BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
From CHILDHOOD EXPLORATION to CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP i

CONTENTS

From the DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

About the BLM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

BLM EDUCATION PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Hands on the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Other BLM Formal Education Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Educator Resources and Professional Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

VISITOR OUTREACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Take It Outside! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Learning Through Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

CAREER PATHWAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Youth Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Internships and Field Schools: Real-World Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ii BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
From CHILDHOOD EXPLORATION to CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP iii

From the

DIRECTOR

ONBEHALF OF THE STAFF at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 

I am pleased to present this overview of the BLM’s 

2011 accomplishments in the areas of education, 

interpretation, and youth involvement.

In keeping with the BLM’s commitment to the 

concept of shared stewardship, we view these programs 

as integral to effective resource management. The 

efforts highlighted in this report are helping to grow a 

population of scientifically literate citizen stewards who 

are eager to assist the BLM with complex multipleuse issues on public lands. By educating, engaging, 

and employing young people in the BLM’s resource 

programs, we are helping to shape the next generation 

of conservation leaders. 

BLM programs also support the goals of broader 

administration initiatives, such as the Secretary of 

the Interior’s Youth in the Great Outdoors, President 

Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors, and the First 

Lady’s Let’s Move Outside. Each program provides 

opportunities for the public to connect with public 

lands and waters and to pursue healthy, active lifestyles. 

BLM public lands are truly “learning landscapes,” 

providing exceptional education and engagement 

opportunities for students, lifetime learners, and 

the general public. While a report of this length can 

highlight only a small number of the BLM’s programs 

for youth and adults, I hope it will give readers a 

sense of the scope of the BLM’s efforts, including the 

superb formal education programs offered at BLM 

Hands on the Land outdoor classrooms. Hands-on 

field experiences are also helping college-age interns 

expand their skills and try out possible future careers. 

In addition, thousands of children and families are 

benefiting from outdoor opportunities provided 

through the BLM’s Take It Outside! programs.

Many of the initiatives described here attest to the 

important role that partners play. A prime example 

is the BLM’s success in employing young people as 

part of the Secretary’s high-priority goal to increase 

youth employment throughout the Department of the 

Interior. The BLM hired nearly 3,900 youth in Fiscal 

Year 2011. More than 1,700 of the youth employed 

were hired through partner organizations. Working as 

youth corps crew members or as individuals through 

universities and other organizations, young people are 

participating in virtually every BLM resource program. 

I am grateful to the agency staff, volunteers, and 

partners who have helped to make the BLM a 

nationally respected leader in the fields of education, 

interpretation, and youth involvement. We know that 

the health and productivity of the public lands depend 

on citizens who are informed and willing to assist us in 

protecting and restoring America’s natural and cultural 

legacy. We will continue to work together to cultivate 

that commitment to shared stewardship and to bring 

our programs to ever-expanding and increasingly 

diverse audiences.

Robert V. Abbey

Director, Bureau of Land Management
iv BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
From CHILDHOOD EXPLORATION to CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP v

About the BLM

The NATION’S LARGEST 

Land Manager

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), one of eight 

agencies within the U.S. Department of the Interior 

(DOI), may aptly be described as a small agency with 

a big mission: to sustain the health, productivity, and 

diversity of America’s public lands for the use and 

enjoyment of present and future generations. The 

remnants of the vast, federally owned tracts that were 

once known as the public domain, the BLM’s National 

System of Public Lands comprises about 245 million 

acres of the United States—fully one-eighth of our 

nation’s land area, located mostly in 12 Western States, 

including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 

million acres of mineral estate across the country. 

Multiple Uses and 

WORKING LANDSCAPES 

Managed for multiple uses, as mandated by the Federal 

Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, America’s 

resource-rich public lands provide our nation with vital 

commodities as well as scarce open space and critical 

wildlife habitat. In 2011 alone, recreation and other 

activities on BLM-managed lands contributed more 

than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 

more than 600,000 American jobs. At the local level, 

rural Western communities also benefit greatly from the 

economic fruits of such “working landscapes” through 

employment opportunities and tax revenue. 

While commodity production and income generation 

are important, the public lands also host some of the 

nation’s most remarkable landscapes, ecosystems, and 

heritage sites. Overall, the public lands are home to 

more than 3,000 species of wildlife and a wide array of 

plants, some of which are threatened or endangered. 

The BLM also manages an estimated 4 million 

archaeological and historic sites, from the dwellings 

of America’s earliest human inhabitants to the historic 

ghost towns of the Old West. Paleontological resources 

abound, too; in fact, of the 700 dinosaur species known 

to science worldwide, 7 were discovered on Utah public 

lands in the space of just 1 year.

The BLM’S National LANDSCAPE 

CONSERVATION System

Many public lands are highly prized for their cultural, 

ecological, scientific, educational, wildlife, 

and aesthetic values, and in 

numerous regions play critical 

roles in habitat and resource 

conservation efforts. A 

total of 887 units of 

prime conservation 

lands, trails, and 

waterways are now 

included in the BLM’s 

National Landscape 

Conservation System 

(NLCS). This system, 

created in June 2000, is an 

organized network of special 

places managed to ensure that 

their unique resources are conserved, 

protected, and restored for future generations. All areas 

included in the NLCS have been designated by either 

Congressional act or Presidential proclamation.

Challenges and 

OPPORTUNITIES

Some of the most important 21st-century challenges 

facing the BLM are associated with managing public 

lands under the pressures of competing demands and a 

changing American West, where once-remote places are 

sometimes within a short drive of population centers. 

But challenges also bring welcome opportunities. 

Public lands that are close to home allow Americans 

to benefit more easily and in nontraditional ways: 

as visitors forming connections through interpretive 

programs, as teachers and students participating 

in outdoor classrooms, as families enjoying active 

lifestyles, as volunteers working for the lands they 

love, and as young people considering resource careers. 

Public lands really do belong to all Americans, and by 

practicing good stewardship and sound conservation 

today, we can ensure that future generations reap 

the same benefits—and maybe even some yet to be 

imagined.
vi BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 1

BLM EDUCATION

PROGRAMS

Public lands managed by the Bureau of Land 

Management provide “learning landscapes” of incredible variety 

and depth. From discovery hikes, to curriculum-based lessons in outdoor 

classrooms, to in-depth service learning projects, opportunities abound for 

students and teachers to connect with and learn about their public lands. The 

multiple-use mission of the BLM offers learners a wide array of subjects to 

study, as well as opportunities to engage in discussions of real-world issues 

relevant to science and society. 

More than 200,000 students and 

teachers participated in the BLM’s 

education programs in 2011. These 

programs have received additional 

emphasis as the Department of the 

Interior focuses on Science, 

Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics (STEM) education. 

In 2011 the department assembled 

an interagency team to develop 

its first STEM Education and 

Employment Pathways Strategic 

Plan. The plan envisions a scienceliterate public and young people who 

are inspired and academically prepared to 

pursue careers in STEM fields. 

As the following pages attest, the BLM is 

already pursuing many of the action items 

that will be part of the forthcoming strategy. 

Students are engaged in hands-on learning 

about natural and cultural resources in the 

living laboratories found on the BLM’s 245 

million acres of public lands. Educators are 

enhancing their skills and learning how to make 

the most of the BLM’s assets at professional 

development workshops. And the BLM’s 

natural and cultural resource professionals are 

serving as role models for the next generation 

of conservation leaders.
2 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 3

SCHOOLCHILDREN 

INVESTIGATE 

HABITATS, HOMES, 

AND HISTORY AT 

CALIFORNIA’S 

HEADWATERS 

FOREST RESERVE

Nearly 600 local students 

explore the life cycle of the 

coastal redwood forest every year at the Headwaters 

Forest Reserve HOL site in Humboldt County, 

California. A combination of classroom presentations 

and field trips brings to life the connections between 

the residential needs of people and the habitat 

requirements of plants and animals. In Falk, an 

abandoned lumber town, students take on the role 

of “habitat and home detectives,” searching for clues 

about these connections in the old townsite and in 

six different native habitats. They examine the front 

porch and exotic plants associated with an abandoned 

home, trace the web of life to a woodrat’s nest, and 

test the water quality of the Elk River. Finally, students 

experience one of three professionally written livinghistory programs based on notable characters from 

the town’s past. Lessons are correlated to educational 

standards in mathematics, language arts, science, and 

history.

Hands on the Land

HANDSON THE LAND (HOL) is a network of outdoor 

classrooms supported by Partners in Resource 

Education, a coalition of six federal agencies: the 

BLM, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 

Administration, National Park Service, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, and U.S. Forest Service.

