Fiscal Year 2015 Mid-Year Recreation Management Information System Data Call

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Washington, D.C.  20240
http://www.blm.gov
April 13, 2015

In Reply Refer To:

8300 (250) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 04/15/2015

Instruction Memorandum No. 2015-085

Expires: 09/30/2018

To:                   All Field Office Officials

                        Attn:  State Recreation Program Leads, Outdoor Recreation Planners

From:               Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:            Fiscal Year 2015 Mid-Year Recreation Management Information System Data Call                                                                                   DD:  05/08/2015; 06/05/2015       

Program Area:  Recreation.                                                                                     

Purpose:  This Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to inform state directors and field managers about the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Mid-Year Data Call for the Recreation Management Information System (RMIS) and to request state and field offices to complete the mid-year data call by May 8, 2015.  State Recreation Program leads should review by June 5, 2015.

Policy/Action:  All offices are requested to focus on 1) Recreation Management Area (RMA)/Recreation Sites, including National Conservation Lands; and 2) Special Recreation Permits (SRP) both commercial and non-commercial private use should be reviewed and updated.  Offices should also consider updating their RMIS data for the period of October 1, 2014 to March 30, 2015, if that information is available.

Recreation Sites, including National Conservation Lands, and SRP formulas, should also be reviewed for accuracy.  Visits and visitor days represent the official legacy of the Recreation Visitor Services program and it is important that we insure the data is accurate.

Visitation may be entered when available, especially for SRPs.

State Recreation Program leads should review their respective field offices’ data for completeness and accuracy.  A reply memorandum should be sent to the Recreation and Visitor Services Division Chief (WO-250), when the review is completed.  Identify any unresolved issues that need attention before the end-of-the-year data call (DD: September 30, 2015).

Time Frame:  Field offices will have at least 4 weeks to complete the requirements of this data call.  State Recreation Program leads will then have 3 weeks to review their respective mid-year data, and assist field offices with correcting errors and identifying and entering missing data.

The RMIS Team will be available to assist both state and field offices with RMIS concepts, updating formulas, entering data, and understanding the functionality of the system. 

Budget Impact:  For some offices this IM may result in additional workload estimated at one to three work days; however, this added workload will provide the time necessary to thoroughly review field office data prior to the typical end-of-year data crunch and to correct any unidentified problems. The end-of-year RMIS data call will take place during the month of September, as has been the usual practice.

Important:  For the collecting, entering and maintaining recreation data in RMIS, use Program Element MA for reporting labor cost.

Background:  Currently most RMIS data is entered during the end-of-the-year period.  FY 2015 marks the first time in 10 years where both a mid-year and end-of-year data call will be required. This provides an opportunity for a thorough quality assurance review and helps avoid the end-of-year rush that is problematic.  The Washington Office is aware that updating RMIS data more than once a year creates an additional workload; however, this limited data call on just two focus areas will assist the offices in providing better data and should lessen the workload at the end of year.

Information on bringing RMAs and SRPs up to date, reviewing and updating formulas is available at online.

The RMIS User Information Website can be reached at online. This website includes links to the RMIS User Guide, and Guidelines for Reporting Recreation Visitation.

It also serves as a helpful resource for RMIS Users and Guests. There are also reference documents available through this website, including “Techniques and Equipment for Gathering Visitor Use Data on Recreation Sites”.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None.

Coordination:  Development of this IM was coordinated with State Recreation Program leads

Contact: The RMIS Team Contact list is available at the RMIS User Information Website for use by the State Recreation Program leads and field office users.  Users in each state are directed to a primary RMIS Contact for assistance in completing this data call. Anyone on the list may be contacted if the primary RMIS contact is not available.  If there are any questions regarding this IM, please contact David Baker, RMIS Project Manager by telephone at 303-236-6313 or by email at djbaker@blm.gov

Signed by:                                                       Authenticated by:

Edwin L. Roberson                                         Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director                                           Division of IRM Governance,WO-860

Resources and Planning