BLM Presents Fifth Annual Interpretation and Environmental Education Awards at Workshop

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recognized its interpreters and environmental educators Thursday, November 9, 2000, during a ceremony in Tucson, Arizona.

For the fifth consecutive year, BLM presented "Excellence in Interpretation or Environmental Education" awards to honor outstanding employee programs that enhance public appreciation and understanding of the natural treasures on our public lands. The ceremony was a part of the annual workshop of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI).

A review panel composed of both BLM staff and representatives from outside partner organizations, including NAI selected the four winning BLM programs. Nominees were judged according to five criteria: the quality of their work, their ability to involve partners, their effectiveness in enhancing public understanding of cultural and natural resources, their programs' or products' accessibility and sensitivity to diverse audiences, and their successful efforts in helping BLM to accomplish its management goals.

In presenting the awards, BLM Arizona State Director Denise Meridith said, "BLM's interpretive and educational programs are vital to our natural and cultural resource management mission. They help us teach public land users how to appreciate and care for the nation's open spaces and special places."

Shelley Davis-Brunner of BLM's Idaho State Office received the top honor for her exceptional work in building environmental education partnerships that maximize the BLM's outreach capabilities and effectiveness. Davis-Brunner is a Public Affairs Specialist who has displayed remarkable creativity in her efforts to build meaningful partnerships for BLM. She has assisted the agency in stretching scarce funding and multiplying the BLM's effective ability to carry out educational outreach. Davis-Brunner has tirelessly networked with teachers, organizations, and the public to recruit partners for enterprises ranging from environmental education (EE) programs and events to Idaho's leading EE newsletter and a monthly children's science television show. Today, she continues to use her vast network of contacts to shape EE programs and enlist cooperative assistance, emphasizing natural resource and interpretive topics that complement public land management goals such as weed suppression, fire management, and watershed restoration.

"Shelley's exemplary work will live on in the bright futures of the many students whose lives she has touched," Meridith said. "It is my honor to present this award to someone who exemplifies the highest ideals and standards of public service."

Honorable Mentions were awarded to: Arn P. Berglund, Winnemucca, Nevada Field Office, for his myriad environmental education and outreach programs in Humboldt County; Michael J. Bilbo, also of the Winnemucca Field Office, for his effective organization of volunteers and dedicated promotion of Leave No Trace principles; and Christina Miller, Carson City, Nevada Field Office, for her outstanding, multifaceted work on the Silver Saddle Ranch project and other initiatives.

The BLM presented its awards in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service's "Gifford Pinchot Award," the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's "Sense of Wonder Award," the National Park Service's "Freeman Tilden Award," the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' "Hiram M. Chittenden Award," and NAI's "Master Front-Line Interpreter" and "Master Interpretive Manager" Awards.

The National Association for Interpretation (http://www.interpnet.org) 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 BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land -- 264 million surface acres -- than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, which has a budget of about $1.8 billion and a workforce of about 9,000 employees, also administers more than 560 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM preserves open space by managing the public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources found on the public lands.