Having grown every year since its establishment, the 

network now includes approximately 115 sites from 

coast to coast, in effect making it America’s largest 

outdoor classroom. All sites offer programs supporting 

school-based curricula that are correlated to local 

standards of learning. 

Since the HOL network’s earliest beginnings, the BLM 

has been a leader in the program. In partnership with 

local schools, the BLM’s 38 HOL sites offer the premier 

formal education programs within the agency. The 

BLM is working to increase the number of participating 

field sites by 50 percent in the next 5 years and to 

enhance the quality of programming at existing venues. 

To help advance and improve the HOL network, 

the HOL Working Group was established in 2010. 

Guided by a strategic framework and an annual work 

plan, the working group allows interested BLM staff 

to share their personal experiences, leadership skills, 

and perspectives to help shape and promote the HOL 

program bureauwide. The HOL Working Group also 

plays an important role in representing and conveying 

field office needs and perspectives to the Washington 

Office headquarters.

The HOL program is demonstrating that innovative 

thinking, an interactive website, and real-life 

experiences in the outdoors can reconnect children to 

nature and provide learning in fresh and exciting ways.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I 

remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin, American statesman
4 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

A LOCAL PARTNERSHIP BRINGS 

ARCHAEOLOGY TO LIFE FOR UTAH 

STUDENTS

Working with educators and volunteers, the BLM’s Grand 

Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) and 

Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) welcome 

hundreds of local students to HOL programs on 

the monument every year. Two traveling “Discovery 

Trunks” filled with materials about the monument’s 

archaeology, and containing many of the learning tools 

used during onsite programs, are also available to classes 

unable to visit the monument in person.

Local participants experience paleontology and 

archaeology directly in field-based programs at 

GSENM visitor centers, while GSEP’s native plant 

program and stream bank restoration initiative engage 

high school students in natural resource sciences. The 

monument’s education programs also allow students 

and educators to explore connections between the 

monument and surrounding communities.

The curriculum is approved by the State of Utah for 

cultural history and outdoor learning. GSEP helps area 

teachers use the monument’s web-based curriculum 

in environmental education at the high school level, 

covering topics not only in archaeology, geology, and 

paleontology but also in ecology and human history.

OFFSHORE AND ONSHORE, “OCEAN 

IMMERSION” DRAWS CLASSES 

TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL 

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Ocean Immersion is a program that explores diverse 

marine environments through the sciences and through 

language arts, music, mathematics, and visual arts. 

Primary grades learn about near-shore, more familiar 

habitats, while upper elementary grades focus on 

offshore marine habitats. Middle school students study 

coral reefs and far-off polar seas.

Another exciting component of the California 

Coastal National Monument HOL program involves 

mentoring of Trinidad Elementary School sixth-graders 

by a BLM interpretive specialist, which prepares them 

to share what they have learned with fourth- and 

fifth-grade students from Eureka and Fortuna. At 

low tide, the older students guide the younger ones 

through fragile tidal pools, introducing their peers to 

the wonders of their own backyard. For many of the 

students, this is a new experience. In 2011 fortunate 

participants glimpsed a sea clown nudibranch (Triopha 

catalinae) and an eel-like fish called a rock prickleback 

(Xiphister mucosus).

Ocean Immersion is able to provide classroom visits 

and field trip activities through a partnership among 

the town of Trinidad, the California Coastal National 

Monument, Trinidad Elementary School, Humboldt 

State University 

Marine 

Laboratory, 

and the 

Trinidad 

Museum 

Society. 
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 5

SUMMERS ARE FOR DISCOVERY 

IN UPTON, WYOMING

Upton is a small town in eastern Wyoming with easy 

access to public lands. Since 2008 the BLM’s Newcastle 

Field Office has partnered with Upton Middle School 

to offer the Discovery Summer Program, an educational 

experience that connects students with the outdoors, 

increases knowledge of field science, and fosters an 

appreciation for conservation ethics and land stewardship. 

Weeklong sessions expose students to careers in natural 

resources as they interact with employees from the 

BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and State of Wyoming.

Some students learned about forest ecology in 2011, 

quickly using their newly acquired knowledge to collect 

data in a forested area infested by mountain pine 

beetles. This data established a baseline for evaluating 

future data to help measure overall forest health. Other 

students collected seeds of the silver lupine (Lupinus 

albifrons), a flowering shrub. Their efforts provided 

a seed supply to the Seeds of Success program, a 

partnership between the BLM and the Chicago Botanic 

Garden that supports native plant restoration projects. 

Mini-lessons in wildlife biology, astronomy, fire 

ecology, recreation planning, water quality testing, and 

wildfire suppression rounded out the sessions.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MONITOR 

RIPARIAN AREAS AT ARIZONA’S 

AGUA FRIA NATIONAL MONUMENT 

Through the River Pathways program, BLM-Arizona 

and the Audubon Center offered nine sessions in 

environmental literacy for all high school students 

within the Phoenix Union High School District. 

In 2011 a total of 278 students learned about 

southwestern hydrology, riparian areas, biology, and 

multiple-use resource management. Working alongside 

BLM resource managers to collect data, they gained 

experience using the BLM’s riparian monitoring 

protocol to monitor sites on public lands. Lab sessions 

took place at the Audubon’s Rio Salado Center; field 

sessions, at the Agua Fria River. Some interested 

students went on to work as BLM summer interns and 

continued to monitor riparian habitat and conduct 

other stewardship and conservation work.

INQUIRING MINDS GET TO KNOW 

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL 

CONSERVATION AREA

As one of the BLM’s first HOL sites, Red Rock 

Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA) has long 

offered exceptional outdoor classroom programs to 

schoolchildren in southern Nevada. Featured programs 

meeting state education standards regularly engage and 

educate students by using scientific inquiry.

Still, many underserved, inner-city youth have never 

experienced the unique geology, plants, and animals of 

Red Rock Canyon NCA. In partnership with others, 

Red Rock Canyon NCA has expanded its programming 

to reach out to this audience by providing nature-based 

education programs and service projects for at-risk 

youth. During the 2010–11 school year, the Red Rock 

Canyon Interpretive Association partnered with the 

Greater Las Vegas After-School All-Stars and the Clark 

County School District to bring students to the NCA, 

where they could enjoy hands-on experiences in the 

outdoors, reconnect with nature, and participate in 

unique learning opportunities.
6 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Other BLM

Formal Education 

Programs

explored 

the forest 

on snowshoes 

in search of 

owl habitat. Nine 

high school volunteers assisted 

throughout the program.

YOUTHS GET OUT 

AND GET “HANDS-ON” 

IN THE UPPER ARKANSAS 

VALLEY

Elementary students from Salida, Colorado, 

were “gone fishing” for part of 2011, learning how to 

cast for fish with help from Trout Unlimited volunteers. 

The children also practiced using compasses in a 

scavenger hunt activity and collected riparian insects 

to view under a microscope. The activities were part of 

the Upper Arkansas Valley Youth Ecological Literacy 

Program, which energizes the local school curriculum 

by adding a hands-on, outdoor learning component 

to teachers’ classroom lessons. Colorado’s academic 

standards for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade are 

met, as classes in each participating grade engage in 

field trips, classroom visits before and after the 

field trip, and a service project. The program 

reached 240 students and 99 adults through 

instruction in terrestrial biology, aquatic 

biology, geology, cartography, and Leave 

No Trace ethics.

WHENEDUCATORS NEED a good spot for outdoor education 

programs, many BLM lands offer the perfect setting. 

In some locations, BLM resource specialists lead 

the programs; at others, teachers conduct their own 

outdoor lessons. When school budgets are too limited 

to pay for field trip buses, BLM staff or volunteers take 

targeted BLM educational programs into the classroom.

“SUPER SATURDAYS” OFFER ALASKA 

STUDENTS SCIENCE AND SKILLS

For some lucky local students, the BLM’s Campbell 

Creek Science Center in the heart of Anchorage was 

the place to be on five Saturdays in 2011. Children in 

grades K–8 came to the center to enjoy science-based 

enrichment activities and outdoor experiences. What 

they took home with them were wilderness skills, such 

as compass use and orienteering; outdoor survival 

methods; and fire building. After being introduced to 

a live owl and porcupine in the classroom, participants 

“Many students 

expressed that they were 

so happy to come and be able 

to experience this. I saw lots of 

engaged attention and interest 

and heard many questions 

and observations.”

Teacher/chaperon

“This 

was the best 

Saturday ever!” 

“When can we 

come back?” “I 

can’t wait to bring 

my family here.”

