Designation of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 27, 2008, as a Fee-Free Day at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation and Visitor Sites; Designation of Additional Fee-Free Day to Honor New Citizens, Sunday, September 28, 2008; a

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240

September 8, 2008

In Reply Refer To
1114/2930 (250/172) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 09/16/2008
Information Bulletin No. 2008-110

To: All Field Office Officials

From: Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning

Subject: Designation of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 27, 2008, as a “Fee-Free” Day at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation and Visitor Sites; Designation of Additional Fee-Free Day to Honor New Citizens, Sunday, September 28, 2008; and Use of 2008 “Fee-Free Coupon” to Recognize NPLD Volunteers

I am happy to report that in celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has once again designated NPLD (Saturday, September 27, 2008) as a “fee-free” day for visitors to all Interior bureau recreation and visitor sites. Site entrance/standard amenity and individual day-use fees will be waived on that day; however, other fees, such as those for group day use, overnight camping, and cabin rentals, will remain in effect. The NPLD fee-free designation applies only to September 27, 2008, regardless of when a BLM site actually holds its 2008 NPLD event. In addition to the fee-free day on Saturday, September 27, a fee-free day for all visitors will be instituted this year on Sunday, September 28, 2008, to honor newly naturalized citizens.

Fee-Free Coupons for NPLD Volunteers

Five of the Federal NPLD participating agencies (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), in conjunction with the Take Pride in America program and the National Environmental Education Foundation, will present “fee-free coupons” to NPLD volunteers in recognition of their invaluable service to our nation’s public lands. The 2008 coupon, a facsimile of which is provided in Attachment 1, will entitle the recipient and his/her family or vehicle companions to one “fee-free” day at a participating federal recreation or visitor site of their choice within one year beginning September 29, 2008.

Coupons will be issued only to those volunteers who are 16 years or older participating in a registered NPLD event. Event coordinators will fill in the volunteer’s name on the coupon and instruct them that they can use the coupon at any of the participating agencies’ recreation fee sites. If the volunteer intends to use the coupon at a Forest Service recreation fee site that is generally unstaffed (i.e., 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 in effect at the site. If there is no alternative, the volunteer can fill in the date that he/she he uses the coupon and place it on the dashboard of his/her vehicle. The coupons are non-transferable, and if lost, will not be replaced.

Coupon Distribution and Presentation

Supplies of fee-free coupons have been distributed directly to all of BLM’s NPLD site coordinators (please see Attachment 2 for names and locations) by the National Environmental Education Foundation. Site coordinators should note in their records the number of coupons received; and the number distributed to NPLD volunteers at their sites. Volunteers at sites with NPLD events on dates other than September 27 are also eligible to receive coupons in recognition of their contributions.

In all cases and at all times, the coupon supply must be under the control of the site coordinator or his/her designee, as non-monetary recognition items must be accurately accounted for. After completion of an NPLD event, any surplus fee-free coupons, bundled and clearly labeled as “unused,” should be mailed to Bibi Booth at BLM Education, Interpretation & Partnerships (WO-172), 1849 C Street, NW, LS-406, Washington, DC 20240.

Coupon Redemption at BLM Sites

The coupons will be accepted at any fee site where the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes (Interagency Pass Annual, Senior, and Access), Golden Age, Golden Access passports, or daily/annual site passes are accepted. At the time of redemption, the holder of the coupon should surrender it to the appropriate BLM recreation or visitor site staff member, who should then record it as “one coupon redeemed.” After September 26, 2009, the used coupons, bundled and clearly labeled as “redeemed,” should be mailed to Bibi Booth at the address above.

Please share this information with your field employees, particularly those who are directly involved in NPLD, such as NPLD site coordinators (Attachment 2) and State Volunteer Coordinators (Attachment 3).

NPLD Public Outreach

We also request 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 2008 NPLD events. Interested persons may be directed to the national NPLD website at http://www.publiclandsday.org, or referred to local NPLD site coordinators.

Fee-Free Day to Honor Our Newly Naturalized Citizens

On July 4, 2008, Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced that citizens naturalized between then and NPLD would be given free entrance to a national park during the weekend of September 27-28, 2008 (Attachment 4). That invitation was since expanded to include sites managed by the four additional agencies mentioned above.

In recognition of this initiative, those Federal land management agencies have agreed to designate September 28, 2008, as a free day for all visitors in order to honor new citizens. Site entrance/standard amenity and individual day-use fees will be waived on that day; however, other fees, such as those for group day use, overnight camping, and cabin rentals, will remain in effect.

Thank you for your cooperation. For more information you may contact Bibi Booth, Division of Education, Interpretation & Partnerships, at (202) 452-5093, or Anthony Bobo, BLM Recreation Fee Program Manager, at (202) 452-0333.

Signed by: Authenticated by:
Edwin L. Roberson Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Renewable Resources and Planning

4 Attachments
1 – Facsimile of NPLD “Fee-Free Coupon” (1 p)
2 – NPLD 2008 Site Coordinator/Project Chart (5 p)
3 – Contact Information for BLM State Volunteer Coordinators (1 p)
4 – New Partnership Launched to Connect New Americans with Outdoor Volunteer
and Recreation Activities (2 p)