The NLCS Coalition is comprised of more than 50 local, regional, and national non-profit groups committed to building a stronger National Landscape Conservation System. Formed in 2002, the NLCS Coalition includes conservation groups large and small, historical preservation organizations, archaeologists, and landscape architects, among others. View a list of Coalition members.

The Coalition:

• champions the development of management plans that protect the extraordinary resources of NLCS units. The BLM must draft management plans for all its national monuments and conservation areas with conservation as the primary focus. Plans can restrict off-road vehicle use to designated trails, ban additional oil and gas leases or limit current leases, close roads, and address the impacts of grazing, among other problems. Plan development and implementation is a multi-year public process, often hampered by a lack of funding and personnel.

• seeks to expand the National Landscape Conservation System. Adding critical pieces of adjacent habitat to the system and granting wilderness protection to key lands already within the system is essential to protect habitat for wildlife, watersheds, and ecosystems-particularly as urbanization and recreational use grow.

• guides the BLM toward the new "conservation" part of its mission. The BLM has traditionally managed its lands for commodity uses, such as logging, mining, and grazing. Managing the NLCS demands a conservation-oriented approach to land management, including new knowledge, skills, vision, and specialized staff.

• introduces Americans to the NLCS and its unique vision of protecting the last wild, rugged places of the West on a landscape-wide scale.

To learn more about the coalition or its work see our experts.