Bureau of Land Managements 2010 Public Lands Partnership Excellence Awards: Announcement of Winner
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.gov/February 1, 2010In Reply Refer To: 1114, 1115, 8300 (172) PEMS TRANSMISSION 02/17/2010Information Bulletin No. 2010-037To: All WO Officials, AFOsFrom: Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipsSubject: Bureau of Land Management's 2010 "Public Lands Partnership Excellence" Awards: Announcement of WinnerWe are pleased to announce the selection of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) 2010 "Public Lands Partnership Excellence" Award winner, the Friends of the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The biannual Excellence award recognizes an interpretive association or friends group that has a formal assistance agreement with the BLM and has demonstrated exceptional support for the BLM's interpretive, educational, and/or public outreach programs.The winning friends group was founded in 2005 to support the mission of BLM-Alaska's Campbell Creek Science Center to be a regional resource for science and environmental education. As a certified non-profit organization, the Friends of the Campbell Creek Science Center has involved 100 local businesses, organizations, and citizens in the cause; raised nearly $150,000 for program support; offered scholarships to economically-disadvantaged youth; and established an endowment to address the long-term financial sustainability of the Center.The organization has developed newsletters, print ads, radio spots, and other materials to promote Center visitation, which rose from 38,000 in 2005 to 57,000 in 2009. The Friends have also sponsored special events targeted at increasing area schools' use of the Center and its programs. The group has worked tirelessly to overcome obstacles that might prevent local children from attending Center programs. For example, to eliminate financial barriers, the Friends have raised sufficient funds -- each year for three years now -- to enable 5,000 students to attend fee-based Center programs on scholarship, with free bus transportation provided. The Friends group has joined employee charity programs such as the Combined Federal Campaign, and actively solicits new members through semi-annual membership drives. Perhaps most significantly, the Friends are “forward thinkers": the organization has created an endowment to provide for the Campbell Creek Science Center's financial future through investment in the Alaska Community Foundation.A representative of the winning organization has been invited to San Diego, California, to attend a February 9, 2010, award ceremony in conjunction with the 2010 national convention of the Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL), the umbrella organization for the many interpretive associations and friends groups that have formal agreements with Federal and State agencies. The National Park Service will present its agency award at the same ceremony.For additional information on the BLM's Public Lands Partnership Excellence Awards, please contact Shelly Fischman of the Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships at Shelly_Fischman@blm.gov or (202) 912-7453.Signed by: Carl Rountree, Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipsAuthenticated by: Robert M. Williams Division of IRM Governance, WO-560