.

\b Percentages may not add because of rounding.

\c Although the agency managed land in this state, the amount managed

is less than 0.005 percent of the state's acreage.

\d The total acreage shown for this state does not include the Great

Lakes water area.

Source: GAO's analysis of data provided by the departments of

Agriculture and the Interior.

Figure I.1 shows the percentage of the acreage within each state

managed by the four agencies.

Figure I.1: Percentage of Each

State's Acreage Managed by the

Four Federal Agencies,

September 30, 1994

(See figure in printed

edition.)

As table I.2 and figure I.1 show, the percentage of each state's

acreage managed by the four federal agencies varies widely. For

example, the agencies manage less than 5 percent of the land in 26

states but over 50 percent in 5 states. Over 80 percent of Nevada's

acreage is managed by the four agencies.

ACREAGE MANAGED FOR

CONSERVATION

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:3

Of the 622.8 million acres managed by the four agencies as of

September 30, 1994, over 272 million acres were managed primarily for

conservation. Lands managed for conservation include, among other

things, national parks, national wildlife refuges, wilderness and

wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, and areas of critical

environmental concern. Table I.3 shows the number of acres and the

percentage of land managed by the four agencies for conservation, by

state, as of September 30, 1994.

Table I.3

Number and Percentage of Acres Managed

for Conservation by the Four Federal

Agencies, by State, as of September 30,

1994

Percentage

Acreage of acreage

Acreage managed for managed for

State managed conservation conservation

---------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

Alabama 801,611 69,784 8.71

Alaska 238,874,995 150,786,546 63.12

Arizona 29,874,028 8,899,060 29.79

Arkansas 3,246,065 678,515 20.90

California 43,013,642 33,361,904 77.56

Colorado 23,455,115 5,792,946 24.70

Connecticut 6,759 6,735 99.64

Delaware 23,968 23,968 100.00

Florida 3,845,884 2,855,276 74.24

Georgia 1,393,406 701,655 50.36

Hawaii 544,462 544,461 99.99

Idaho 32,439,588 9,674,341 29.82

Illinois 342,631 100,845 29.43

Indiana 214,176 34,163 15.95

Iowa 41,611 41,233 99.09

Kansas 137,426 29,242 21.28

Kentucky 780,705 138,885 17.79

Louisiana 1,368,834 548,495 40.07

Maine 169,216 128,176 75.75

Maryland 98,993 98,993 100.00

Massachusetts 65,580 65,580 100.00

Michigan 3,731,491 1,043,729 27.97

Minnesota 3,637,840 1,473,570 40.51

Mississippi 1,510,381 310,061 20.53

Missouri 1,605,889 182,946 11.39

Montana 26,773,255 7,431,305 27.76

Nebraska 528,145 183,613 34.77

Nevada 56,846,081 9,847,651 17.32

New Hampshire 735,995 117,911 16.02

New Jersey 104,222 104,222 100.00

New Mexico 22,927,727 4,106,669 17.91

New York 86,663 72,913 84.13

North Carolina 2,011,072 1,007,677 50.11

North Dakota 1,699,378 532,974 31.36

Ohio 254,371 34,428 13.53

Oklahoma 412,975 149,523 36.21

Oregon 32,113,362 7,101,101 22.11

Pennsylvania 588,805 114,377 19.43

Rhode Island 1,499 1,499 100.00

South Carolina 747,591 212,409 28.41

South Dakota 2,637,349 443,525 16.82

Tennessee 1,023,461 468,909 45.82

Texas 2,312,283 1,596,157 69.03

Utah 32,467,853 7,403,484 22.80

Vermont 370,453 112,308 30.32

Virginia 2,090,328 676,997 32.39

Washington 11,603,057 4,793,971 41.32

West Virginia 1,085,401 192,041 17.69

Wisconsin 2,003,680 369,804 18.46

Wyoming 30,102,224 7,467,725 24.81

======================================================================

Total 622,751,526 272,134,302 43.70

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: GAO's analysis of data from the departments of Agriculture

and the Interior.

The number of acres managed for conservation shown in table I.3

includes all of the lands managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service

and National Park Service as well as portions of the lands managed by

the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Tables I.4 and I.5

show the category and number of acres managed by the Forest Service

and Bureau of Land Management, respectively, for conservation, as of

September 30, 1994.

Table I.4

Forest Service Acreage Managed for

Conservation as of September 30, 1994

Conservation category Acres managed

------------------------------------------------------ --------------

Wilderness 34,587,437

Wilderness study area 6,638,310

Wild and scenic river 618,283

Research natural area 299,568

National monument 3,404,244

National primitive area 173,762

National recreation area 2,675,274

National game refuge 1,218,953

National scenic-research area 6,630

Other\a 271,227

======================================================================

Total 49,893,688

----------------------------------------------------------------------

\a "Other" includes archeological, botanical, geological, and

national historic areas.

Source: Forest Service.

