Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed two secretarial orders in March highlighting the administration’s support of outdoor recreation on public lands.

Secretarial Order 3373 directs the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to adequately consider public access for outdoor recreation when determining the appropriateness of the disposal or exchange of public lands.

“It requires that before the BLM exchanges or disposes of any land, they must first consider what impact the disposal or exchange of land will have on public access,” Bernhardt said.

The second order, Secretarial Order 3374, establishes a departmental task force to ensure that “the department efficiently and fully implements the most comprehensive public lands management legislation (S.47) in a decade for the benefit of all Americans,” Bernhardt said. “We will continue to work to strike the proper balance for land and resources management, increase opportunities for hunting, fishing, and recreation on Federal lands, and create economic prosperity while protecting and preserving America’s treasures.”