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Free mapping program to help Americans navigate BLM public lands

2/10/2025

Organization: Bureau of Land Management
Media Contact: BLM Press. [email protected]
Feb 10, 2025
WASHINGTON - There’s a new tool for recreationists planning visits to public lands. The Free National Mobile Map Package Program allows anyone to access maps so they have the information they need to get outside, even when they are offline. BLM’s Enterprise Geospatial Services Team is developing these maps for 18 western U.S. states. The project will later expand to include all 50 states and, potentially, U.S. territories.
Existing datasets include information about who manages areas of land, what recreation and other opportunities are available, roads, streams, lakes, and other natural landmarks. The team will export updated versions of these datasets quarterly to ensure users can access the most up to date information possible.
To access the free maps, download the ArcGIS Field Maps app from the app store on your Apple or Android device. After opening the app, you don’t need an account so skip sign-in, then search for “BLM MMPK” and download the state maps you would like to access offline.
For more detailed instructions on how to use this program and to find answers to commonly asked questions, visit the program’s website on blm.gov.

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The Enterprise Geospatial Services Team believes you should have access to the data your taxes pay to create in a modern format, usable offline, for free. The BLM National Recreation MMPK program is an evolution of the BLM New Mexico Hunting/Recreation Map system, which provided offline data for New Mexico in an award-winning program for nine years.
Anyone can download statewide MMPK files from Field Maps WITHOUT an account. These files work with no data connection and show your location on top of various BLM data with a recreation focus. Currently the western 18 BLM states are being individually produced, with plans to increase to all 50 states (and possibly territories) soon. These map files will be updated quarterly in a semi-automated process.
If you'd like to try BLM's Recreation Mobile Map Packages, follow these steps.

Download the ArcGIS Field Maps app from the Google Play Store for Android or Apple App Store for iOS
Open the app and grant the location permissions it requests. If you do not approve location permissions, your GPS functions will not work
Tap 'SKIP sign in' at the bottom (you do not need an account to use these)
Tap the search bar/button at the top/top right
Search for BLM MMPK
Scroll to find the state or states you want to download
Tap on the download icon on the right. A blue circle will show the download process
Once downloaded, tap on it to open,
Explore the data within!

Downloaded files will ‘soft expire’ in 93 days from production with a warning notice when opening the file to download the latest version. Downloaded maps will still work in the meantime, but the warning will present every time you open the map. Please download updates as soon as possible.
Included Datasets:Identify who manages the lands around you

Surface Management Agency
- Federal Bureau
  - Bureau of Land Management
  - National Park Service
  - Department of Energy
  - Bureau of Reclamation
  - Department of Defense
  - US Fish and Wildlife Service
  - Reservations
  - US Forest Service
  - Other Federal
- Private (no owner data)
- Local Government
- State
Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
- Township/Range
- Sections

Recreation related datasets

BLM Recreation Sites
- Campgrounds
- Parking Areas
- Ranger Stations
- Picnic Areas
- Restrooms
- Trailheads
- Recreation Management Areas
- Much more
National Conservation Lands
- National Conservation Areas (NCA)
- National Monuments
- Wilderness boundaries
- Wilderness Study Area (WSA) boundaries
- Wild and Scenic Rivers
- National Scenic & Historic Trails (NSHT)

Base Layer

Esri’s Navigation Basemap
- Roads
- Building Footprints
- Parks and Forests
- Streams, Rivers, Ponds, and Lakes

Placer Conservation Authority takes step toward putting Raccoon Creek property, formerly known as the Teichert property, 4,245 acres of land easement into reserve system

2/7/2025

Approximately 4,245 acres of prime farmland, natural open space and environmental resources north of Lincoln is a step closer to being secured in perpetuity as part of the Placer County Conservation Program.

The Placer Conservation Authority Board of Directors took action today to execute three purchase-and-sale agreements to acquire conservation easements on the Raccoon Creek property, formerly known as the Teichert property.

The Raccoon Creek property acquisition would approximately double the 4,318 acres in the PCCP’s reserve system and represents the largest remaining concentration of prime farmland in Placer County.

The property contains 1,299 acres of active agricultural production, as well as 2,536 acres of vernal pool complex, 283 acres of riverine/riparian complex, 67 acres of aquatic/wetland complex, 3 acres of oak woodland, and 6 miles of stream system with salmonid spawning or rearing/migration habitat in both Raccoon Creek and Doty Ravine.

“If successful, this is likely the most significant acquisition the program will ever make, due to the size of the property and the acreage of valuable resources that can be conserved,”

said PCCP Administrator and PCA Executive Director Gregg McKenzie. “If this property is not conserved, the zoning allows for it to be split and developed into 20-acre parcels.”

The property was previously permitted in 2003 to be a gravel mine and was known as the Teichert Lincoln Aggregate Facility Project. Teichert did not mine the property, and in 2023 Teichert requested to rescind all mining entitlements, which was approved by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 28, 2023.

After the mining entitlements were rescinded, Ecosystem Investment Partners purchased the property from Teichert and has been negotiating conservation easements and habitat restoration projects on the property with the Placer Conservation Authority – a joint powers authority formed to administer the Placer County Conservation Program.