Table I.5

Bureau of Land Management Acreage

Managed for Conservation as of September

30, 1994

Conservation category Acres managed

------------------------------------------------------ --------------

Wilderness 1,653,529

Wilderness study area 26,554,685

Wild, scenic, and recreation river 829,448

Area of critical environmental concern 9,960,843

Research natural area 326,449

National conservation area 14,323,431

National natural or historic landmark 599,042

National recreation area 1,000,000

National scenic-research area 1,365,280

Other\a 1,552,614

======================================================================

Total\b 58,165,321

----------------------------------------------------------------------

\a "Other" includes national scenic and historic trails, national

recreation trails, and national outstanding natural areas.

\b Bureau officials told us that some acres may be counted in more

than one conservation category, but they could not readily determine

the extent of the double counting.

Source: Bureau of Land Management.

LANDS ACQUIRED BY THE FOUR

FEDERAL AGENCIES

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:4

Table I.6 shows, for the four agencies, the various means they used

for acquiring lands\1 from nonfederal parties and the corresponding

number of acres they acquired from June 30, 1964, through September

30, 1994.

Table I.6

Means by Which the Four Federal Agencies

Acquired Acreage From Nonfederal Parties

From 1964 to 1994

Bureau of Fish and

Forest Land Wildlife National

Means used Service Management Service Park Service Total

------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Purchase 1,479,348 297,080 1,998,247 1,303,292 5,077,967

Gift or donation 522,326 14,646 586,377 631,747 1,755,096

Exchange 2,179,643 724,402 256,576 90,708 3,251,329

Other\a 105,138 35,822 34,976 601,279 777,215

=========================================================================================

Total 4,286,455 1,071,950 2,876,176 2,627,026 10,861,607

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Totals may not add because of rounding.

\a "Other" includes acreage acquired through condemnation and

takings.

As table I.6 shows, the lands acquired by the four agencies through

purchase accounted for nearly half of all the acres acquired during

the 30-year period.

As of September 30, 1994, the four agencies planned to acquire about

11.8 million acres in future years. Table I.7 shows the acreage, by

state, that the four agencies planned to acquire in subsequent years.

Table I.7

Acquisitions Planned by the Four

Agencies, by State, in Subsequent Years

Bureau of Fish and

Forest Land Wildlife National Park

State Service Management Service Service Total

------ ------------ ------------ ------------ -------------- --------------

Alabam 62,508 0 5,811 0 68,319

a

Alaska 230,160 0 26,500 20 256,680

Arizon 63,739 27,937 30,923 20,964 143,563

a

Arkans 95,277 0 78,207 314 173,798

as

Califo 377,702 847,095 205,066 102,278 1,532,141

rnia

Colora 155,031 69,134 21,890 6,026 252,081

do

Connec 0 0 900 535 1,435

ticut

Delawa 0 0 2,992 0 2,992

re

Florid 27,096 0 45,863 50,107 123,066

a

Georgi 98,201 0 5,499 2,219 105,919

a

Hawaii 0 0 118,470 445 118,915

Idaho 122,663 68,656 0 6,023 197,342

Illino 56,766 0 84,870 75 141,711

is

Indian 45,132 0 20,862 1,046 67,040

a

Iowa 0 0 147,967 0 147,967

Kansas 814 0 0 0 814

Kentuc 141,725 0 0 0 141,725

ky

Louisi 42,134 0 149,948 194 192,276

ana

Maine 4,025 0 17,181 3,989 25,195

Maryla 0 0 5,600 4,734 10,334

nd

Massac 0 0 3,994 1,017 5,011

huset

ts

Michig 204,134 0 65,930 3,855 273,919

an

Minnes 263,987 0 497,221 1,718 762,926

ota

Missis 115,430 0 46,207 694 162,331

sippi

Missou 157,002 0 0 958 157,960

ri

Montan 223,865 49,273 344,515 2,168 619,821

a

Nebras 9,035 0 114,110 14 123,159

ka

Nevada 46,133 1,397 22,606 284 70,420

New 10,176 0 8,180 85 18,441

Hamps

hire

New 0 0 45,245 207 45,452

Jersey

New 104,012 7,598 10,890 5,525 128,025

Mexico

New 0 0 18,259 616 18,875

York

North 192,459 0 37,377 2,678 232,514

Carol

ina

North 0 0 2,197,510 855 2,198,365

Dakota

Ohio 61,415 0 16,000 1,571 78,986

Oklaho 16,318 0 10,118 26 26,462

ma

Oregon 184,712 88,608 106,322 2,805 382,447

Pennsy 22,970 0 396 2,427 25,793

lvania

Rhode 0 0 1,229 0 1,229

Island

South 76,425 0 12,017 0 88,442

Carol

ina

South 35,214 0 1,147,627 1,503 1,184,344

Dakota

Tennes 58,051 0 23,170 10,393 91,614

see

Texas 123,949 0 217,546 28,652 370,147

Utah 109,042 16,890 48,329 5,195 179,456

Vermon 46,124 0 17,215 1,579 64,918

t

Virgin 157,252 0 0 9,760 167,012

ia

Washin 89,662 36,920 126,703 7,701 260,986

gton

West 83,723 0 30,460 23,586 137,769

Virgi

nia

Wiscon 50,361 0 48,688 0 99,049

sin

Wyomin 44,493 49,801 25,395 1,748 121,437

g

================================================================================

Total 4,008,917 1,263,309 6,211,808 316,589 11,800,623

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: The departments of Agriculture and the Interior.

