The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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Last updated: 04/04/03
For release: Monday, November 18, 1997
For the second consecutive year, the Bureau of Land Management bestowed awards on outstanding BLM interpreters and educators at the National Association for Interpretation's (NAI's) annual workshop, held this year in Beaumont, Texas.
BLM's "Excellence in Interpretation and Environmental Education" Awards were presented at a November 9, 1997, evening ceremony in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service's "Gifford Pinchot Award"; the National Park Service's "Freeman Tilden Award"; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' "Hiram M. Chittenden Award"; and NAI's "Master Interpreter Award". The awards recognize Federal employees who have provided exemplary service and enhanced public appreciation of the natural treasures on our public lands.
The four BLM winners were selected by a review panel composed of BLM staff as well as representatives from outside partner organizations, including NAI and the North American Association for Environmental Education. Exhibits incorporating Native American perspectives, "Wonderful Outdoor World" program projects, children's outdoor recreation camps, and interpretive materials for a Scenic Byway were just some of the 1997 accomplishments of this year's dynamic award winners.
LouAnn Jacobson, Director of the renowned Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado, received the top honor: BLM's "Excellence in Interpretation and Environmental Education Award." Honorable mention distinctions went to Veronica "Roni" Fortun, of the Tucson (Arizona) Resource Area; Joseph "Joe" Pollini, of the Bishop (California) Resource Area; and Leah Quesenberry, of the Royal Gorge (Colorado) Resource Area.
BLM Deputy Director Tom Fry presented the awards, saying, "Without BLM's interpretive and educational activities, we couldn't do our jobs. These activities, once considered 'extra-curricular,' are vital to the BLM's land management mission."
Since May 1993, LouAnn Jacobson has been the Director of the Anasazi Heritage Center, BLM's premiere western museum facility and cultural showcase. Two of her primary objectives as Director have been to feature the perspectives of modern Native American peoples in interpretive exhibits and educational activities, and to involve Native American representatives in project planning and execution.
Ms. Jacobson was selected as BLM's 1997 national award winner for her excellent leadership in bringing to fruition three innovative projects during the past year: the bilingual (English/Navajo) exhibit, "DINE BITS'AA' BAHANE: The Story of Navajo Baskets"; an interactive CD-ROM presentation, "Peoples of the Past" on Colorado's Lowry Pueblo; and the anti-vandalism contextual exhibit, "It's Not What You Find, It's What You Find Out." Ms. Jacobson has been highly effective in utilizing private partnerships and grants to provide museum visitors with the finest educational resources and experiences available.
Roni Fortun, an Outdoor Recreation Planner now on the staff of BLM's Tucson Resource Area Office, was honored for her environmental education and community outreach work in the California Desert District. Of particular note were her outstanding contributions to the "Wonderful Outdoor World (WOW)" program, which provides neighborhood-based, urban camping experiences for inner-city youth. Ms. Fortun helped to develop the WOW curriculum, camper's journal, and program handbooks, and also serves as a campout instructor. Many of her original ideas have now become the standards for development of WOW projects across the country.
Joe Pollini is an Outdoor Recreation Specialist in BLM's Bishop Resource Area who was honored for his work in two outdoor activity programs geared toward at-risk youth. The "Eastern Sierra Institute" conducts natural resource education camps in partnership with local schools and public agencies. "Sierra Outdoor Adventures" introduces local schoolchildren to outdoor recreational activities, connects them with positive adult role models, and aims to improve self-esteem and social skills. Mr. Pollini designed many of the programs' unique activities, and has used innovative approaches to retain private grants and procure equipment donations. The programs have proven highly successful: in the case of "Sierra Outdoor Adventures," for example, local school counselors have already reported noticeable behavioral improvements among children who have participated.
Leah Quesenberry, an Interpretive Specialist in BLM's Royal Gorge Resource Area, was honored for the many excellent programs she has constructed to enhance interpretation and environmental education within the greater Arkansas River area. Thanks to Ms. Quesenberry's thorough research and attention to detail, the educational experience of travelers on Colorado's historic Gold Belt Byway is now enhanced by an award-winning interpretive brochure, an audiotape Byway "tour," and signs along the route. She has also organized and collaborated with regional partnership groups, such as "Teaching Environment Naturally (TEN)" and the "Greater Arkansas River Nature Association," which are dedicated to quality environmental education and the accessibility of interpretive information to diverse audiences.
BLM award candidates were rated on the quality of their work, their ability to involve partners, their programs' success in enhancing public understanding of cultural and natural resources, their programs' accessibility and sensitivity to diverse audiences, and their programs' success in helping BLM accomplish its management goals.
Later in the workshop schedule, NAI presented its own "Interpretive Media Awards" at a separate awards ceremony held on November 11, 1997. BLM was honored with eight of these prestigious awards, which acknowledge top-quality interpretive and educational materials in several categories.
Three of the eight awards granted to BLM were for two ecosystem articles/posters and the BLM Environmental Education & Volunteers Internet homepage, which are products of field/headquarters teams directed by Mary Tisdale, Manager of BLM's Environmental Education & Volunteers Group. Two NAI awards were presented to BLM award winners LouAnn Jacobson and Leah Quesenberry, for work on the aforementioned Navajo basket exhibit and Colorado's wayside exhibit, respectively.
Two NAI Awards went to Renee Straub of BLM's Craig District Office for her work on Colorado's Cedar Mountain Recreation Area wayside exhibit and the Windy Gap Reservoir Watchable Wildlife site. The final NAI award was presented to Amy Galperin for her work on design of the BLM course, "Introduction To Intrepretation-Making It Happen Interpretively."
The National Association for Interpretation is a professional organization focusing on the interpretation of cultural and natural history. About 40 percent of its 3,500 members are Federal employees. The Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 264 million acres of public lands, located mostly in the western United States, including Alaska.
Photographs of the BLM award recipients and ceremony are available from Roger Schmitt at (202) 452-7738.
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