Super Saturdays 

student 

participants

“I really feel 

strongly about this program 

because I see a vast disconnect 

between the youth of our community and 

our public lands... [The] program strengthens 

 this community by empowering our kids in 

 science and technology and environmental 

stewardship, and provides a viable career and 

education link to natural resources—irrespective 

of family income and school budget limitations.” 

Office of Surface Mining Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) 

volunteer for the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association 
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 7

“The moment one gives close 

attention to anything, even a blade 

of grass, it becomes a mysterious, 

awesome, indescribably magnificent 

world in itself.”

Henry Miller, American author

AWARD-WINNING ECOLOGY 

PROGRAM SERVES THE 

UNDERSERVED 

Now in its fourth year, northwest Colorado’s awardwinning Bioregion in Your Backyard program helps 

schoolchildren in underserved communities connect 

with local natural surroundings on BLM public lands. 

The BLM’s Cedar Mountain, an area landmark rising 

a thousand feet above the Yampa Valley, provides the 

setting for students to spend a day learning about 

native plants and animal species and the ecosystems 

they inhabit. Educational games and activities enliven 

the experience. BLM staff members introduce students 

to their public lands and guide them through a resource 

management “dilemma exercise”—incorporating many 

realistic land use perspectives—so they can learn how to 

make decisions about stewardship of the public lands. 

Bioregion in Your Backyard began in 2007 through 

a partnership among Yampatika (a nonprofit 

environmental education organization), the BLM, 

and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The program builds 

on Colorado’s sixth-grade curriculum for ecosystems, 

biomes, and place-based inquiry. In 2011 the Colorado 

Alliance for Environmental Education presented 

Bioregion in Your Backyard with its Environmental 

Education Program Award. 

KIDS DISCOVER WORMS, BATS, AND 

BIRDS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

S.E.E.D. is busy growing the next generation of 

nature lovers. Students Encouraging Environmental 

Discovery, or S.E.E.D., supports local school curricula 

with learning activities about everything from worms, 

bats, birds, and mammals, to soil, watersheds, and 

solar energy. It also teaches kids how to fish, camp, 

and hike, while practicing the principles of Leave No 

Trace and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. A total of 500 

students and 40 adults participated in environmental 

education programming offered by S.E.E.D. in 2011. 

After-school activities such as these, appealing to local 

elementary school students, was the goal of the recent 

partnership among the BLM’s Lower Potomac Field 

Station, the Parks and Recreation Department of 

Northern Virginia Community College, and the Fairfax 

County after-school program.
8 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

YOUNG STUDENTS BECOME CITIZEN 

SCIENTISTS “BIRD BY BIRD”

In 2011 Idaho’s Bird by Bird program, a collaborative 

educational project among federal, state, and private 

organizations, introduced 283 Boise Valley students to 

nature through birdwatching and improvement of bird 

habitat. Six Bird by Bird facilitators provided assistance 

in setting up equipment, and they visited classrooms 

each month 

to discuss birdrelated topics. Eleven 

Idaho classrooms received 

tube and ground bird feeders, spotting scopes and 

tripods, binoculars, a birdbath, perches, birdseed, and a 

collection of bird books to aid students in observation 

and caretaking activities.

Students became the primary caretakers by putting out 

food and water for birds and maintaining equipment. 

They also planted trees and native plants on school 

grounds to enhance bird habitat. After collecting data 

on bird abundance, distribution, and migration, they 

entered the information into the Cornell University 

Lab of Ornithology’s eBird program, a real-time, online 

checklist. Doing so helped students understand the 

concept of “citizen science” by allowing them to track 

their own observations online. 

Wild Birds Unlimited, the Bird by Bird program’s 

business partner, provided seed, feeders, and optics at 

a significant discount, and each student received a bird 

feeder and bag of seed to take home. 

SHARP-EYED 

FOURTH-GRADERS GATHER FOSSILS 

WITH BLM-MONTANA EMPLOYEES

A 20-year tradition continued in Billings, Montana, 

in 2011 when Lockwood School fourth-graders 

took a field trip to public lands to collect common 

invertebrate and plant fossils under the helpful 

“The one hope 

I have for my students 

is that now they will be more 

observant when they are at the 

park, ball game, or in a parking 

lot. It is just like the saying about 

planting seeds and waiting for them 

to grow. Maybe someday down 

the line, a student will say, ‘Look 

there’s an American goldfinch!’ ”

Mountain View

High School teacher
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 9

supervision of BLM staff. Before heading out on their 

expedition, the budding paleontologists spent a few 

weeks studying geology and the formation of fossils. 

BLM geologists also presented information on noxious 

and invasive weeds, cultural resources, and Leave No 

Trace principles.

NEVADA FIELD TRIP PROGRAM 

INVITES KIDS TO EXPLORE THE 

PUBLIC LANDS 

In the Classrooms Unleashed field trip program, students 

of all ages explore public lands within the BLM’s 

Carson City and Winnemucca field offices through a 

series of five place-based, interpretive field trips. Firstgrade students begin by examining the area immediately 

around their schools. Second-, third-, and fourth-grade 

students gradually travel farther from home, visiting 

sites such as Water Canyon and Lovelock Cave. Each 

year the program teaches students about topics of 

significance to the area, such as habitats, watersheds, 

Paiute and emigrant history, and geology. When students 

visit Water Canyon, they gain hands-on experience in 

water quality testing and learn about macroinvertebrates 

and fire science. The Classrooms Unleashed field trip 

program was developed by the BLM and the Nevada 

Outdoor School in partnership with the Humboldt 

County School District and other organizations.
10 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

CODY, WYOMING, SIXTH-GRADERS 

SPEND THE NIGHT OUTDOORS AT 

FIELD CAMP

The Northwest College Field Camp provides the setting 

for Natural History Days, a part of the Cody Middle 

School curriculum during which sixth-graders camp 

overnight and supplement their recent classroom study 

of ecology by learning from local experts. In 2011 a 

BLM geologist taught the children about the area’s 

minerals and rocks and how they were formed, as well 

as the processes of erosion and deposition. As many as 

12 kids attended each of the 3-hour lessons and then 

boarded a school bus for a trip to three rock outcrops 

in the area to collect specimens and talk more about 

geologic history. A favorite activity enjoyed by all 

was cracking open the rocks to examine the minerals 

exposed inside.

NATURE TRAIL DRAWS STUDENTS 

TO NEW MEXICO’S EL MALPAIS 

NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

For the third year in a row, Los Alamitos Middle School 

and the BLM partnered for a 2-day outdoor classroom 

event at the BLM Ranger Station within the El Malpais 

National Conservation Area. The entire seventh-grade 

class learned about the outdoors and stewardship while 

exploring the ranger station’s nature trail. Education 

stations along the trail provided seven activities and 

lessons related to science and conservation. In addition 

to this large event, the NCA hosted dozens of field trips 

in 2011, introducing more than 500 students to the 

wonders of their public lands.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 11

Educator Resources 

and Professional

Development

provide inquiry-based instruction to their students and 

professional development instruction to their peers.

Much of Project Archaeology’s work is conducted by 

volunteers, who in 2011 contributed more than 3,000 

hours in support of conferences, annual meetings, and 

the Project Archaeology Leadership Academy. They 

also offered programs in their states and advised the 

national program on curriculum development, program 

management, and long-term strategic planning. 

Project Archaeology events led by state and regional 

coordinators not only helped enhance educators’ 

teaching skills but also touched more than 9,000 youth 

and family learners.

BLMEDUCATION PROGRAMS are not just for children. The 

BLM also provides professional development 

opportunities to educators. Project Archaeology 

and other programs give teachers valuable 

materials to supplement existing curricula and 

broaden the educational experiences of their students.

PROJECT ARCHAEOLOGY: 

PROMOTING CULTURAL RESOURCE 

PROTECTION SINCE 1990

Created by the BLM, Project Archaeology is an 

educational program dedicated to teaching scientific 

and historical inquiry, cultural understanding, and 

public land stewardship ethics—specifically, the 

importance of protecting our nation’s rich cultural 

resources. Operated in partnership with Montana State 

University, Project Archaeology works as a collaborative 

network of 30 state and regional programs to provide 

educational materials and professional development 

opportunities to teachers and informal educators 

nationwide. Eighteen programs were active in 2011 

and reached 1,233 educators. Of these, 767 attended 

full-length workshops or online courses and are now 

fully prepared to teach Project Archaeology to students 

and informal learners. These educators will, in turn, 

reach an estimated 19,000 learners with high-quality 

archaeology education every year.