According to agency officials, the planned acquisitions include land

to be acquired by the agencies as new areas (such as refuges),

additions to existing areas, or privately owned lands (inholdings)

within areas that the agencies manage.

Data provided by the Forest Service and the National Park Service

showed inholdings of approximately 40 million acres and about 4.3

million acres, respectively. According to Forest Service and

National Park Service officials, their agencies do not plan to

acquire all of the inholdings. For example, Forest Service officials

told us that their plans are to acquire about 10 percent of the

inholdings within the National Forest System. The Bureau of Land

Management and Fish and Wildlife Service could not provide us with

information on the total acreage of the inholdings within their areas

in a useable format in the requested time frame. However, like the

Forest Service and National Park Service, Bureau and Fish and

Wildlife Service officials told us that their agencies do not plan to

acquire all of the inholdings.

--------------------

\1 Acquired lands are lands that were obtained by the four agencies

through purchase, condemnation, taking, gift, donation, or exchange.

Exchanges are transactions where the federal government acquires land

for other land, timber, or other products. Acquired lands do not

include transfers of land from other federal agencies.

FEDERAL ACREAGE WHERE HUNTING

AND OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE NOT

ALLOWED

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:5

The four federal agencies did not allow hunting on 57.5 million of

the acres they managed as of September 30, 1994. Included in this

total are over 50.6 million acres managed by the National Park

Service, about 4.6 million acres managed by the Fish and Wildlife

Service, and almost 2 million acres managed by the Forest Service.

Table I.8 shows, by state, the number of acres managed by the Forest

Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service where

hunting is not allowed. The Fish and Wildlife Service could not

provide the number of acres, by state, where hunting is not allowed.

Table I.8

Acreage Managed by Three Federal

Agencies Where Hunting Is Not Allowed,

by State

Percentage

of acreage

Total managed

Bureau of National acreage where

Forest Land Park managed by hunting is

State Service Management Service Total the agencies not allowed

------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ------------

Alabama 0 0 6,332 6,332 785,219 0.81

Alaska 1,816,587 0 31,972,862 33,789,449 162,553,013 20.79

Arizona 25,750 23,500 1,719,607 1,768,857 28,200,122 6.27

Arkansas 0 0 9,571 9,571 2,945,166 0.32

California 58,000 0 4,467,503 4,525,503 42,771,608 10.58

Colorado 18,820 0 591,202 610,022 23,391,205 2.61

Connecticut 0 0 5,330 5,330 6,417 83.06

Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 0

Florida 22,885 0 1,682,707 1,705,592 3,603,979 47.33

Georgia 0 0 22,065 22,065 921,656 2.39

Hawaii 0 0 235,408 235,408 256,454 91.79

Idaho 1,200 116 94,994 96,310 32,392,527 0.30

Illinois 0 0 12 12 272,861 0

Indiana 0 0 9,851 9,851 206,146 4.78

Iowa 0 0 1,663 1,663 2,041 81.48

Kansas 0 0 429 429 108,652 0.39

Kentucky 0 0 62,852 62,852 778,551 8.07

Louisiana 0 0 0 0 925,264 0

Maine 0 0 63,337 63,337 124,444 50.90

Maryland 0 0 28,649 28,649 58,831 48.70

Massachusetts 0 0 5,481 5,481 53,355 10.27

Michigan 0 0 539,282 539,282 3,618,488 14.90

Minnesota 0 0 133,118 133,118 3,211,603 4.14

Mississippi 0 0 32,415 32,415 1,315,477 2.46

Missouri 0 0 2,061 2,061 1,558,533 0.13

Montana 26,500 0 1,183,433 1,209,933 26,165,742 4.62

Nebraska 0 0 5,371 5,371 365,182 1.47

Nevada 0 28,000 187,993 215,993 54,551,183 0.40

New Hampshire 0 0 9,449 9,449 732,953 1.29

New Jersey 0 0 2,809 2,809 48,453 5.80

New Mexico 14,667 151,272 372,928 538,867 22,601,146 2.38

New York 0 0 10,789 10,789 63,061 17.11

North 0 0 324,017 324,017 1,609,834 20.13

Carolina

North Dakota 0 0 71,383 71,383 1,239,507 5.76

Ohio 0 0 17,504 17,504 246,599 7.10

Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 313,964 0

Oregon 0 13,868 194,476 208,344 31,583,246 0.66

Pennsylvania 0 0 22,026 22,026 578,845 3.81

Rhode Island 0 0 5 5 5 100.00

South 0 0 26,240 26,240 637,867 4.11

Carolina

South Dakota 0 0 141,302 141,302 2,445,317 5.78

Tennessee 0 0 266,779 266,779 978,457 27.27

Texas 1,420 0 854,086 855,506 1,927,450 44.39

Utah 0 0 875,232 875,232 32,366,900 2.70

Vermont 0 0 7,258 7,258 364,026 1.99

Virginia 0 0 304,293 304,293 1,972,686 15.43

Washington 0 0 1,755,830 1,755,830 11,467,007 15.31

West Virginia 0 0 2,748 2,748 1,083,301 0.25

Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 1,815,275 0

Wyoming 0 0 2,337,506 2,337,506 30,044,618 7.78

=========================================================================================

Total 1,985,829 216,756 50,660,188 52,862,773 535,264,236 9.88

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Acreage totals may not add because of rounding.

