Arizona Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Partnership Receives a 2008 Beacon Award and Mark Lowans Receives the 2008 BLM Legends Award
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
June 25, 2008
In Reply Refer To:
8300 (250) P
Ref. IB No. 2008-070
EMS TRANSMISSION 07/02/2008
Information Bulletin No. 2008-086
To: All Employees
From: Division Chief, Recreation and Visitor Services
Subject: Arizona Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Partnership Receives a 2008 Beacon Award and Mark Lowans Receives the 2008 BLM Legends Award
Program Area(s): Recreation, Travel, Tourism and Visitor Services
Purpose: This directive announces the presentation of a 2008 Beacon Award to an Arizona BLM partnership and the 2008 BLM Legends Award to Mark Lowans by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) during the June, 2008 Great Outdoors Week celebration in Washington, DC. The Beacon Awards represent outstanding efforts in harnessing the power of technology to improve public recreation experiences and federal recreation program management. The Legends Awards, presented annually since 1991, recognize outstanding federal employees for their efforts to enhance the nation’s outdoor recreation opportunities and resources.
The Phoenix Interagency and Citizen Off- Highway Vehicle (OHV) Travel Management Working Group, a partnership that includes the BLM, received the Beacon Award. Mark Lowans, the Assistant Field Manager for Recreation and Visitor Services in the BLM’s Yuma, Arizona Field Office received the 2008 BLM Legends Award.
Policy/Action: The BLM announces the BLM-related 2008 Beacon and Legends awards presented by the American Recreation Coalition during Great Outdoors Week 2008.
Timeframe: Effective immediately.
Budget Impact: Minimal.
Background: The ARC’s Beacon and Legends Awards are presented annually during Great Outdoors Week, a week of special events designed to increase awareness and understanding of the social and economic importance of outdoor recreation. Following are brief descriptions of the accomplishments of each of the award recipients.
The Phoenix Interagency and Citizen OHV Travel Management Working Group received the Beacon Award in recognition of their team approach in tackling problems and applying technology to solve them. In this case, the principal issue was managing the use of OHVS in the greater Phoenix metro area. The team included the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, the Arizona State Parks, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, a local sand and gravel company and OHV enthusiast organizations. The team developed and used technology and other resources to create a winning management plan. Elements of the plan include better dissemination of information to enthusiasts over the internet, an OHV Ambassador Program, new ways to contain dust, trail design work, better signs, and Tread Lightly ethics training. Involving those most affected by the plan in the process has resulted in good public support.
The Legends Award was presented to Mark Lowans, the Assistant Field Manager for Recreation and Visitor Services in the BLM’s Yuma, Arizona Field Office. He was recognized for inspiring and motivating a young team that continually and successfully produces quality recreation experiences and benefits for senior public land visitors from across North America during the fall and winter, as well as regional visitors of every age during the spring and summer. Mark’s active management of the annually diverse and changing recreation demands resulted in measurable improvements in recreation opportunities for non-traditional visitors. His years of on-the-ground field experience have led to ideas that have substantially increased reliance upon partnerships with for-profit and nonprofit organizations. In spite of limited funding and other constraints, he repeatedly used creative solutions to complete major improvements. Under Mark’s leadership to involve public land visitors, the recreation program received more than 45,000 hours of contributed labor during each of the last three fiscal years. Attachment 1 is a photograph showing Mark receiving the 2008 BLM Legends Award.
Directives Affected: WO IB No. 2008-070.
Coordination: A BLM interdisciplinary team reviewed all of the BLM’s nominations for each award and provided recommendations to the Division Chief, Recreation and Visitor Services, acting for the Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning. The BLM made the final decision for the Legends Award while the ARC made the final decision on the Beacon Awards.
Contact: Hal Hallett, Senior Outdoor Recreation Specialist, Division of Recreation and Visitor Services (WO-250), at 202-452-7794.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Robert T. Ratcliffe Robert M. Williams
Division Chief Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Recreation and Visitor Services
1 Attachment
1– Mark Lowans’ Award photograph