Rangeland Ecosystem Services Book and 2009 Rangeland Stewardship Award DVD

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.gov/December 22, 2009In Reply Refer To:4100 (220) PEMS TRANSMISSION 12/30/2009Information Bulletin No. 2010-026To:        All Field Officials (except AK and ESO)Attention:  Deputy State Director for Resources and all Field/District Office ManagersFrom:        Division Chief, Division of Rangeland Resources (WO-220)Subject:        Rangeland Ecosystem Services Book and 2009 Rangeland Stewardship Award DVDProgram Areas:  Grazing Management and Land Use Planning. We are providing two sets of materials for your use.Each State Office except for Alaska and the Eastern States Office will receive 12 copies of a book titled “Sustainable Rangelands Ecosystem Goods and Services” published by the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable.  You are requested to share this book with your Range, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Land Use Planning Specialists at the State Office.  We would like you to also share a copy of the book with your District and/or Field Offices. The publication is the result of a workshop held by the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable (Roundtable), and it discusses the importance of rangelands and the various goods and services that they provide.  The Roundtable’s publication identifies not only the goods and services produced on rangelands, but also discusses methods to better quantify the value of some of those goods and services.  Using ecosystem goods and services, the BLM can better communicate about rangeland resources and their value to both local communities and society, as a whole.  Understanding the value of rangeland goods and services can also help to identify potential impacts to rangeland ecosystems in NEPA or land use planning documents.  Analyzing how a particular project or a land use allocation decision might impact ecosystem function, and therefore the level and/or value of the goods and services that an ecosystem can produce, will help to better inform the BLM decision maker about the consequence of the project or action, and help them document the rationale for the decision. We are also providing a copy of the 2009 Rangeland Stewardship Award DVD, which recognizes the 2009 Award recipients and documents some of the positive work being accomplished on public land.  This DVD (approximately 25 minutes) identifies two examples of the outstanding resource management on public land.  We request that you view this DVD and share it with District and/or Field Office Managers within your State.  In January, we will be requesting nominations for the 2010 Rangeland Stewardship Award that showcase the best examples of public land stewardship.  It is critical that we have examples of good public land management or improving conditions from each State.  These nominations, whether selected for the award or not, provide documentation of public land stewardship that is producing improved resource conditions.  Any questions or comments on the Rangeland Stewardship Awards, or Sustainable Rangelands Ecosystem Goods and Services publication should be directed to Doug Powell, Rangeland Management Specialist (WO-220) at 202 912-7209.Signed by:                                     Authenticated by:Robert D. Roudabush                    Paulette SanfordDivision Chief                               IRM Governance, WO-560 Rangeland Resources