DOINews: BLM Celebrates 15th Anniversary of National Conservation Lands with 'Takeover' of Interior's Instagram

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, the Department of the Interior handed over the keys to its popular @USInterior Instagram account to the Bureau of Land Management. During the one-day Instagram takeover, the BLM showcased some of the iconic public lands it manages in the Southwest. The BLM cares for approximately 250 million acres of land that are open to the public for outdoor activities.

Coyote Buttes, within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in Arizona, is a hiking location that offers views of colorful, swirling masses of stone. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah is the largest national monument in the continental United States and the first designated under the BLM's National Conservation Lands. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.

The @USInterior Instagram takeover introduced the BLM and its unique, rugged landscapes to Interior's large group of followers, who check in each day for breathtaking photos of their public lands and one-of-a-kind wildlife shots. This week's Instagram takeover drew several thousand new followers to the BLM's @mypubliclands Instagram account.

This year, the BLM celebrates the 15th anniversary of its National Conservation Lands. The National Conservation Lands include a diverse of lands – from national monuments to wild and scenic rivers and wilderness areas to national trails. Across 877 landscapes, and approximately 30 million acres, the National Conservation Lands: conserve, protect, and restore these nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations.

This photo of the Sonoran Desert National Monument in Arizona is one of the desktop wallpapers that the BLM has created for the 15th anniversary celebration of its National Conservation Lands. You can download a new image each month in 2015 from the BLM's My Public Lands Flickr account. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.

As a part of the 15th anniversary celebration this year, the BLM will feature National Conservation Lands across its national social-media accounts on the 15th of each month. This week's @USInterior Instagram takeover expanded the BLM's audience for the 15th celebration. You can follow the celebration on social media all year with the hashtag #conservationlands15 and on the following social-media accounts.

• BLM National Twitter: https://twitter.com/BLMNational

• My Public Lands Tumblr: http://mypubliclands.tumblr.com

• My Public Lands Instagram: http://instagram.com/mypubliclands

• My Public Lands Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mypubliclands/sets/

• My Public Lands Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mypubliclands/conservationlands15/

By: BLM National
Feb. 19, 2015