Purpose

These two awards are given for the purpose of perpetuating and enhancing the proud tradition of professional public service in BLM’s stewardship of entrusted lands and resources.  It is intended that this form of national recognition will foster BLM employee pride and productivity as well as stimulate the public’s interest in their federal resources and the quality of their agency's management.  These Public Lands Foundation awards are reserved for the most prestigious performance that warrants national interest.  The awards are not to recognize just good performance, but are for the purpose of recognizing recent outstanding professional accomplishments by managerial and technical staff employees within two years prior to nomination or three years for those non-selected nominees whose nomination carry over from the previous year.

The Award

The awards consist of a personal engraved plaque, a certificate and a free one year membership to the PLF.  In addition, the name of the selected individuals will be added to the permanent plaque now mounted in the BLM Director’s conference room.

All active duty career BLM employees serving in a management, staff, or program positions are eligible for the awards. Typically, the awards will be granted to a single BLM employee but may be given to a unit that has performed so professionally that recognition should go to an entire unit.  The awards are intended to be focused on employees below the senior executive service level.

Nomination Process

Nominations may be submitted each year, at any time, prior to November 1 of the current year. Nominations are welcome from any and all sources including BLM employees and organizational units, PLF members, private interest groups associated with various public land issues, and local and state government officials.  For full consideration, a nominee’s professional performance must be documented against the published evaluation factors.  Candidates not selected for the award in the year nominated will be considered with candidates nominated the following year.

An Awards Committee will evaluate candidates and select an awardee in each category.  Concurrence in the selections is obtained from the PLF President.

Evaluation Factors

1) Demonstration of outstanding professional performance in relation to a particular major issue or challenge having national significance and broad public interest.

2) Holding to specific requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act in the face of strong opposition from any source.

3) Exhibiting outstanding vision and foresight in the recognition of problems and opportunities that could significantly affect public land resources and moving to effectively address these matters.

4) Exhibiting outstanding personal courage and risk taking and/or making tough decisions to take controversial positions in favor of long term public interest in land conservation and protection, or evidence of exceptional professional peer and public recognition resulting from authoring professional articles of public interest, leadership by virtue of elective office in professional societies, and public awards for notable performance.

5) Exhibiting the sustained dedication needed to “make a difference” over time, in how BLM plans for and manages the public land resources.

6) Candidates for the managerial award will also be judged against their demonstrated ability to develop employees for future management and custody of the public lands.

No relative weights are assigned.

Nomination write-ups should address each of the relevant criteria by number