Source: GAO's analysis of data provided by the departments of

Agriculture and the Interior.

As part of our work, we also requested the four agencies to provide

data on the number of acres that had various limitations on use, such

as restrictions on oil and gas development, mineral development,

livestock grazing, and timber harvesting. Fish and Wildlife Service

and National Park Service officials told us that these activities are

generally not allowed on the lands these agencies manage. However,

officials from both agencies indicated that some or all of these

activities may be allowed in specific locations if required by

legislative mandates, if rights to conduct these activities existed

before the lands were acquired by the federal agency, or if the

activities are determined to be compatible with the primary purpose

for which the lands are managed.

Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management officials told us

that restrictions on the use of the lands they manage are identified

in specific land management plans. Such restrictions vary by area

and are continuously changing as land management plans are revised

and updated. Our review of the data provided by these agencies

indicated that as of September 30, 1994,

mineral development was not allowed on about 2.6 million acres

managed by the Forest Service and

oil and gas development was not allowed on 77.3 million acres,

mineral development was not allowed on 90.5 million acres, and

grazing was not allowed on 20.6 million acres of Bureau of Land

Management lands that were not managed for conservation.

Agency officials pointed out that more than one of these activities

may be prohibited on the same lands.

RIGHTS-OF-USE ON NONFEDERAL

LAND

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:6

In addition to managing federal lands, the four federal agencies had

rights-of-use for 3 million acres of nonfederal land as of September

30, 1994. These rights-of-use were obtained through easements,

leases, agreements, and permits. Tables I.9 through I.12 show, for

each of the four agencies, the number of acres included in the

various rights-of-use, by state.

Table I.9

Nonfederal Acres for Which the Forest

Service Had Rights-of-Use as of

September 30, 1994

State\a Easements Leases Total

---------------------------------- ---------- ---------- ----------

Alaska 0 250 250

Arizona 942 2 944

Arkansas 0 1 1

California 5,446 95 5,541

Colorado 0 6,869 6,869

Florida 0 1 1

Georgia 0 4,355 4,355

Idaho 20,559 36 20,595

Illinois 116 0 116

Kentucky 0 18 18

Maine 1,272 3,800 5,072

Michigan 25,708 5 25,713

Minnesota 0 103 103

Missouri 12 2 14

Montana 1,954 4 1,958

Nebraska 0 2 2

Nevada 1,325 0 1,325

New Hampshire 275 10 285

New Jersey 0 590 590

New Mexico 2,153 27 2,180

New York 141 0 141

North Carolina 0 11 11

Ohio 0 570 570

Oregon 1,024 34 1,058

South Dakota 0 8 8

Tennessee 7 1 8

Vermont 2,281 12 2,293

Virginia 186 2 188

Washington 1,351 29 1,380

West Virginia 172 3 175

Wisconsin 21 0 21

Wyoming 0 7 7

======================================================================

Total 64,945 16,847 81,793

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Totals may not add because of rounding.

\a Information is presented only for those states where the Forest

Service has obtained total rights-of-use for one or more acres of

land.

Source: Forest Service.

Table I.10

Nonfederal Acres for Which the Bureau of

Land Management Had Rights-of-Use as of

September 30, 1994

Easement Agreemen

State\a s Leases ts Total

------------------------------ -------- -------- -------- --------

Arizona 274 21 0 295

Colorado 1,110 15 0 1,125

Idaho 4,002 0 0 4,002

Montana 16,763 0 0 16,763

Nevada 286 18 2 306

New Mexico 2,786 0 0 2,786

North Dakota 1,989 0 0 1,989

Oregon 5,702 335 0 6,037

South Dakota 7,698 0 0 7,698

Utah 605 0 0 605

Washington 32 0 0 32

Wyoming 5,042 0 0 5,042

======================================================================

Total 46,289 389 2 46,680

----------------------------------------------------------------------

\a Information is presented only for those states where the Bureau of

Land Management obtained total rights-of-use for one or more acres of

land.

Source: Bureau of Land Management.

