<P> In the United States governmental entities including cities, counties, states, and the federal government all manage land which are referred to as either public lands or the public domain . </P> <P> The majority of public lands in the United States are held in trust for the American people by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),. the United States National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, or the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior, or the United States Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture . Other federal agencies that manage public lands include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Department of Defense, which includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . </P> <P> In general, Congress must legislate the creation or acquisition of new public lands, such as national parks; however, under the 1906 Antiquities Act, also known as the National Monuments Act, the President may designate new national monuments without congressional authorization if the monument is on federally - owned land . </P> <P> Each western state also received federal "public land" as trust lands designated for specific beneficiaries, which the States are to manage as a condition to acceptance into the union . Those trust lands cannot any longer be considered public lands as allowing any benefits to the "public" would be in breach of loyalty to the specific beneficiaries . The trust lands (two sections, or about 1,280 acres (5.2 km) per township) are usually managed extractively (grazing or mining), to provide revenue for public schools . All states have some lands under state management, such as state parks, state wildlife management areas, and state forests . </P>

3 types of public land in the us