The Project Archaeology Leadership Academy, now in 

its second year, continued to train a national network of 

master teachers in social studies and science. Using the 

award-winning curriculum entitled Project Archaeology: 

Investigating Shelter, academy instructors guided 

participants through an investigation of a historic slave 

cabin and prepared 16 attendees from eight states to 

“Thank you so much for 

this opportunity! I was head over 

heels for the curriculum from my first 

introduction to it–and was amazed at 

how my enthusiasm only continued to build 

as the workshop moved forward. Project 

Archaeology is truly a treasure that I hope to 

share with many students, teachers, adults, 

and museum educators. I am so excited 

about this program! I can’t 

get enough!!”

2011 Project Archaeology Leadership 

Academy participant
12 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

PROJECT 

ARCHAEOLOGY 

RECOGNIZED 

FOR EXEMPLARY 

CONSERVATION 

PARTNERSHIP

Each year the Secretary 

of the Interior confers 

the prestigious Partners 

in Conservation awards to 

partnerships that collaboratively and 

creatively promote conservation, initiate 

large landscape projects, and protect natural and 

cultural resources through diverse stakeholder and 

youth engagement. In 2011 Project Archaeology was 

one of 17 partnerships to receive this award for using 

partnerships to bring high-quality archaeological 

stewardship education to teachers, students, and 

informal learners throughout the nation.

“This 

program was 

very professional. 

The archaeological 

content was strong, 

accurate, and meaningful 

and the educational standards 

set by the program were up-to-date, 

relevant, and high. You did not lowball any aspect of the program but 

instead expected us to reach for higher 

understandings in content 

and pedagogy.” 

2011 Project Archaeology Leadership 

Academy participants

“I appreciate 

the effort you have put 

into the research behind 

these activities—and everyone 

has interdisciplinary crossovers—

very effective for teachers to 

implement into the curriculum. 

Thank you for this priceless 

opportunity and 

knowledge!”

NEW OREGON 

NATIVE PLANT CURRICULUM 

TAKES STUDENTS FROM 

SALMONBERRY TO SAGEBRUSH

Developed through a partnership between the BLM 

and Oregon’s Institute for Applied Ecology, From 

Salmonberry to Sagebrush is an ecoregional native plant 

curriculum for grades 9–12 that has received rave 

reviews from educators. The curriculum, which follows 

the principles of the Guidelines for Excellence developed 

by the North American Association for Environmental 

Education, leads students through hands-on, inquirybased native plant education and restoration servicelearning activities. These activities integrate science, 

mathematics, social studies, art, and literacy skills 

and are tied to Oregon Department of Education 

standards. Topics covered include plant identification, 

ethnobotany, and invasive species. During 2011 

the curriculum was presented at 36 workshops and 

conferences in Hawaii, Illinois, North Carolina, 

Oregon, and Washington State, to an audience of 

422 teachers from around the globe.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS 13

“I enjoy learning 

the botanical and ecological 

skills right along with my 

students. I am hoping 

to present this curriculum at the 

next National Science Teachers 

Association [convention]. I think 

everyone should have this curriculum 

in their classroom!”

Teachers who have used From Salmonberry 

to Sagebrush in classrooms

IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE 

EXPANDS UNDERSTANDING OF 

THE GREEN ZONE

The BLM’s partnership with the Izaak Walton League 

(IWLA) led to further development and introduction 

of the Creek Freaks website in 2011, along with 

the delivery of teacher/youth leader workshops on 

the use of BLM’s riparian module, Holding onto the 

GREEN Zone. IWLA staff conducted workshops 

and presentations on the GREEN Zone at several 

conferences during the year, including the annual 

meeting of the North American Association for 

Environmental Education. In August, BLM staff 

joined IWLA, Trout Unlimited, and other local 

partners for a workshop in Lander, Wyoming. 

Following the training, schools in the area 

continued to monitor water quality and tag 

and track trout in local streams. 

Thanks to workshops like these, teachers 

and leaders become familiar with stream 

ecology and riparian zone concepts and 

learn how to run activities from the GREEN Zone

guide. They also learn how to instruct students on 

contributing data and other information to the Creek 

Freaks website. By posting videos, photos, stories, and 

data about their streams, hundreds of students from 

across the country can more fully accomplish the 

objectives of the “Tell the News” portion of the guide.

“The 

curriculum is excellent! 

Plants are so important, 

and these activities are a 

great way to have students look at 

plants and learn about them. The 

Botany Bouquet lesson was a great 

way to provide students with the 

motivation to want to learn more 

of the vocabulary to talk about 

plants. Students were asking ‘what 

is this...?’ It was a great way 

to show that we need this 

botanical vocab!!!”
14 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
VISITOR OUTREACH 15

VISITOR OUTREACH

The TIO program fosters 

outdoor physical activities 

and experiences on the public 

lands in order to improve the 

health of our nation’s children, 

families, and communities. At the same time, it helps 

develop the next generation of public lands stewards.

National youth organizations including Girl Scouts USA 

and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) also participate 

in interpretive and educational programs. They often 

volunteer many hours of service on the public lands 

as well. In 2011 their service projects ranged from 

reconstructing a replica Mogollon pithouse, to cleaning 

campsites, to completing BSA Eagle Scout and Girl 

Scout “Journey” projects in stream restoration and trail 

conservation. 

Youth group members are not the only ones 

who can volunteer on the public lands. The 

BLM’s dynamic volunteer program offers 

unique and diverse opportunities for people 

from all walks of life to get outdoors, 

connect with nature, and give back to the 

public lands. 

The BLM welcomes visitors of all ages to experience the 

public lands. Interpretive programs, the BLM’s Take 

It Outside! (TIO) program, partnerships with youth 

organizations, and service-learning volunteer opportunities

all give visitors numerous and varied opportunities to 

enjoy, learn from, and support the public lands.

Through interpretive programs, visitors can connect 

personally with the public lands. In 2011 the BLM 

presented over 18,000 interpretive programs that 

reached more than 3 million visitors. Whether listening 

to thought-provoking programs given by an interpreter, 

viewing wayside exhibits, or accessing information 

through a smartphone application, visitors were inspired 

to appreciate cultural and natural resources. Specialized 

cultural youth camps also connected tribal youth to 

ancestral lands through learning from elders; interested 

collegiate youth found summer employment in 

interpretation; and BLM Junior Docents and trail guides 

provided interpretation to visitors in 

several BLM 

locations. 
16 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Interpretation

the camp’s cofounder, welcomed the 

participants. During camp, the 

children learned how to make 

tools, cordage from cliffrose 

bark, medicine bags, and 

small replica brush huts. 

They also played 

traditional tribal 

hand games and the 

hockey-like game 

known as Que’pauck. 

Native language 

skills, cultural beliefs, 

and a sampling of 

native foods were 

introduced during 

the outing. A visit 

to Paiute Cave to 

observe pictographs 

concluded the 

weekend program. 

THE BLM’SINTERPRETERS and partners 

provide safe and enjoyable experiences for visitors, 

increase visitors’ knowledge of resources and 

management issues, and encourage stewardship and 

responsible outdoor behavior. The BLM reaches people 

through youth engagement activities, visitor center 

facilities and materials, interpretive structures, and 

interpretive materials posted at kiosks and waysides and 

on numerous BLM websites.

SOUTHERN PAIUTE YOUTHS 

RECONNECT WITH THE PAST

Camping within Arizona’s Grand Canyon-Parashant 

National Monument, young Southern Paiutes learned 

about their culture from tribal elders in their traditional 

homelands. Twenty-one children from tribal bands in 

Arizona, Nevada, and Utah participated 

in this fourth annual Yevingkarere Camp, 

held September 16–18, 

2011. National 

Park Service and 

BLM staff, 

including 
VISITOR OUTREACH 17

are some of the replicated artifacts used as teaching 

aids; photo displays depict the process of gathering, 

processing, and weaving native materials to make these 

items.

Outdoor exhibit areas were also installed to highlight 

culturally important native plants. So-called “garden 

rooms” draw birds and butterflies to the outside deck 

area so visitors may view native species in a central 

location. Plants such as redbud, sourberry, and deer 

grass—critical to local basketry traditions—are focal 

points in the landscape. Pruned and unpruned versions 

of the living plants illustrate how Native Americans 

tailored cultivation techniques to specific uses. 

FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOL KIDS, 

ROCK ART GETS DISCUSSIONS 

ROLLING

It’s no wonder why third- and fourth-grade students, 

as well as several adult groups, were frequent visitors 

to the interpretive programs at the BLM’s Belfast 

Petroglyph Complex near Susanville, California, in 

2011. This site, nationally recognized for its rock art 

and petroglyphs dating back 2,000 years, provides 

a dramatic backdrop for discussions about the 

site’s cultural significance, archaeological site 

etiquette, native occupation and ways of life, and 

ethnobotany. Native American artifacts such 

as grinding stones, mortars and pestles, and 

the remnants of a rock-ringed ceremonial area 

enrich the visitor’s experience even further 

with stirring reminders of the past. 

Here, too, students 

learn about the 

natural 

A STUDENT INTERPRETER 

LEADS THE WAY INTO A 

CALIFORNIA FOREST

Sixty people a day hike or bike past the renovated 

train barn at the BLM’s Headwaters Forest Reserve 

in Eureka, California. The structure houses the 

Headwaters Education Center; yet, except for 

weekday school groups, visitors were often denied 

the opportunity to venture inside because of staffing 

shortages. Then in 2011 the BLM hired a student to 

provide natural and cultural resource interpretation 

during the peak visitation months of summer. The 

student, from Humboldt State University, not only 

designed programs and gave tours of the area but also 

led kids and their families through educational pursuits 

such as fish printing, nature journaling, and owl pellet 

dissections. The experience benefited the student 

as well, providing an opportunity to practice for a 

potential career in interpretation and work with the 

public. The BLM learned something, too, through the 

student’s successful efforts to establish baseline data on 

visitation to the barn. 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TAKE 

CENTER STAGE IN NEW 

INTERPRETIVE DISPLAYS

Replicas of a Yokuts brush house and an acorn granary 

are providing insights about the indigenous peoples of 

the Bakersfield area to visitors at the BLM-California’s 

San Joaquin River Gorge Visitor Center. 

Designed with input from local Native 

American elders and constructed of native 

materials, these hands-on interpretive 

displays were installed in 2011 through 

a cooperative agreement with the 

Sierra Mono Museum. The brush 

house is tall enough to accommodate 

an adult and spacious enough 

for several children to walk 

inside, allowing visitors to 

imagine what it would 

have been like to live in 

such a shelter. Soap 

root brushes, a fish 

trap, baskets, cordage, 

and an infant’s cradleboard 

“Through interpretation, 

understanding; through 

understanding appreciation; 

through appreciation, protection.” 

Freeman Tilden, American interpretive pioneer
18 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

components of a high-desert volcanic landscape, as 

well as the importance of local Willow Creek and its 

riparian corridor. 

VOLUNTEERS COVER ALL 

THE BASES AT BIG MORONGO 

CANYON PRESERVE

Nestled within the Little San Bernardino Mountains, 

the desert oasis of Big Morongo Canyon is one of the 

10 largest cottonwood and willow riparian habitats in 

California. In 2011 BLM volunteers, Junior Docents, 

and supporters from the Friends of Big Morongo 

Canyon Preserve provided year-round programs for 

families and other visitors. Volunteers worked at the 

site’s nature center on weekends, assisted with weekly 

birdwatching walks, and staffed 

tables and displays at special events 

such as the preserve’s Spring Fest, 

Morongo Valley Fiesta Days, and 

Yucca Valley Earth Day.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S 

JUNIOR TRAIL GUIDES PROMOTE 

CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP

Whether providing informal interpretation along the 

trail or at the visitor center, leading nature walks, or 

helping to develop and construct natural and cultural 

exhibits, Junior Trail Guides serve as ambassadors to the 

public for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains 

National Monument. The Junior Trail Guide program, 

open to children ages 8–14, teaches youth about the 

monument’s biological, cultural, and geologic features 

while encouraging the development of leadership 

and communication skills. Eleven young people who 

participated in the 2011 program have since been 

certified as monument volunteers.

VISITORS CELEBRATE COLOR 

AT CALIFORNIA WILDFLOWER 

FESTIVAL

A full-day program of guided walks and hikes, 

children’s activities, workshops, vendors and exhibitors, 

plein-air painters, and live music was hosted by the 

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National 

Monument Visitor Center to celebrate the monument’s 

2011 wildflower festival. The annual event showcases 

the monument as a premier spot for spring wildflower 

viewing and education. 

Prominent partners included 

the Friends of the Desert 

Mountains, U.S. Forest 

Service, Palm Springs Life

magazine, Southern 

California Edison, 

and the City of 

Palm Desert. 
VISITOR OUTREACH 19

INTERPRETERS MAKE THEIR MARK 

AT MONTANA’S POMPEYS PILLAR

Captain William Clark’s inscription on Pompeys 

Pillar National Monument’s sandstone butte is still 

the only physical evidence of the famed Lewis and 

Clark Expedition that remains along the explorers’ 

actual route. In 2011 more than 500 youths from 

across Montana and northern Wyoming participated 

in interpretive and environmental education programs 

at the monument. Here, along the Lewis and Clark 

National Historic Trail, professional interpreters, 

volunteers, and BLM student employees share their 

knowledge of native plants, Native American culture 

and history, wildlife identification, local and regional 

geology, and Yellowstone County history, including 

the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In keeping with the 

historical context of the site, they also demonstrate 

surveying and mapping methods and the use of 

historical weapons.

YOUNG NATIVE AMERICANS CREATE 

A “RAINBOW SNAKE” AND YOUTH 

ART EXHIBIT IN WYOMING

In 2011 the BLM’s National Historic Trails Interpretive 

Center partnered with a teacher and fourth- and 

fifth-graders from Oregon Trail Elementary School 

in Casper, Wyoming, to present a temporary exhibit 

entitled “The Rainbow Snake.” The exhibit interprets 

the Native American history and historic trails of 

Wyoming’s Bighorn and Casper Mountains and the 

sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. 

Wyoming Indian High School, located on the Wind 

River Indian Reservation, partnered with the trails 

center to display sculptures and watercolors representing 

animals and insects in 

IDAHO KIDS’ FISH FAIR 

HOOKS YOUTH

The City of Challis, Idaho, kicked off 2011’s National 

Fishing and Boating Week and Idaho’s Free Fishing 

Day with the annual Idaho Kids’ Fish Fair and Kids’ 

Fishing Derby, held at Blue Mountain Pond. Workers 

at a “Care of Catch” station demonstrated how to care 

for and clean fish caught during the derby. A donated 

fishing rod and reel were awarded for the biggest catch 

by one angler in each of four age groups. In addition, 

any kid who caught a tagged fish received a donated 

$50 savings bond, and a prize was awarded to one 

angler in each age group for the highest number 

of accurate casts. This local event was 

sponsored by the BLM’s Challis Field 

Office; the Idaho Department of Fish 

and Game, Salmon Region; the National 

Marine Fisheries Service; the U.S. 

Forest Service; and many local 

merchants and businesses. 
20 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

a temporary exhibit and art show, “Reservation 

Creations: A Native American Youth Art Exhibit.” 

By selling their artwork through the National Historic 

Trails Center Foundation, a trails center partner, 

students learned about the art business and received 

90 percent of the proceeds from every art piece sold. At 

the exhibit's closing, the trails center presented a public 

program that featured Native American youth dancers 

and drummers to an audience of approximately 

90 visitors.

OREGON TRAIL TENDERS 

“RUN FOR THE RUTS”

Trail Tenders, Inc., is a nonprofit volunteer group 

composed primarily of Baker County, Oregon, 

residents. A dedicated partner with the BLM in 

operating the National Historic Oregon Trail 

Interpretive Center (NHOTIC), Trail Tenders 

promoted awareness of the center’s resources and 

opportunities for physical activities by sponsoring a 

National Trails Day event in 2011. Special interpretive 

programming was featured in addition to Run for the 

Ruts, an inaugural 5K race along the NHOTIC 

trail system, which drew 80 runners and a total of 

430 visitors. Funding from several local sponsors and 

the assistance of local volunteers helped make the 

event a success.

BLM–EASTERN STATES SEES TRAIL 

IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO STATES

To create a more visitor-friendly experience, the BLM’s 

Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area 

in Northern Virginia reorganized its trail system by 

creating new trails, combining others, adding a few 

loop trails, and renaming some existing trails. New 

trail markers and signage were installed to reflect these 

trail improvements. With volunteer assistance, trail 

sign improvements were also completed at Douglas 

Point Special Recreation Management Area along the 

Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland.

WILDERNESS ADVENTURES 

ENGAGE NEW MEXICO YOUTH 

Building knowledge through wilderness adventure 

is the goal at Cottonwood Gulch, an outdoors 

camp serving youth from across the country. The 

camp, located near the BLM’s El Malpais National 

Conservation Area, was the product of a partnership 

between the BLM and the Cottonwood Gulch 

Foundation. With a shared goal of engaging youth in 

outdoor recreation on public lands, the partnership 

delivered NCA-guided programs, field trips, and 

interpretive programs for 266 youth in 2011 alone. 