Table I.11

Nonfederal Acres for Which the Fish and

Wildlife Service Had Rights-of-Use as of

September 30, 1994

State\a Easements Permits Leases Agreements Total

------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Alabama 667 0 578 0 1,245

Alaska 0 17 4 5 26

Arizona 1 0 1,575 0 1,576

Arkansas 629 0 233 0 862

California 67,161 206 18,126 551 86,044

Colorado 299 0 2,557 0 2,856

Delaware 857 0 0 0 857

Florida 2,744 0 7,673 537,124 547,541

Georgia 3,583 0 20 490 4,093

Hawaii 735 0 163 61 959

Idaho 50 19 0 13,004 13,073

Illinois 697 0 0 26,754 27,451

Indiana 253 0 0 0 253

Iowa 764 2 0 6,499 7,265

Kansas 6 0 0 0 6

Louisiana 5,277 0 2,523 1,280 9,080

Maine 608 0 0 2 610

Maryland 68 0 0 0 68

Massachusetts 23 0 0 620 643

Michigan 2,673 1,775 0 12 4,460

Minnesota 62,004 155 7,006 24 69,189

Mississippi 5,690 0 900 667 7,257

Missouri 768 0 0 12,075 12,843

Montana 51,305 246 5,843 4,564 61,958

Nebraska 1,039 0 0 0 1,039

Nevada 1,019 63,544 0 0 64,563

New Hampshire 6 0 0 0 6

New Jersey 2,414 0 0 0 2,414

New Mexico 266 0 500 0 766

New York 1,513 0 17 0 1,530

North Carolina 4,190 0 4,057 0 8,247

North Dakota 901,835 0 217 0 902,052

Ohio 7 67 591 0 665

Oklahoma 521 130 59 125 835

Oregon 318 0 878 34,277 35,473

South Carolina 683 0 72,974 682 74,339

South Dakota 618,814 130 0 0 618,944

Tennessee 2,036 0 13,235 0 15,271

Texas 35,514 1 5,214 2,320 43,049

Utah 399 0 3,846 0 4,245

Vermont 71 0 0 0 71

Virginia 734 0 0 25 759

Washington 3,670 672 3,726 1,036 9,104

Wisconsin 1,330 0 233 0 1,563

Wyoming 3,146 0 0 0 3,146

Total 1,786,388 66,965 152,749 642,198 2,648,300

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Acreage totals may not add because of rounding.

\a Information is presented only for those states where Fish and

Wildlife Service has obtained total rights-of-use for one or more

acres of land.

Source: Fish and Wildlife Service.

Table I.12

Nonfederal Acres to Which the National

Park Service Had Rights-of-Use as of

September 30, 1994

State\a Easements Leases Total

---------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

Alabama 202 0 202

Alaska 12,439 10 12,449

Arizona 162 0 162

Arkansas 3,201 0 3,201

California 162 1 163

Colorado 5,511 0 5,511

Connecticut 711 0 711

Florida 1,330 0 1,330

Georgia 24 1 25

Hawaii 1 1,247 1,248

Idaho 445 0 445

Indiana 485 0 485

Kansas 269 0 269

Kentucky 137 0 137

Maine 5,990 0 5,990

Maryland 5,731 0 5,731

Massachusetts 699 1 700

Michigan 1,026 0 1,026

Minnesota 3,064 0 3,064

Mississippi 5,262 0 5,262

Missouri 9,547 0 9,547

Montana 1,114 0 1,114

Nebraska 491 0 491

New Hampshire 756 0 756

New Jersey 35 0 35

New Mexico 5 0 5

New York 3,802 0 3,802

North Carolina 12,218 0 12,218

North Dakota 258 0 258

Ohio 1,305 0 1,305

Oklahoma 9 0 9

Oregon 379 0 379

Pennsylvania 1,886 0 1,886

South Carolina 31 0 31

South Dakota 122,327 0 122,327

Tennessee 1,521 0 1,521

Texas 76 0 76

Utah 1,279 0 1,279

Vermont 1,080 0 1,080

Virginia 4,492 0 4,492

Washington 1,420 0 1,420

Wisconsin 10,274 0 10,274

West Virginia 390 0 390

Wyoming 1,124 0 1,124

======================================================================

Total 222,669 1,259 223,928

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Totals may not add because of rounding.

\a Information is presented only for those states where the National

Park Service has obtained total rights-of-use for one or more acres

of land.

Source: National Park Service.

NONFEDERAL ACREAGE AFFECTED BY

SELECTED ENVIRONMENTAL

REGULATIONS

--------------------------------------------------------- Appendix I:7

Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental

Protection Agency, and Fish and Wildlife Service, the primary

agencies responsible for implementing regulations under the Clean

Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, told us that their

respective agencies did not maintain information on the number of

privately owned acres whose uses may be limited by the regulations

implementing these acts. In general, however, privately owned land

containing a wetland or habitat considered essential to the survival

of a protected species could be subject, under these regulations, to

prohibitions against certain actions that would modify the wetland or

habitat. For example, designating critical habitat for a protected

species under the Endangered Species Act would identify lands

containing habitat that may require special management or protection.

On the basis of the regulations establishing critical habitat, about

1.1 million acres of privately owned land had been included in the

critical habitat designations for 31 species. Nearly all of this

acreage had been designated as critical habitat for the desert

tortoise.

ACREAGE HELD IN TRUST FOR

INDIVIDUAL INDIANS AND INDIAN

TRIBES

========================================================== Appendix II

The federal government holds 52.3 million acres in trust for

individual Indians and Indian tribes in 33 states. Table II.1 shows

the number of acres held in each state for this purpose.

