National Landscape Conservation System Celebrates Ten Years

Last November, the National Landscape Conservation System celebrated its ten-year anniversary. Comprised of specially designated Bureau of Land Management areas, the NLCS is touted as the fourth arm of federal conservation lands, with the other three being National Parks & Monuments, National Forest Wilderness areas, and National Wildlife Refuges. Created by Bruce Babbitt during the Clinton Administration, National Conservation Lands were finally codified by the U.S. Congress in 2009.

Before the NLCS, management of newly designated National Monuments would shift from the BLM to the Park Service. In the last ten years, however, new designations have remained under the jurisdiction of the BLM. National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Trails, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, and Wilderness Study Areas are all now part of our National Conservation Landscape.

National Conservation Lands, it turns out, are essential to successful NOLS courses. As the school searches for remote, pristine landscapes to avoid the crowds and still deliver the wilderness experience that students expect, the NLCS has become the perfect vehicle.
Whether climbing at Red Rocks in Nevada, canyoneering in Utah’s Grand Gulch, backpacking in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, or floating the Owyhee Wild and Scenic River, NOLS is making the most of these unique and pristine lands. To learn more about the NLCS, visit the BLM’s designated website.

Photos courtesy of Ashley Wise