Call for Nominations for the 2013 American Recreation Coalition Beacon Award and the Bureau of Land Management 2013 Legends Honoree

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.govApril 29, 2013In Reply Refer To: 8300 (250) PEMS TRANSMISSION 05/01/2013Information Bulletin No. 2013-065To:                   All Washington Office and Field Office OfficialsFrom:               Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and PlanningSubject:            Call for Nominations for the 2013 American Recreation Coalition Beacon Award and the Bureau of Land Management 2013 Legends Honoree        DD:  05/20/2013This Information Bulletin invites each state director to make nominations for two separate American Recreation Coalition (ARC) awards that will be presented during Great Outdoors Week in June 2013.  These awards are the Beacon Award, which recognizes innovative use of technology in visitor services and recreation management, and the Legends Award, which recognizes an outstanding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff employee for increasing recreation opportunities and participation.  The ARC will present the Beacon and Legends Awards at special event in Washington, D.C., during Great Outdoors Week, June 1 - 9, 2013. Each BLM State Office is invited to make one nomination for the ARC Beacon Award and one nomination for the BLM Legends Award and submit their nominations to the Division of Recreation and Visitor Services (WO-250).  Due to travel restrictions, WO-250 will not be able to provide travel and per diem for this year’s Legends Award honoree to attend the award event.Nominations for each award should be submitted by May 20, 2013. The ARC will select the Beacon Award honorees by May 28, 2013.  The BLM will select the BLM Legends Award Honoree by May 28, 2013.Annually the ARC President, Derrick Crandall, formally invites the BLM to participate in the awards program conducted as part of Great Outdoors Week.  The BLM began participating in the Legends Awards program in 1991 and in the Beacon Awards program in 2006.  The list of past BLM recipients for both awards is included in Attachments 1 and 2.The BLM’s Division of Recreation and Visitor Services will coordinate the awards nomination process.  Attachments 3 and 4 provide the details and nomination criteria for the Legends and Beacon Awards.  Each BLM State Director may submit one nomination for each award to the Recreation and Visitor Services Division.The nomination packet must include:

• Either the project title (Beacon Award) or the nominees name (Legends Award)

• Contact information to include the address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.

• A narrative addressing the four ARC criteria for the appropriate award.

• A concise summary paragraph to be used by the ARC to prepare the award citation.

• The Legends Award packet should also include a high quality digital head and shoulders photograph of the nominee suitable for publication and display.

Attachments 5 and 6, serve as example nomination packages for both the Legends and Beacons Awards.Beacon Awards – The BLM may make a maximum of two nominations. A BLM interdisciplinary team will be established to review all of the BLM’s nominees. The team will recommend up to two Beacon Award nominees to the Division Chief, Recreation and Visitor Services who will make the final recommendation and then forward the recommendations to the ARC.  The final selection of honorees will be done by a special panel assembled by ARC.   The Beacon Award winners will be honored at a special ceremony during Great Outdoors Week where the ARC will showcase their award-winning initiatives to an audience of agency, Congressional, and recreation-community officials.Legends Award – One BLM Legends Honoree is named annually to receive this prestigious award.  Nominations should be limited to a recreation staff employee who has made a significant contribution to the recreation and visitor services program.  A panel will be established to review all of the BLM’s nominees.  The panel will recommend a BLM honoree to the Division Chief, Recreation and Visitor Services, who will make the final recommendation and forward the recommendation to the Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning (AD-200) for concurrence.  Upon AD-200 approval, the Chief, Division of Recreation and Visitor Services will notify the honoree and provide the honoree’s name, photograph and award citation information to the ARC.Please submit the completed nomination packets for both awards by May 20, 2013, using the needed documentation above. Send the complete nomination packets for each award by e-mail to Kevin Chesley, Division of Recreation and Visitor Services at: kchesley@BLM.gov.  For further information, Kevin can be reached at 202-912-7254.Signed by:                                                       Authenticated by:Edwin L. Roberson                                          Robert M. WilliamsAssistant Director                                           Division of IRM Governance, WO-560Renewable Resources and Planning6 Attachments       1- BLM Legends Honoree Listing (1 p)       2- ARC Beacon Award Honorees Nominated by BLM (1 p)       3- American Recreation Coalition Legends Awards Purpose and Selection Criteria (1 p)       4- American Recreation Coalition Beacon Awards Purpose and Selection Criteria (1 p)       5- Nomination submission for Jim Jennings, BLM 2009 Legends Honoree (3 pp)       6- Nomination submission for WO-421, BLM 2009 Beacon Award Honoree (5 pp)