| Contacts: | Mary Tisdale | , 202-912-7450 | ||
| Bibi Booth | , 202-912-7451 | |||
| Anthony Small | , 202-912-7435 |
BLM Honors Volunteers With 2012 "Making a Difference" National Awards
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today presented its prestigious “Making a Difference” National Volunteer Awards to four individuals, three couples, one group, and one BLM employee for outstanding volunteer service or volunteer leadership on BLM-managed lands.
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| BLM Director Bob Abbey and winners of the 2012 BLM National Volunteer Awards: Catherine Leonard; Dan Tangney representing East High School of Fortuna, California; Martha and Roland Mace; Pat Bruce; Marjorie and Craig Purdy; Martha Dickes; and David Hicks. For profiles and photos of the winners, select this link. |
BLM Director Bob Abbey expressed his appreciation for the volunteers’ hard work in helping the BLM fulfill its multiple-use mission. “Our volunteers give us confidence in a bright tomorrow and are an inspiration to us all. We are sincerely grateful for their efforts. ” Abbey said. “I encourage everyone here to follow our honorees’ shining example of community service."
The volunteers selected for this year’s awards were: Roland and Martha Mace, Farmington field office, New Mexico (Lifetime Achievement); Catherine Leonard, Glennallen field office, Alaska; David Hicks, Tucson field office, Arizona; East High School, Arcata field office, California; Bill Baker, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument, California; Craig and Marjorie Purdy, Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana; Pat Bruce, Black Rock field office, Nevada; Sandra and Geoff Freethey, Moab field office, Utah; Martha “Marty” Dickes, Ridgecrest field office, California, is the winning BLM employee.
A national panel of BLM specialists and partner representatives selected the award winners from a record number of nominees submitted by BLM state offices. The winners were selected for their exceptional contributions to conservation and management on public lands.
In Fiscal Year 2011 alone, more than 30,000 volunteers contributed over 1.2 million hours of their time in assisting the BLM. That’s equivalent to the work of more than 690 full-time employees.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.