The demand for BLM-provided programs was so 

high that activities expanded to areas surrounding the 

NCA as well.
VISITOR OUTREACH 21

Take It Outside!

THE BLM’S 

TAKE IT OUTSIDE! initiative 

is an integral component 

of the larger BLM 

Youth Program. The 

BLM continues 

to strengthen 

connections 

between Take 

It Outside! 

and Let’s 

Move Outside, 

the outdoor 

component of 

the First Lady’s 

Let’s Move! 

initiative to end 

childhood obesity. 

Take It Outside! activities 

bring children and their families 

outdoors and connect them to the 

natural world, in support of the four pillars of Let’s 

Move Outside—health, family, fun, and stewardship.

MONTANA/IDAHO YOUTHS 

BRIDGE THE DIVIDE BETWEEN 

SCIENCE AND TRADITION

With a focus on the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem, 

Bridging the Divide (BTD) continued its unique 

blend of education—teaching Native American youth 

about modern ecology of ecosystems and landscapes 

“The senses, being explorers of the 

world, open the way to knowledge.”

Maria Montessori, Italian educator

“Learning 

traditional skills 

was perhaps the biggest 

hit of the camp, but 

the [participants] also 

particularly enjoyed how 

the [program] integrated 

modern ecology with 

traditional life ways.”

BLM tribal coordinator 

while exposing them to time-honored traditions and 

practices through their tribal elders. In 2011 students 

supplemented their scientific studies by learning 

about and practicing skills used by their ancestors to 

harvest, store, and prepare the roots of the bitterroot, a 

critical food source for previous generations. Students 

also become acquainted with careers in cultural and 

natural resource management. Designed as a summer 

school course for tribal high school students, the BTD 

program includes 5 weeks of classroom learning at 

Shoshone-Bannock Junior/Senior High School in Fort 

Hall, Idaho, followed by a weeklong camp at Birch 

Creek Outdoor Education Center near Dillon, Montana.

ADVENTUROUS STUDENTS STUDY 

CALIFORNIA’S HUMBOLDT BAY 

BY KAYAK

In partnership with the 

BLM, East High 

School in Fortuna, 

California, 

developed a 

course that 

takes students 

on a 3-hour 

kayaking tour 

and teaches 

them along 

the way about 

Humboldt 

Bay’s coastline 

and ecosystem. 

“Dear BLM, 

I very much enjoyed 

our class’s kayaking trip. 

Thank you so much! We had 

a lot of fun. It was scary at 

first but it ended up so much 

fun. P.S. I learned how to 

kayak backwards and 

turn around.”

Fifth-grade participant
22 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

In 2011 the BLM partnered with Humboats Kayak 

Adventures of Eureka, California, to lead the tour, 

during which more than 60 students of all ages 

paddled tandem and single kayaks around Woodley 

Island while learning about the natural and cultural 

history of the bay. At one of the many stops along 

the tour, students were surprised to learn that what 

at first glance appeared to be hundreds of dead crabs 

was actually the leavings of crabs that had molted in 

that location. Humboldt Bay proved to be a perfect 

environment for the students to learn about ocean 

life, the public lands, and 

kayaking.

KIDS’ CLINIC WOWS YOUNG 

ICE-FISHERS AT ALASKA’S 

SILVER LAKE

Kids learned ice-fishing techniques, lure and bait 

selection and presentation, knot tying, and ice safety at 

Silver Lake in south-central Alaska in 2011 during the 

Kids’ Ice Fishing Clinic. The event was sponsored by 

the BLM and the Wrangell Institute for Science and 

Environment (WISE). Employees from the BLM, 

WISE, and the Alaska Department of Fish and 

Game, as well as community volunteers, were on 

hand to teach the children, instructing them as 

well in the proper use of ice-fishing equipment 

such as skimmers, augers, and portable ice houses. 

Submersible video cameras enabled participants to 

observe rainbow trout behavior underwater.

SUMMER SCIENCE CAMPERS 

ARE AWED BY UTAH’S EARTH, 

WATER, AND SKY

Utah’s Four Corners School of Outdoor Education 

(FCS) conducted a 2011 summer camp for students 

ages 12–18, opening up new worlds in astronomy, 

earth science, geology, desert hydrology, and public 

lands management during 4 days of outdoor learning 

along the San Juan River. Campers trekked between walls 

of red sandstone and shale, past an extinct volcano, 

and into a deep canyon carved through folded 

limestone layers. Along the way, students learned 

to interpret the signature landforms, rocks, and 

“ ‘We want to fish more!’ 

This was a comment I heard 

several times during the afternoon of 

the 2011 Ice Fishing Clinic held at Silver 

Lake. Some of the kids had yet to land one 

of the big rainbow trout, and those that 

had, just wanted to relive the excitement. 

I had promised their parents to have 

them home by dinnertime but they 

just wanted to fish!” 

WISE employee
VISITOR OUTREACH 23

River in Alaska in FY 2011. The BLM-Glennallen 

Field Office teamed up with the veterans group Project 

Healing Waters to offer a 3-day aquatic camp to 

wounded veterans and their families. Project Healing 

Waters has been helping disabled active-duty personnel 

and veterans overcome the obstacles associated with 

their military-service-related disabilities. The camp 

provided aquatic education and taught flyfishing to the wounded veterans and their 

families, offering a quality, family-oriented 

recreational and educational stewardship 

opportunity to some 30 participants.

fossils of southeast Utah, marked out a scaled timeline 

along the beach to help understand the magnitude 

of geologic time, built a clay model of the limestone 

canyon, and constructed and operated a stream table 

model of the San Juan River on the sandy beach. Students 

retired each night beneath brilliant, starry skies, after 

observing and studying the firmament with a telescope.

PROJECT HEALING WATERS 

The healing powers of nature were demonstrated at 

Tangle Lakes and along the Delta Wild and Scenic 

“Looking at 

Saturn was AWESOME!”

“I loved looking through the 

telescope, and the rapids.”

“I gained some knowledge 

about the river, Native 

Americans, and outer space, as 

well as some rafting experience.” 

FCS Summer Science campers
24 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Learning Through 

Service

Building bat houses in Idaho, blocking off a 

smuggling route in Arizona, and planting native 

riparian seedlings along a Wyoming creek were just 

a few of the many ways that members of the public 

participated in 2011 volunteer and service-learning 

projects to benefit BLM public lands.

ARIZONA VOLUNTEERS TACKLE 

WALLS, WINDOWS, AND WEEDS

The 640-acre Ninemile Ranch near Safford, Arizona, 

was traded to the BLM in 2004 to provide access to 

the nearby Dos Cabezas Wilderness. Built in the early 

20th century, the ranch greatly benefited in 2011 from 

the restoration efforts of Boy Scouts, college faculty, 

and other volunteers who came to appreciate the 

ranch’s history. Volunteers removed scrap metal, rotting 

wood, and other debris from the barn; scraped and 

painted window frames; reconstructed a block wall 

around the ranch house; and removed weeds to create 

fire-defensible space around both structures. All of the 

metal that was removed (more than a ton) was taken to 

Safford for recycling.

EACH YEAR,MORE than 30,000 BLM 

volunteers restore and improve natural and cultural 

resources on the public lands. Invaluable assets to the 

BLM in accomplishing its mission, volunteers enjoy 

a sense of having contributed to the greater good 

in addition to benefiting from physical exercise and 

on-the-job learning. Volunteers may be individuals, 

families, groups, or partners, and they are needed for 

both short-range projects and more prolonged ventures. 

The BLM is actively working to promote the 

integration of service projects into classroom education 

as another way to involve youth in the management 

and stewardship of public lands. Service learning 

allows young people to build character as they work 

with members of their school and community, and 

opportunities exist for individual students as well as for 

groups of students and entire schools.
VISITOR OUTREACH 25

EASTERN VOLUNTEERS POLISH A 

“DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH”

To celebrate 2011 Invasive Plant Removal Day in 

Virginia, Earth Sangha, a local ecological organization 

guided by Buddhist principles, organized volunteers 

to enhance the public lands at the BLM’s Meadowood 

Special Recreation Management Area in Lorton, 

Virginia. Volunteers planted a variety of native plant 

species to help crowd out invasive Japanese stilt grass. 

Meadowood’s many shady trails meander through more 

than 600 wooded acres that feature chestnut trees, white 

and northern red oak, bitternut hickory, and sweet gum.