Table II.1

Acreage Held in Trust for Individual

Indians and Indian Tribes, by State, in

1995

State Number of acres

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------

Alabama 1,683

Alaska 215,837

Arizona 18,843,819

California 548,738

Colorado 1,076,890

Connecticut 2,086

Florida 164,546

Idaho 836,758

Iowa 3,408

Kansas 30,327

Louisiana 2,279

Maine 219,053

Massachusetts 493

Michigan 21,248

Minnesota 763,444

Mississippi 20,528

Montana 5,286,101

Nebraska 65,890

Nevada 934,956

New Mexico 7,650,579

New York 52,918

North Carolina 56,736

North Dakota 854,332

Oklahoma 467,534

Oregon 785,740

Rhode Island 2,532

South Carolina 630

South Dakota 5,015,326

Texas 125

Utah 3,720,076

Washington 2,616,094

Wisconsin 214,193

Wyoming 1,812,611

======================================================================

Total 52,287,510

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: This acreage includes federal trust, tribal/restricted fee,

and/or government lands. Federal trust lands are those whose title

is held by the United States in trust for individual Indians or

Indian tribes. Tribal/restricted fee lands are those whose title is

held by individual Indians or tribes. Government lands consist of a

small amount of acreage owned by the United States for special uses

such as federal schools and hospitals for Native Americans and for

administrative offices.

The amount of acreage was provided as of November 7, 1995, for

Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts,

Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South

Carolina. The amount of acreage for the remaining states was as of

September 15, 1995.

Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs.

LANDS OWNED BY 13 WESTERN STATES

========================================================= Appendix III

Table III.1 shows the acreage owned within each state's border by

each of the 13 western states in our review.

Table III.1

Acreage Owned by 13 Western States as of

September 30, 1994

Acreage owned

State by the state\a

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------

Alaska 89,383,753

Arizona 9,617,660

California 2,362,396

Colorado 3,405,638

Idaho 2,958,397

Montana 5,769,677

Nevada 246,065

New Mexico 9,800,156

Oregon 1,876,325

Texas 3,154,943

Utah 5,721,929

Washington 3,764,900

Wyoming 3,873,971

======================================================================

Total 141,935,810

----------------------------------------------------------------------

\a We did not include the submerged acreage reported by the coastal

states in these numbers.

Source: Officials from the respective states.

LANDS ACQUIRED BY THREE NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATIONS

========================================================== Appendix IV

Generally, the three nonprofit organizations in our review acquire

parcels of land for conservation and then sell, donate, or exchange

the parcels to entities such as federal, state, and local

governments. Tables IV.1 to IV.3 show the amount of acreage

acquired, transferred, and owned by these organizations--the Nature

Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, and The Trust for Public Land.

Table IV.1

Acreage Transactions for the Nature

Conservancy, by State, From July 1,

1964, Through September 30,1994

Acres

Acres acquired

owned between Acres

as of 7/1/64 Federal State Local owned as

7/1/ and 9/ governme governme government Conservation Other of 9/

State 64 30/94 nt nts s entities s 30/94

-------- ------ -------- -------- -------- ---------- ------------ ----- --------

