Part 3/10:

The BLM is a small agency with a massive area to manage, not only overseeing Burning Man but also the conservation of 8.2 million acres of land—an expanse far larger than the entire country of Qatar. Their responsibility arises from a historical context dating back to the expansion and settlement of the West, where the federal government initially owned vast tracts of land. Much of the land not suitable for immediate settlement or conservation was eventually entrusted to the BLM.