“FOOT SOLDIERS” AND 

“FLOATERS” CLEAN UP 

MONTANA’S MADISON RIVER

In 2011 the Madison-Gallatin chapter of Trout 

Unlimited rallied two dozen volunteers from diverse 

organizations to act as “foot soldiers” and “floaters” in 

the removal of trash from the Madison River in western 

Montana. From the river and riverbank, volunteers, 

some working with canine companions, grabbed 

everything from beer bottles to float tubes. The annual 

community event has been held for several years, 

noticeably reducing the river’s trash load each year.

YOUNG CADETS PERFORM 

COMMUNITY SERVICE IN DILLON

Members of the Montana Youth Challenge Academy, 

a program for at-risk youth ages 15–19, contributed 

40 hours of community service per person to the BLM 

in 2011. Cadets cleaned out and maintained a ditch 

to the Pipe Organ Wetland, rolled and removed a 

nonfunctioning fence that threatened local wildlife, and 

helped to pack up the library at the Dillon Field Office 

in preparation for new paint and carpeting. BLM staff 

guided the cadets and taught them about opportunities 

and careers in resource management.

“CLOVIS QUEST” UNCOVERS CLUES 

TO AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION’S 

ARRIVAL IN EASTERN OREGON

The BLM’s archaeological team is determined to find 

relics that can help answer a question still fueling 

worldwide debate: When did the Clovis Paleo-Indian 

culture arrive in North America? In 2011 volunteers 

combed the high desert in the Burns area of Oregon 

for clues to this ancient people, who created and 

used distinctive weaponry and tools roughly 13,000 

years ago (sometime, it is thought, during the late 
26 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Pleistocene or early Holocene era). Organized through 

the efforts of a BLM seasonal archaeological technician, 

the volunteers came from the Oregon Archaeological 

Society, the University of Oregon Field School, and 

local communities.

2011 SPRING BREAK-ERS TACKLE 

RESTORATION PROJECTS IN 

SOUTHEASTERN UTAH

Plateau Restoration is a nonprofit conservation 

education and service organization devoted to the 

native habitats of the Colorado Plateau. Its ecosystem 

health projects drew 52 university students in 

2011, from as far away as Keene, New Hampshire, 

and Fairbanks, Alaska. The young people removed 

Russian thistle and other invasive species from BLM 

campgrounds and helped establish native plants in the 

cleared areas. All participants received several hours 

of instruction in natural resource management topics, 

including invasive species control, recreation values and 

impacts, restoration principles, the role of the BLM in 

federal land management, and the benefits of resource 

management careers.

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY: 

HELPING HANDS FOR 

AMERICA’S LANDS 

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, thousands of BLM 

volunteers participated in more than 150 National 

Public Lands Day (NPLD) projects in 17 states from 

Alaska to Florida. For service-minded individuals and 

groups, the annual celebration of NPLD, the nation’s 

foremost workday on behalf of our nation’s public 

lands, offered an opportunity to support America by 

enhancing its natural and cultural resources. BLM 

hosted an extraordinary variety of work and educational 

activities, ranging from native seed collection and fuel 

break maintenance to river cleanups and accessiblefacility construction. 

In response to President Obama’s America’s Great 

Outdoors initiative and the First Lady’s Let’s Move 

Outside call to action, NPLD 2011 emphasized 

recreation and health with the message “Public 

Lands = Public Health.” Site coordinators were 

encouraged to integrate healthy recreational activities 

into their NPLD projects and did so in diverse ways, 

offering hiking, biking, rock climbing, and rafting 

activities in conjunction with their work. 

THE BEST OF THE BEST ARE 

SPOTLIGHTED IN WASHINGTON, DC

The BLM recognizes exceptional volunteers, volunteer 

groups, and BLM volunteer leaders at its “Making 

a Difference” National Volunteer Awards program, 

now in its 17th year. Seven individuals and couples 

and one group were honored in 2011; one couple was 

acknowledged in the lifetime achievement category, 

which pays tribute to long-term volunteers. A BLM 

employee winner was also acknowledged.
VISITOR OUTREACH 27

“On National Public Lands Day, we take time to appreciate our parks, 

national forests, wildlife refuges, and other public spaces, and we 

recommit to protecting and restoring them for future generations . . .

By joining in this legacy of conservation, Americans young and old 

protect not only our lands, but also the promise that future generations 

will be able to carry forward the spirit of adventure that lies 

at the heart of our Nation.”

President Barack Obama, 

National Public Lands Day 2011 proclamation
28 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
CAREER PATHWAYS CAREER PATHWAYS 29

CAREER PATHWAYS

With youth employment remaining a high-priority goal for the 

Secretary of the Interior in 2011, the BLM took important steps to 

create and institutionalize career pathways throughout the bureau and 

to ensure that those pathways would be clear and made available to 

youth from all backgrounds. The BLM engaged more than 3,800 youth 

in mission work in 2011, including youth paid by the BLM, such as 

youth corps members, who were hired through partners. Oregon’s 

Jefferson Conservation Corps received one of the prestigious Partners in 

Conservation awards from the Secretary in 2011, shining a spotlight on 

the benefits of youth corps organizations to the BLM, to young people, 

and to the local communities from which they are recruited.
30 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Youth Gain ACCESS TO CAREER 

PATHWAYS through Internships

In 2011 interns hired through universities and other 

BLM partner organizations, as well as through federal 

student employment programs, contributed to a wide 

range of resource programs throughout the BLM. 

Gaining valuable hands-on experience in their fields 

of study, these young people brought remarkable 

enthusiasm and dedication to their jobs. BLM offices 

received funding for salary, recruitment and retention 

expenses, training costs, and administrative costs 

related to new youth hires through the Student Career 

Experience Program (SCEP), the Student Temporary 

Employment Program (STEP), and the Presidential 

Management Fellows program.

Recruitment of YOUTH FROM 

ALL BACKGROUNDS Is Key

The BLM expanded its national recruitment efforts 

through career fairs and conferences at organizations 

associated with the Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Program, Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

Program, and Tribal Colleges 

and Universities Program. 

Students with academic majors related to the BLM’s 

critical occupations were a particular target of these 

outreach efforts.

Creating career pathways for youth from diverse 

backgrounds remained a BLM priority at both the 

national and state levels in 2011. Funding from 

youth programs and Executive Order programs 

supported pilot efforts in Arizona and Colorado, which 

created natural resources education and employment 

opportunities for students from a variety of backgrounds.

The BLM LEADS THE EFFORT To 

Create a 21st-Century Workforce

In February 2011 America’s Great Outdoors: A Promise 

to Future Generations was issued. This report to the 

President reflects input from listening sessions held 

throughout the nation, more than 20 of which were 

organized by young people to focus on issues of 

particular importance to them. The report makes 

recommendations about improving opportunities for 

youth to work and volunteer in America’s Great Outdoors.

The BLM’s strategy for the National Landscape 

Conservation System was officially released on 

September 30, 2011. This document also recognizes 

the importance of engaging young people and 

recruiting and retaining well-trained youth from 

diverse backgrounds in entry-level careers. As the 

following pages attest, the BLM is already well on the 

way to creating a 21st-century workforce that reflects 

the diversity of the nation’s 

population.

“The nation behaves well if it treats 

the natural resources as assets 

which it must turn over to the next 

generation increased, and not 

impaired, in value.”

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President
CAREER PATHWAYS 31

Youth Employment

BUILDING A MOUNTAIN 

BIKE TRAIL BUILDS SKILLS FOR 

OREGON YOUTHS 

Woape is a nonprofit organization providing 

community- and occupation-based instruction in 

indoor and outdoor classrooms to support the spiritual, 

emotional, mental, and physical development of 

local youths. Under the direction of the International 

Mountain Biking Association and trail specialists 

from the BLM’s Salem District, 24 Woape youth 

WYOMING TRIBAL YOUTH GET TO 

KNOW THEIR BLM NEIGHBORS

During the summer of 2011, four students from 

the Wind River Indian Reservation in west-central 

Wyoming completed many projects for the Casper 

and Lander field offices. They cleaned up dispersed 

campsites, constructed fencing around riparian 

areas and old mine shafts, and collected 

seeds for the national Seeds of 

Success program. As STEP 

hires, they learned about the 

multiple responsibilities of 

a federal natural resource 

agency and potential 

career opportunities 

while helping improve 

the public lands and 

teaching BLM staff 

about indigenous culture. 

