BLM NEWS RELEASE
As part of its ongoing effort to engage the public on issues in more timely and relevant ways, the Bureau of Land Management has entered the realm of social media by establishing a presence on the popular websites Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
“We are excited about using social media to connect with people interested in the management of their public lands,” said BLM Director Bob Abbey. “Through such media, the BLM will not only be able to reach more citizens in ‘real time,’ but also generate instant feedback on the myriad issues facing our agency.”
Besides the social media accounts set up by the Bureau’s national office in Washington, D.C., more local and subject-specific accounts will be administered by the BLM’s State Offices and various programs throughout the agency. For example, BLM-California, BLM-Colorado, BLM-New Mexico, BLM-Oregon, and BLM-Wyoming have already created Facebook pages, as has the Bureau’s Wild Horse and Burro Program.
Interested parties can begin following the BLM at http://www.facebook.com/BLMNational and http://www.twitter.com/BLM National. A list of our other social media sites can be found at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/socialmedia.html .
Twitter is a free micro-blogging and social networking service that allows users to send and receive each other’s updates through interactions known as “tweets,” while Facebook allows users to share items of interest with their friends via text, photos, and videos.
The BLM has established a YouTube channel to share informational videos more easily with the public. The Bureau’s YouTube page is accessible at http://www.youtube.com/BLMNational .
The BLM manages more land – more than 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
