5. Idaho
> State Land Owned By Federal Government: 26.5 Million Acres
> Total State Land: 52.9 Million Acres
> Percent State Land Owned By Federal Government: 50.1%

Approximately 96% of the public lands in Idaho are controlled by either the US Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, according to the University of Idaho. The main use of this land is for forests and wildlife followed by grazing. The majority of this land is preserved by government agencies and rarely sold off.

4. Oregon
> State Land Owned By Federal Government: 32.7 Million Acr
es
> Total State Land: 61.5 Million Acres
> Percent State Land Owned By Federal Government: 53.1%

Of the nearly 60% of state land owned and managed by the federal government, most of it falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, with smaller portions controlled by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The land is a major source of lumber, and logging is one of the biggest industries in the state. The controversial Northwest Forest plan, created in 1994, dramatically reduced the level of logging and sale of lumber property in the region.

3. Utah
> State Land Owned By Federal Government: 30.2 Million Acres
> Total State Land: 52.6 Million Acres
> Percent State Land Owned By Federal Government: 57.4%

Utah is a valuable example of the ways in which federal usage of public lands can coincide with local interests. The state sued the Secretary of the Interior this month after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar created a new “wild lands” designation to preserve 6 million acres of federally managed lands. According to the state’s lawsuit, the new policy would illegally prohibit the land’s development. There are also hearings going on in the state to consider the environmental implications of mining in Utah’s San Rafael Swell and Book Cliffs area, a move which has been previously approved by both the federal government and the state.

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2. Alaska
> State Land Owned By Federal Government: 252.4 Million Acres
> Total State Land: 365 Million Acres
> Percent State Land Owned By Federal Government: 69%

Alaska has by far the most land mass of any state in the union and, because of its location and late entry into statehood, much of the land is still owned by the Federal Government. Of Alaska’s 365 million acres, roughly 250 million, about 70%, are publicly owned. Alaska is the only state in the country where the majority of public acreage is under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Almost all the rest is controlled by the National Park Service. Government land has been the source of several controversies in the past few decades, notably surrounding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil reserves there. Last July, 1.8 million acres of land went up for lease bidding for oil contractors.

1. Nevada
> State Land Owned By Federal Government: 59.3 Million Acres
> Total State Land: 70.2 Million Acres
> Percent State Land Owned By Federal Government: 84.5%

Nevada has by far the greatest amount of its land owned by the federal government compared to the other states. The majority of land in the state is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. As a result of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, money made from sales of federal land in Nevada stays in the state. The state has taken advantage of this, making $3 billion by auctioning off unused lands to private buyers, then using funds to develop state infrastructure.

Douglas A. McIntyre, Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale