Bureau of Land Managements 2012 Public Lands Partnership Excellence Award: Announcement of Winner

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C.  20240http://www.blm.govFebruary 24, 2012 In Reply Refer To:1114, 1115, 8300 (420) PEMS TRANSMISSION 02/28/2012Information Bulletin No. 2012-040To:                   All WO Officials and AFOsFrom:             Assistant Director, National Landscape Conservation System & Community PartnershipsSubject:          Bureau of Land Management’s 2012 “Public Lands Partnership Excellence” Award:  Announcement of WinnerWe are pleased to announce the selection of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) 2012 “Public Lands Partnership Excellence” Award winner, the Loxahatchee River Historical Society of Jupiter, Florida.  The biannual Excellence award recognizes an interpretive association or friends group that has a formal assistance agreement with the BLM and has demonstrated exceptional support for the BLM’s interpretive, educational, and/or public outreach programs.  We thank all of the BLM offices that submitted nominations; as in the past, there were many excellent partner nominations, all deserving of recognition.About the Loxahatchee River Historical SocietyThe winning partner organization has a long history with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and an equally long history of accomplishments.  Founded in 1972 with the goal to preserve the area’s history and provide interpretive tours of the lighthouse when it was still under Coast Guard management, the Society has been an active partner with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse ever since. The Society was instrumental in the effort to build community support for the site’s becoming part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) in 2008, at which time it was designated the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Natural Outstanding Area (JILONA).The Society has engaged and trained more than 100 volunteer docents who provided over 3,500 interpretive programs, making the history and resources of the area meaningful to some 65,000 visitors each year.  Volunteers serve as tour guides, gift shop helpers, gardeners, archivists, and educational speakers.The Society has expanded public access to the site by providing special school and camp group tours and teacher training workshops.  The Society also arranges group tours for disabled veterans from the nearby Veterans Administration Hospital and has embarked on an effort to “Tell the Untold Stories” of local Native American and African American cultures.The Society has accomplished several major projects that greatly enhanced the visitor experience.  Restoration and maintenance efforts at the site included improving the integrity and longevity of the lighthouse structure’s painted surface and the rare First Order Fresnel lens and lens apparatus.  The Society has also installed an interpretive deck area which explained the excavation of historic structures at the site.  It is due to the Society’s work that the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is recognized as one of the best maintained lighthouses in the country by the Unites States Coast Guard.Through consistent public outreach efforts and active participation in key organizations at the local, State and national level, the Society has enhanced visibility and understanding of the BLM, the NLCS, and JILONA in a part of the country that is largely unfamiliar with the BLM. A representative of the winning organization has been invited to Las Vegas, Nevada, to participate in a March 6, 2012, award ceremony in conjunction with the 2012 national convention of the Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL); APPL serves as an umbrella organization for the many interpretive associations and friends groups that work to foster stewardship and appreciation of Federal and State public lands and historic sites nationwide.  For additional information on the BLM’s “Public Lands Partnership Excellence” Award, please contact Brianna Candelaria of the Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships at bcandela@blm.gov or (202) 912-7583.Signed by: Carl Rountree, Assistant Director, National Landscape  Conservation System and Community Partnerships   Authenticated by: Robert M. Williams, Division of IRM Governance, WO-560