Interpreting and Writing Land Descriptions

This curriculum is for any employee of the Bureau of Land Management that needs to interpret and write land descriptions. Other Federal Land Management agency personnel can also find this learning information useful.

The learning information will reference information available in the Specifications for Descriptions of Land:

  • For Use in Land Orders
  • Executive Orders
  • Proclamations
  • Federal Register Documents
  • Land Description Database documents

We recommend completing the modules in order as each one provides a foundation for the next. The Boundary Law Module is an "extra learning" module which is intended to give the student a few primary boundary law principles. There are no Boundary Law questions on the Final Test.

  1. Module 1 - Introduction, History and Types (19:46 minutes)
  2. Module 2 - The PLSS (33:12 minutes)
  3. Module 3 - Metes and Bounds (28:55 minutes)
  4. Module 4 - Other Types of Land Descriptions (18:34 minutes)
  5. Module 5 - Non-compliant Descriptions of Land (9:46 minutes)
  6. Basic Boundary Law (25:52 minutes)
  7. Land Status Lesson 1 (14:32 minutes)
  8. Land Status Lesson 2 (16:04 minutes)
  9. Land Status Lesson 3 (12:25 minutes)

To obtain credit for successful completion of the course,

  1. Complete all modules for this course. Study Guides available at the bottom of this page.
  2. Enroll in the DOI Talent Course BLM-TC-2000-01.  
  3. Successfully complete the final test in DOI Talent.

 Course Materials

If you have any questions, please contact Tasha A. Huhta or 907-271-4209.