Section 15 lands
Public lands
Section 15 lands are public lands in the United States that lie outside designated grazing districts and are administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under Section 15 of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934. The BLM authorizes livestock grazing on these lands by issuing leases to private parties.
Administration and leasing
The Taylor Grazing Act was enacted to regulate grazing on public lands to improve rangeland conditions and stabilize the livestock industry. Under Section 15 of the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to lease vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved public domain lands situated outside established grazing districts for grazing purposes. These leases are issued upon terms and conditions prescribed by the Secretary.
Revenue distribution
Receipts from grazing on Section 15 lands are distributed differently than those from lands within grazing districts (Section 3 lands). Specifically, 50% of the receipts from Section 15 lands are allocated to range betterment projects, and the remaining 50% are returned to the state in which the grazing occurs.
Management and use
The BLM manages Section 15 lands to ensure sustainable use and improvement of rangeland resources. This includes issuing grazing leases, developing allotment management plans, and collaborating with lessees to implement practices that promote healthy rangelands. The management of these lands is guided by principles of multiple use and sustained yield, balancing livestock grazing with other land uses and resource values.
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This entry incorporates text from “Section 15 lands” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.