Alabama 1,433 3,575 1,472 1,599 200 0 0 1,737

Alaska 0 44,611 51 43,574 0 986 0 0

Arizona 0 19,527 6,901 310 80 4,832 0 7,404

Arkansas 0 47,340 20,773 24,938 0 306 0 1,323

Californ 1,419 291,443 159,411 40,929 2,061 10,679 0 79,782

ia

Colorado 0 37,662 6,822 19,705 2,554 1,616 0 6,965

Connecti 563 13,974 274 1,415 164 5,113 0 7,571

cut

Delaware 0 1,779 0 579 0 532 0 668

Florida 0 269,085 80,654 128,468 15,843 15,863 0 28,257

Georgia 72 113,050 38,427 65,283 311 2,292 3,865 2,944

Hawaii 0 21,851 20,233 0 0 236 0 1,382

Idaho 0 31,839 18,218 3,387 0 1,422 0 8,812

Illinois 235 22,909 6,376 8,741 1,296 2,046 0 4,685

Indiana 55 21,167 660 10,913 1,299 1,761 0 6,589

Iowa 42 2,887 248 484 820 7 0 1,370

Kansas 0 21,255 726 3,750 0 480 0 16,299

Kentucky 379 14,731 3,566 6,721 0 315 0 4,508

Louisian 0 53,636 28,962 2,719 89 11,081 0 10,785

a

Maine 404 35,074 8,563 5,183 462 471 0 20,799

Maryland 123 18,393 2,642 7,865 14 388 0 7,607

Massachu 74 4,688 238 2,159 396 827 0 1,142

setts

Michigan 0 47,909 14,282 18,095 3,691 184 0 11,657

Minnesot 160 66,110 9,527 32,638 2,943 4,256 0 16,906

a

Mississi 0 65,198 22,383 41,637 0 110 0 1,068

ppi

Missouri 220 112,733 8,134 97,605 83 411 0 6,720

Montana 0 118,222 14,131 85,285 8 642 240 17,916

Nebraska 58,146 10,939 602 1,461 0 1,919 0 65,103

Nevada 0 23,972 18,538 3,576 51 1,552 0 255

New

Hampshi 400 6,764 851 0 316 833 113 5,051

re

New 0 17,434 4,963 8,817 296 62 0 3,296

Jersey

New 0 475,927 227,854 20,208 0 202,389 25,10 371

Mexico 5

New York 2,522 89,778 504 66,065 3,594 1,631 0 20,506

North 0 160,257 75,582 54,374 458 4,908 0 24,935

Carolina

North 0 6,519 0 1,860 3 899 0 3,757

Dakota

Ohio 744 22,754 1,037 3,927 4,093 3,449 0 10,992

Oklahoma 0 32,120 10,743 11,332 82 82 0 9,881

Oregon 22 60,764 21,131 2,238 243 24 0 37,150

Pennsylv 478 13,927 57 8,088 2,054 486 0 3,720

ania

Rhode 0 3,503 22 2,413 155 441 0 472

Island

South 0 58,416 2,861 39,308 0 5,037 484 10,726

Carolina

South 62 11,264 0 13 0 1,980 0 9,333

Dakota

Tennesse 0 39,298 18,881 18,541 0 1,149 0 727

e

Texas 0 252,158 164,299 9,391 9,338 13,642 0 55,488

Utah 0 31,579 13,606 14,809 0 462 0 2,702

Vermont 0 79,172 27,117 34,498 1,531 6,765 0 9,261

Virginia 1,116 78,672 20,787 12,881 373 835 631 44,281

Washingt 63 13,850 1,520 4,693 1,399 68 0 6,234

on

West 257 17,148 14,106 779 735 209 0 1,576

Virginia

Wisconsi 435 26,611 1,595 10,943 286 1,536 0 12,686

n

Wyoming 0 18,256 5,826 0 0 40 0 12,390

=========================================================================================

Total 69,424 3,051,73 1,106,15 984,197 57,321 317,254 30,43 625,788

0 6 8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: the Nature Conservancy.

Table IV.2

Acreage Transactions for The

Conservation Fund, by State, From March

8, 1985, Through September 30, 1994

Acres

acquired

between 3/ State Local Conservati Acres owned

8/85 and 9/ Federal government government on as of 9/

State 30/94 government s s entities 30/94

------------ ------------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- -----------

Alabama 2,659 1,330 270 0 0 1,059

Arizona 646 646 0 0 0 0

Arkansas 1 1 0 0 0 0

California 96 0 0 59 0 37

Colorado 4,497 4,497 0 0 0 0

Georgia 550 550 0 0 0 0

Idaho 121,652 63,838 814 0 0 57,000

Kentucky 1,100 1,100 0 0 0 0

Louisiana 4,256 0 256 0 0 4,000

Maine 169 169 0 0 0 0

Maryland 5,185 1,292 2,557 0 0 1,336

Mississippi 5 0 0 0 5 0

New Jersey 389 0 389 0 0 0

New Mexico 166 166 0 0 0 0

North 957 957 0 0 0 0

Carolina

Oregon 9,656 156 0 0 0 9,500

Pennsylvania 7 0 0 0 0 7

Tennessee 873 125 26 0 0 722

Texas 266 0 0 0 0 266

Vermont 5,131 3,861 710 0 0 560

Virginia 928 511 397 0 0 20

West 615 110 50 0 440 15

Virginia

=========================================================================================

Total 159,804 79,309 5,469 59 445 74,522

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: The Conservation Fund was incorporated on March 8, 1985; it

had no acres on hand as of that date.

Source: The Conservation Fund.

Table IV.3

Acreage Transactions for The Trust for

Public Land, by State, From May 5, 1972,

Through September 30, 1994

Acres

acquired Acres

between 5/ State Conservati owned as

5/72 and Federal government Local on of 9/30/

State 9/30/94 government s governments entities Others 94

-------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ---------- ------ ---------

