Designation of National Public Lands Day (NLPD), Saturday, September, 30, 2017, as a "Fee-Free" Day at BLM Recreation and Visitor Sites

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
August 28, 2017

In Reply Refer To:
1114 (420) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 09/05/2017
Information Bulletin No. 2017-055

To:                       All Field Office Officials

From:                  Assistant Director, National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships 

Subject:              Designation of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 30, 2017, as a “Fee-Free” Day at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation and Visitor Sites; Use of 2017 “Fee-Free Coupon”                                to Recognize NPLD Volunteers

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) will be celebrated on Saturday, September 30, 2017, as a “fee-free” day for visitors to all Department of the Interior recreation and visitor sites.  Site entrance/ standard amenity and individual day-use fees only will be waived on this day; other fees, such as those for group day use, overnight camping, and cabin rentals, will remain in effect.

Fee-Free Coupons for NPLD Volunteers

Participating Federal land management agencies (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Department of Defense), in conjunction with 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.  Each 2017 coupon will entitle the recipient and his/her family or vehicle companions to one “fee-free” day at any participating Federal recreation or visitor site within one calendar year, beginning on October 1, 2017.  A facsimile of a fee-free coupon is provided for your reference (Attachment 1).

Coupons will be issued to volunteers 16 years of age or older participating in a registered NPLD event.  Event coordinators should print the volunteer’s name on the coupon and inform him/her that the coupon is valid for use at any of the participating agencies’ recreation fee sites.  If the volunteer intends to use the coupon at an unstaffed U.S. Forest Service recreation fee site (e.g., 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 at the site.  If there is no alternative, the volunteer may fill in the date and place the coupon 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 will be distributed directly to all of the BLM’s NPLD site coordinators by the National Environmental Education Foundation.  Site coordinators should note in their records the number of coupons received, as well as the number distributed to NPLD volunteers. Volunteers at sites with NPLD events on dates other than September 30, 2017, are also eligible to receive coupons in recognition of their contributions.

The coupon supply must be under the continuous control of the site coordinator or his/her designee, as non-monetary recognition items must be accurately accounted for and secured.  After completion of an NPLD event, any surplus fee-free coupons should shredded and disposed of properly.  

Coupon Redemption at BLM Sites

Fee-free coupons will be accepted at any fee site where America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes (Interagency Pass Annual, Senior, and Access), Golden Age Passports, Golden Access Passports, and/or daily/annual site passes are accepted.  At the time of redemption, the holder of the coupon must surrender it to the appropriate recreation or visitor site staff member, who must then record it as “one coupon redeemed.”

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

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 to encourage local residents and visitors to volunteer at one of the BLM’s many 2017 NPLD events.  Interested persons may be directed to the national NPLD website https://www.neefusa.org/public-lands-day or referred to local BLM NPLD site coordinators.

Thank you for your cooperation.  For more information, please feel free to contact Linda Schnee, BLM National Volunteer Program Lead, at lschnee@blm.gov or (202) 912-7453, or Arthur Callan of the Division of Recreation and Visitor Services at acallan@blm.gov or (202) 912-7642.

Signed by:                                                                                   Authenticated by:

Christopher J. McAlear                                                              Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director                                                                      Division of IT Policy and Planning,WO-870
National Conservation Lands and   Community Partnerships

2 Attachments

     1 – 2017 NPLD “Fee-Free Coupon” facsimile (1 p)

     2 – Contact Information for BLM State Volunteer Coordinators (1 p)