United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1993-11-09 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-RCED-94-72 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72 P0b002ee18037ebf6 f:trc94072 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72 T-RCED-94-72 National forests Public lands Land management Federal property management Land use agreements Legal rights National recreation areas National parks Personal property Outdoor recreation Los Padres National Forest (CA) Testimony RCED According to managers at the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), access to more than 50 million acres of public land in the United States is inadequate, a situation that can potentially reduce the public's recreational opportunities and interfere with the government's land management. Private landowners are increasingly unwilling to grant public access across their land because of concerns about vandalism and potential liability or because of desires for privacy or exclusive personal use. To overcome access problems, the Forest Service and BLM may acquire all rights and interests associated with the land or obtain perpetual easements. In fiscal years 1989-91, the Forest Service and BLM acquired permanent legal public access to about 4.5 million acres of federal land. The two agencies had plans as of October 1991 to open another 9.3 million acres of federal land to the public. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72/html/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72.htm GAO/T-RCED-94-72 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-94-72 Testimony GAO/T-RCED-94-72; Federal Lands: Public Land Access; National forests Public lands Land management Federal property management Land use agreements Legal rights National recreation areas National parks Personal property Outdoor recreation Los Padres National Forest (CA)