The PCA’s Feb. 6 action on the purchase-and sale-agreements allows staff to move forward with further analyzing the property, and to negotiate an agreement for habitat restoration work to provide streamlined mitigation for development and public infrastructure projects.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the PCCP and Placer County,” said PCA Chair and Placer County Supervisor Shanti Landon. “This will not only preserve our natural heritage but will also be a lasting legacy for our community, ensuring future generations can enjoy the beauty and biodiversity of our area.”

Funding for the acquisition of conservation easements over the entire 4,245 acres will come from mitigation fees collected from development and public infrastructure projects in western Placer County.

The PCCP plan area covers approximately 260,000 acres of western Placer County. Within the PCCP plan area, 47,300 acres will be acquired and added to the PCCP reserve system for conservation. Since the PCCP began implementation in 2021, approximately 4,318 acres have been added to the PCCP reserve system so far.

For more information on the Placer County Conservation Program, click here.

More land preserved Camp Far West Reservoir and Bear River

2/7/2025

The Placer Board of Supervisors took action this week to approve a resolution authorizing the execution of a purchase-and-sale agreement to acquire a 279-acre property of blue oak woodlands along the south shore of Camp Far West Reservoir north of Lincoln and the Bear River.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors took action today to approve a resolution authorizing the execution of a purchase and sale agreement to acquire a conservation easement deed on the property, known as Vista Ranch.“

This project is a great example of partnerships in Placer County where a nonprofit organization and local government agencies are working together to combine resources and maximize benefits to conserve our precious open spaces and oak woodlands,” said District 2 Supervisor Shanti Landon.

The project involves Placer County, the nonprofit Placer Land Trust and the Placer Conservation Authority, a California Joint Powers Authority formed to implement the conservation and mitigation actions of the Placer County Conservation Program, including oak woodland mitigation in west Placer.
Placer County will contribute $2.1 million in funding for a conservation easement on the property to protect the oak woodlands and other conservation values in perpetuity. Funding for the easement will come from the county’s Tree Preservation Fund collected from development project impacts on oaks and other tree species protected under the Woodland Conservation Ordinance.

The Placer Land Trust will own the property and contribute funding, staff time and resources toward meeting landowner obligations and conserving the land including grazing management, fuel load reduction and stewardship. The current landowner has agreed to a conservation-valued sale for less than appraised value.

If next approved by the PCA Board of Directors at its Feb. 6 meeting, the PCA will also be a grantee of the conservation easement and the property will be added to the PCCP’s Reserve System. The PCA will be responsible for developing a property-specific management plan in cooperation with PLT, as well as monitoring and reporting on the preserved conservation values using funds from the PCCP’s operations and maintenance and endowment funds.

The PCCP Plan Area covers approximately 260,000 acres of western Placer County. Within the PCCP plan area, 47,300 acres will be acquired and added to the PCCP Reserve System for conservation. Since the PCCP began implementation in 2021, approximately 4,318 acres have been added to the PCCP reserve system so far.
For more information on the Placer County Conservation Program, click here.

Senate confirms Doug Burgum as interior secretary - Trump tasked him to boost drilling on public lands

2/1/2025

- By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

The Senate confirmed Doug Burgum as interior secretary late Thursday after President Donald Trump tapped the former North Dakota governor to spearhead the Republican administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.

The interior secretary also oversees:
- National Park Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Bureau of Indian Affairs,
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
and other sub-agencies.

The Interior Department has jurisdiction over a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore. Those areas produce about one-quarter of U.S. oil annually.

Burgum, 68, is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur. He served two terms as governor of the oil-rich state and launched a presidential campaign in 2023, but dropped out months later and quickly endorsed Trump. Burgum eagerly assisted the energy industry during his time as governor, when he was also profiting from the lease of family land to oil companies, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

Burgum's directive from Trump is to make it even easier for energy companies to tap fossil fuel resources, including from public lands. That raised alarms among environmentalists and some Democrats as greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels heat the planet.

The U.S. currently produces more crude oil than any nation in history, according to the Energy Information Administration.

More cost-effective technology in recent decades drove drilling booms in states including New Mexico, Texas and North Dakota, where vast expanses of rural farmland have been industrialized by oil and gas companies. The booms brought billions of dollars in tax revenue to state and federal governments. But burning those fuels is also unleashing immense volumes of carbon dioxide that scientists say is warming the planet.

“Not every acre of federal land is a national park or a wilderness area,” he told lawmakers.

Republicans in Congress have said they plan to again seek changes to rules on endangered species and they want Burgum to help. Burgum says federal lands can be used for many purposes including recreation, logging and oil and gas production that can lift local economies.

CLICK HERE to see the complete article in MyMotherLode.com.

Forward>>

Free mapping program to help Americans navigate BLM public lands

Placer Conservation Authority takes step toward putting Raccoon Creek property, formerly known as the Teichert property, 4,245 acres of land easement into reserve system

More land preserved Camp Far West Reservoir and Bear River

​Senate confirms Doug Burgum as interior secretary - Trump tasked him to boost drilling on public lands

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Senate confirms Doug Burgum as interior secretary - Trump tasked him to boost drilling on public lands