Alabama 1,058 0 0 1,058 0 0 0

Alaska 435 435 0 0 0 0 0

Arizona 1,809 1,531 0 277 0 1 0

Arkansas 11,536 11,536 0 0 0 0 0

Californ 128,207 80,631 29,765 5,910 4,465 682 6,754

ia

Colorado 49,408 21,642 15,880 3,415 5,192 422 2,857

Connecti 861 2 533 282 0 37 7

cut

Florida 100,399 11,076 25,617 10,585 130 50,968 2,023

\a

Georgia 5,250 5,241 0 0 3 0 6

Hawaii 399 399 0 0 0 0 0

Idaho 3,336 3,217 0 34 0 85 0

Illinois 1,267 1,248 0 19 0 0 0

Kansas 2 2 0 0 0 0 0

Kentucky 1,305 1,305 0 0 0 0 0

Louisian 948 948 0 0 0 0 0

a

Maine 65 0 0 65 0 0 0

Maryland 1,372 234 753 304 13 40 28

Massachu 2,732 58 1,294 786 372 181 41

setts

Michigan 48,892 48,657 0 235 0 0 0

Minnesot 20,226 11,517 1,314 272 300 0 6,823

a

Mississi 79 79 0 0 0 0 0

ppi

Missouri 752 752 0 0 0 0 0

Montana 1,151 1,126 0 0 25 0 0

Nevada 9,689 9,386 0 303 0 0 0

New

Hampshi 1,167 1,167 0 0 0 0 0

re

New 5,272 1,035 2,613 1,569 1 50 4

Jersey

New 3,926 3,484 297 137 8 0 0

Mexico

New York 26,633 433 21,295 3,414 307 452 732

North 3,028 2,996 0 8 24 0 0

Carolina

Ohio 3,482 3,354 44 69 15 0 0

Oklahoma 4,088 4,088 0 0 0 0 0

Oregon 32,798 31,793 243 557 0 176 29

Pennsylv 707 704 0 3 0 0 0

ania

Rhode 145 0 0 142 3 0 0

Island

South 4,203 4,203 0 0 0 0 0

Carolina

Tennesse 12,792 592 12,200 0 0 0 0

e

Texas 13,713 4,910 6,688 1,997 0 0 118

Utah 533 533 0 0 0 0 0

Vermont 384 325 0 0 5 0 54

Virginia 1,728 1,380 348 0 0 0 0

Washingt 27,714 14,086 10,665 1,649 329 166 819

on

West 63,912 62,527 0 2 0 0 1,383

Virginia

Wisconsi 9,480 8,431 200 849 0 0 0

n

=========================================================================================

Total 606,883 357,063 129,749 33,941 11,192 53,260 21,678

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: The Trust for Public Land was incorporated on May 5, 1972; it

had no acres on hand as of that date.

\a These acres were transferred to a regional water management

district within Florida.

Source: The Trust for Public Land.

As tables IV.1 to IV.3 show, the three nonprofit organizations

transferred about 3.2 million acres to federal, state, or local

governments or to other conservation organizations or individuals

through sales, donations, or exchanges during the 30-year period.

OBJECTIVES, SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

=========================================================== Appendix V

The Chairman of the House Committee on Resources and Representative

Richard Pombo asked us to obtain information on the

changes in federal land ownership and the number of acres with

limitations on their use;

means by which the federal government acquires land, and the

acreage it plans to acquire;

federal acreage where hunting and other activities are not allowed;

number of privately owned acres subject to federal regulatory

control; and

number of nonfederal acres to which the federal government has

obtained rights-of-use, such as easements.

In addition, the Committee asked us to obtain information on the

acreage

held in trust for individual Indians and Indian tribes,

owned by 13 western states, and

involved in the land transactions of nonprofit organizations.

To fulfill these objectives, we interviewed officials and obtained

and reviewed relevant documents and other data from five

agencies--the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and

the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, Fish and

Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Indian

Affairs. We also obtained computerized data files from the agencies

and agencies' reports on the lands they managed. As agreed with the

requesters' offices, we did not verify the completeness, accuracy,

and reliability of the data maintained in the agencies' databases.

Such verification would require a significant investment of time and

resources because the database contained an immense volume of data.

We did, however, take steps to reconcile inconsistencies in the data

contained in the agencies' computerized data files and printed

reports. We interviewed senior-level land management officials at

each of these agencies' headquarters as well as at selected field

locations.

We were unable to identify credible sources of data on how much

private property is subject to federal regulatory controls. Hence,

we limited our review to information on the extent to which wetland

determinations under the Clean Water Act and critical habitat

designations under the Endangered Species Act have affected private

lands. The results of this work are limited because data were

unavailable.

To determine the number of acres owned by the states, we identified

12 western states--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and

Wyoming--where the federal government owns at least 25 percent of the

state's acreage. In addition, we were asked to include Texas. We

sent a survey to the official in each state who was responsible for

managing the state's land. When the data were not centrally located,

we contacted other state officials within these states for

information on acreage. State officials in most of the states said

that the number of acres was estimated or derived from the best

available data.

We obtained information on the acreage that three nonprofit

conservation organizations--the Nature Conservancy, The Conservation

Fund, and The Trust for Public Lands--had acquired and transferred to

federal, state, and/or local governments and others. We selected

these organizations because they were the nonprofit organizations

that had transferred the most acreage to one or more of the four

federal land management agencies during the 1990s.

We attempted to use the statistics published by the General Services

Administration on the acreage managed by each federal agency\1 but

found that these data were not current or reliable.

This report does not include information on U.S. territories,

insular possessions, or the District of Columbia.

--------------------

\1 See the General Service Administration's report entitled Summary

Report of Real Property Owned by the United States Throughout the

World, as of September 30, 1992 (Sept. 1994).

MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT

========================================================== Appendix VI

ENERGY, RESOURCES, AND SCIENCE

STAFF

Lloyd L. Adams

Sherry L. Casas

Paul O. Grace

Ronald J. Johnson

Cynthia S. Rasmussen

Ned L. Smith

William J. Temmler

Arthur D. Trapp

Felicia A. Turner

*** End of document. ***