BLM Wyoming's 2015 Youth, Volunteers and BLM Employees "Superstar" Awards and Recognition Program

1400-308 (930) PJuly 17, 2015EMS TRANSMISSION: 7/20/2015Instruction Memorandum No. WY 2015-047Expires: 09/30/2018To: District Managers and Deputy State DirectorsFrom: Associate State DirectorSubject: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM ) Wyoming "2015 Youth, Volunteers and BLM Employees Superstar Awards" and Recognition Program DD: 8/10/2015; 9/08/2015 Program Area: Youth, Volunteers and BLM Employees. Purpose: The BLM Wyoming Acting State Director is seeking the nomination(s) of outstanding youth, volunteers, and BLM employees for consideration for the BLM Wyoming 2015 Youth, Volunteers, and BLM Employee “Superstar" Awards. This recognition is an annual event, which was initiated in 2014 and will continue until 2018. Policy/Action: An Action Item identified in Wyoming 5-Year Education, Interpretation, and Youth Engagement Implementation Plan (EIYIP) 2013-2018, established the Superstar Awards to recognize outstanding Education, Interpretation, and Youth Engagement efforts. The State Office provides recognition items for the selected nominations. The EIYIP Core Team Lead (CTL) initiates the nomination process via a Wyoming Instruction Memorandum in the 3rd or 4th quarter to recognize 2015 recipients. Youth, volunteers, and BLM employees will be recognized. It is the mission of the BLM to connect a diverse pool of youth to multiple use-based land management through environmental education, project-based work experience, and recruitment and retention programs. The agency is committed to creating meaningful outdoor opportunities for families, schools and communities. By means of employment and educational opportunities, youth from all backgrounds will become engaged and invested in protecting and improving their public lands. Volunteers serve a vital role assisting in accomplishing the BLM's mission. A volunteer is an individual who performs hours of service for a public agency for civic, charitable or humanitarian reasons without promise, expectation or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Partnered-supported hires are also considered volunteers that can be nominated too. United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Wyoming State Office P.O. Box 1828 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-1828 IN REPLY REFER TO: 2 Offices that have entered into cooperative agreements with many non-profit organizations and other institutions (Experience Works, Wounded Warriors, Chicago Botanical Gardens, Great Basin Institute, etc.) to deliver their mission are eligible to be nominated. BLM Wyoming employees who have managed and/or lead successful youth programs are eligible as well. The “Superstar" awards are divided into three categories: 1. Youth Award- recognition of outstanding 2015 accomplishments by individuals who helped BLM Wyoming accomplished its Youth Program mission. (Examples: Eagle Scout projects, pathways, conservation corps). 2. Volunteer Award- recognition of outstanding 2015 accomplishments by volunteers for their remarkable work in support of BLM's mission. These are not the volunteers that come out to a specific one-day volunteer project, but those who assist the BLM throughout the year expending more than 100 hours of volunteer time. 3. BLM Employee Award- recognition for anyone who has managed youth programs and/or served as a project lead on youth projects. (Examples: State/District/Field Office Volunteer Coordinator, Hands on the Land project lead, Passage in Time project lead, Project Archaeology lead, employee who leads/participates in more than six programs annually). Several factors influence the selection of Youth, Volunteer, and Employee award recipients, including the caliber and extent of their service, and the program needs they have filled. Attachment 1 provides eligibility criteria, outlines the nomination process, provides guidelines for preparation of nomination packages, and briefly describes the selection process. Time Frame: Each Field Office will submit nomination packages to their District Resource Advisor(s) to be evaluated by that District's Management Team by August 3, 2015, and winners will be selected by each District Manager. State Office nominees will be submitted to Lesly Smith, the Education, Interpretation, and Youth Engagement CTL by August 10, 2015, to be evaluated by the State senior managers and the winners will be submitted to the State Director. Winners in each of the categories are due to the State Director no later than September 8, 2015. Budget Impact: None. Background: Three award recipients (one per category) for each District and the State Office will be recognized. Youth, Volunteer, and Employee “Superstar" Awards winners and their BLM contacts will be notified of the selections shortly afterwards. Awards ceremonies will be held at the State or District levels and will be scheduled in early Fiscal_Year 2016. Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None 3 Contact: If you have questions about the BLM Wyoming Youth, Volunteer, and Employees “Superstar" Awards and Recognition Program or the nomination process, please feel free to contact Lesly Smith, Wyoming State Youth Lead, at 307-775-6031 or email lsmith@blm.gov.Signed by: Larry Claypool Acting Associate State DirectorAuthenticated by: Sherry Dixon Support Services Assistant 2Attachments:1 - BLM Wyoming - 2015 Youth, Volunteers, and BLM Employees“Superstar" Award and Recognition Program criteria and process (2 pp)2 - BLM Wyoming's 2015 Youth, Volunteers, and BLM Employees “Superstar" Awards Nomination Form (1 p) Distribution Director (WO-400), 1849 C Street NW 1 w/atch. Rec Planner (930) 1 w/atch. CF 1 w/atch.