Designation of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 25, 2010, as a Fee-Free Day at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation and Visitor Sites; Use of the 2010 Fee-Free Coupon to Recognize NPLD Volunteers
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.govSeptember 14, 2010In Reply Refer To: 1115 (172/250) PEMS TRANSMISSION 09/21/2010Information Bulletin No. 2010-115 To: AFOsAttn: Recreation Program LeadsVolunteer CoordinatorsFrom: Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipsSubject: Designation of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 25, 2010, as a “Fee-Free" Day at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation and Visitor Sites; Use of the 2010 "Fee-Free Coupon" to Recognize NPLD VolunteersNational Public Lands Day (NPLD) National Public Lands Day will be celebrated on Saturday, September 25, 2010, as a "fee-free" day for visitors to all Department of the Interior recreation and visitor sites. Site entrance, standard amenity, and individual day-use fees only will be waived on this day; other fees, such as those for group day use, overnight camping, and cabin rentals, will remain in effect.Fee-Free Coupons for NPLD VolunteersFive of the Federal NPLD participating agencies (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) will present "fee-free coupons" to NPLD volunteers in recognition of their service to our nation's public lands. The 2010 coupon will entitle the recipient and his or her family or vehicle companions to one "fee-free" day at a participating Federal recreation or visitor site of their choice within one calendar year beginning on September 26, 2010. A coupon facsimile is provided here for your information (Attachment 1).Coupons will be issued to those volunteers 16 years of age or older who participate in a registered NPLD event. Event coordinators will fill in the volunteer's name on the coupon and inform him or her that the coupon is valid for use at any of the participating agencies' recreation fee sites. If the volunteer intends to use the coupon at an unstaffed Forest Service recreation fee site (e.g., trailhead, day-use site), the volunteer should use the coupon as one would cash and exchange it for a daily pass using the established self-registration process at the site. If there is no alternative, the volunteer may fill in the date of use and place the coupon on the vehicle dashboard. The coupons are non-transferable, and if lost, will not be replaced.Coupon Distribution Supplies of fee-free coupons have been distributed directly to all of BLM's NPLD site coordinators (see Attachment 2 for names and locations) by the National Environmental Education Foundation, the overall coordinating organization for NPLD. Site coordinators should note in their records the number of coupons received as well as the number distributed to NPLD volunteers. Volunteers at sites hosting NPLD events on dates other than September 25 are also eligible to receive coupons in recognition of their contributions.In order to ensure accountability, the coupon supply must be under the control of the site coordinator at all times. After completion of an NPLD event, any surplus fee-free coupons should be bundled, clearly labeled as “unused" and mailed to Bibi Booth of the BLM Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships (WO-172), 1849 C Street, N.W., LS-406, Washington, D.C. 20240.Coupon Redemption at BLM Sites Fee-free coupons will be accepted at any fee site where the following are accepted: America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes (Interagency Passes: Annual, Senior, and Access), Golden Age Passes, Golden Access passports, or daily/annual site passes. At the time of redemption, the holder of the coupon must surrender it to the appropriate BLM recreation or visitor site staff member, who must then record it as "one coupon redeemed." After September 25, 2011, used coupons, bundled and clearly labeled as "redeemed," should be mailed to Bibi Booth at the address above.NPLD Public Outreach We ask that you promote both “fee-free NPLD" and the NPLD volunteer recognition fee-free coupon via news releases and web postings in order to encourage local residents and visitors to volunteer at one of the BLM's many 2010 NPLD events. Interested persons may be directed to the national NPLD website at http://www.publiclandsday.org, or referred to local NPLD site coordinators. We would appreciate your sharing this information with your field employees, particularly those who are directly involved in NPLD, including NPLD site coordinators (Attachment 2) and State Volunteer Coordinators (Attachment 3). Should you have any questions, please contact Bibi Booth, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, at (202) 912-7451, or Anthony Bobo, BLM National Recreation Fee Program Manager, at (202) 912-7248.Signed by: Carl Rountree, Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community PartnershipAuthenticated by:Robert M. Williams Division of IRM Governance,WO-5603 Attachments1 -- NPLD "Fee-Free Coupon" facsimile (1 p)2 -- NPLD 2010 Site Coordinator/Project Chart (5 pp)3 -- Contact Information for BLM State Volunteer Coordinators (1 p)