Over the past 40 years, Americans have expressed a dynamic and
accelerated interest in outdoor recreation. Our expanding urban
populations, increased mobility and leisure time, and higher
standard of living have created a demand for more and better
recreation facilities. By the same token, urban expansion and a
growing population have increased the need for more public
services, such as schools, community buildings, hospitals, and
sanitary landfills, just to name a few. Recognizing the strong
public need for a nationwide system of parks and other
recreational and public purposes areas, the Congress, in 1954,
enacted the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (68 Statute 173;
43 United States Code 869 et. seq.) as a complete revision of
the Recreation Act of 1926 (44 Stat. 741). This law is
administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The act
authorizes the sale or lease of public lands for recreational or
public purposes to State and local governments and to qualified
nonprofit organizations. Examples of