YOUTH CORPS 

MEMBERS ACQUIRE 

EXPERTISE AND PURSUE 

DREAMS IN OREGON

Winner of a prestigious Partners in Conservation award 

in 2011, the BLM’s partnership with the Jefferson 

Conservation Corps highlighted the benefits that 

partnerships can bring to economically struggling 

areas. Youth corps members received natural resource 

management training and learned marketable skills 

from BLM staff and other partners while removing 

noxious weeds, restoring streams and renovating 

watersheds, pruning trees and reducing fuels, and 

maintaining BLM recreation facilities and trails. 

The goals of the partnership are to provide 

sustainable employment for local young people 

and to encourage their pursuit of careers in 

natural resource management, the timber 

industry, or business.

“Not only 

did we enjoy 

working with them, 

but we learned from 

them. They shared 

many aspects of their 

culture and lives 

with us.”

BLM forester

“Success is not 

just creating this program. 

Anyone could do that. It’s not 

about counting the widgets of 

how many youth we hired... Success is 

taking a vested interest in these amazing 

youth and helping them to achieve their 

dreams...It is about the partnerships 

that help these youth [and help] the 

BLM accomplish its mission.”

BLM Oregon sponsor, 

Jefferson Conservation Corps
32 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

crew participants were employed to work on the new 

Sandy Ridge Mountain Bike Trail System from May 

to September 2011. In a companion effort, the Salem 

District leveraged youth program funds with a grant 

from Nike, Inc., to develop and implement a youthfocused mountain biking program, administered by 

Woape’s new youth development center.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS HELP 

WILDLIFE IN NEW MEXICO

Wildlife species in southeastern New Mexico are 

receiving a helping hand thanks to the Youth Wildlife 

Waters project organized by the BLM’s Carlsbad Field 

Office. In 2011 youth inspected the 

area's wildlife water guzzlers 

for needed repairs, cleaned out drinking troughs, and 

recorded the amount of water in storage tanks. The 

youth also made minor repairs to enclosure fences. 

Such hands-on activities helped participants understand 

how wildlife can benefit from habitat improvement 

affecting food, water, and cover. 

BOOTSTRAPS PROGRAM RESPONDS 

TO MULTIPLE NEEDS IN NEVADA

Bootstraps is a youth work program conducted by the 

University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension, 

to assist at-risk youth. The program aims to instill a 

strong work ethic in participants and to expand their 

educational opportunities and life skills. Every year 

the program selects 12–18 young people to receive a 

combination of classroom training and field experience. 

Youth participants in 2011 assisted the BLM Battle 

Mountain District by completing wildlife habitat 

restoration projects, including enhancement of sagegrouse nesting and brood-rearing habitat. Bootstraps 

crew members also worked on inventory, monitoring, 

and treatment of invasive weeds.

“Conservation is a positive exercise of 

skill and insight, not merely a negative 

exercise of abstinence and caution.”

Aldo Leopold, American conservationist and author 
CAREER PATHWAYS 33

YOUTH CORPS MEMBERS PROTECT 

NATIVE PLANTS AND OTHER 

RESOURCES IN MONTANA

Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) youth conducted 

a variety of resource stewardship projects in 2011. 

The Butte Field Office hired an MCC crew to set up a 

wildlife exclosure fence around a unique population of 

upland Scouler’s willows on 30 acres in Lewis and Clark 

County. The crew spent 2 weeks installing 8-foot-tall 

plastic mesh fencing with 14-foot metal posts around 

the willow population to protect new growth from 

browsing by wildlife and livestock. Other crews in 

Butte helped control noxious weeds and maintained 

a hiking trail to Spokane Bay Recreation Site, near 

Hauser Lake.

In the Dillon Field Office area MCC crews conducted 

trail maintenance on approximately 2 miles of the 

Tipton-Winslow Trail in the Centennial Mountains. 

MCC crews assisting the Missoula Field Office helped 

stabilize one of the historic cabins in Garnet Ghost 

Town and assisted with local trail maintenance.

YOUTH HIRES TAKE THE 

HIGH ROAD IN IDAHO

The BLM Salmon Field Office hired 15 young people 

to install signage on newly opened routes, rehabilitate 

closed routes, and inventory illegal, user-created routes 

in the area. The youth crew completed work for the 

entire north half of the field office’s 

travel management planning 

area in one season. Crew 

members also attended 

training sessions about the 

unique cultural and natural resources on public lands 

in central Idaho, a full-day Leave No Trace program, 

and a job seminar hosted by the field office’s outdoor 

recreation planner. This opportunity for youth to 

learn skills relevant to public land management was 

made possible by a BLM partnership with the Student 

Conservation Association and the U.S Forest Service 

Salmon-Challis National Forest.

CORPS MEMBERS BUILD TRAILS 

AND RESTORE HABITAT IN 

COLORADO

Hikers on the newly constructed trails in Colorado’s 

Vista Grande Community Recreation Area owe their 

enjoyment, in part, to youth crews from the Southwest 

Conservation Corps (SCC) who worked on trail 

construction, and to a partnership between the BLM 

and the community of Saguache. SCC crew members 

were busy in Penitente Canyon as well, building and 

maintaining or improving trails. A young recreation 

assistant with a background in trails was hired for the 

2011 summer season to serve as a liaison for both 

projects and to assist with preplanning and trail layout 

and design.

Gunnison sage-grouse, deer, elk, and desert bighorn 

sheep will benefit from other 2011 projects in 

which SCC crews thinned pinyon-juniper stands 

and mountain shrubs and seeded native forbs and 

grasses. Funding for this and other wildlife habitat 

improvement projects in Dolores, San Miguel, and 

Montrose counties was provided through the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Tamarisk, 
34 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

in California. Their work centered on riparian 

and wildlife restoration within the WSA. 

Using a variety of hand saws, including large 

crosscuts, they cleaned up an area where 

a large amount of unauthorized firewood 

cutting had occurred. The wood that the 

interns cut was then provided to needy 

citizens for fuel. The interns also posted 

signs around four other WSAs to prevent 

encroachment and impacts in 

those areas.

ARIZONA YOUTHS CONSTRUCT 

TRAILS AND RECLAIM 

MONUMENTS

During 11 weeks in spring 2011, youth from the 

Coconino Rural Environment Corps (CREC) helped 

construct the 11-mile Foothills Rim Trail near 

Kingman, Arizona. The trail is within Cerbat Foothills 

Recreation Area, which is cooperatively managed by 

the City of Kingman, the Arizona Game and Fish 

Department, and the BLM’s Kingman Field Office. 

With funding from the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act, CREC crews removed and dispersed 

brush and performed trail tread work according to 

BLM specifications. They accomplished similar work 

on 3 miles of the nearby Cherum Peak Trail as well. 

In southern Arizona, crew members from the 

Southwest Conservation Corps and the Valley of 

the Sun Urban Youth Conservation Corps spent 

7 weeks in the BLM’s Sonoran Desert National 

Monument. As part of Arizona’s Reclaim Our 

American Monuments initiative, the youths 

picked up trash and restored terrain used for 

unauthorized vehicle routes.

by contrast, was on the receiving end of removal efforts 

by SCC crews and youth from the Western Colorado 

Conservation Corps, who cleared this invasive plant 

species as part of the Dolores River Restoration 

Project. The partnership includes The Nature 

Conservancy and The Walton Family 

Foundation.

INTERNS WORK ON THE WILD SIDE 

IN CALIFORNIA

In 2011 five interns from the Student 

Conservation Association learned 

the basic principles of wildlife 

habitat, wilderness ecology, 

and wildlands restoration 

within the Tule Mountain 

Wilderness Study Area (WSA) 

“I led the Dolores River 

Restoration Crew, removing 

tamarisk on sections of the Dolores 

River and its tributaries. We have been 

working in Disappointment Valley for 

30 days, cutting our way through acres of 

tamarisk. It is tough but satisfying work. 

As the season draws to a close, I will 

remember the laughs and the sweat and 

the blood, but mostly I will remember 

Disappointment Valley.” 

2011 SCC member
CAREER PATHWAYS 35

Internships and 

Field Schools: 

Real -World 

Experiences

diversity within the BLM and to provide tribal youth 

with hands-on work experience. In 2011 two AISES 

interns helped the BLM construct a vehicle barrier and 

cattle guards in the Agua Fria National Monument 

to protect sensitive riparian vegetation. They also 

conducted biological monitoring and surveys—notably, 

for the western yellow-billed cuckoo, a candidate 

species for listing as threatened or endangered. 

PLANT CONSERVATION 

INTERNS CONTRIBUTE DIVERSE 

SKILLS IN WYOMING

Nearly 30 interns from the Chicago Botanic Garden’s 

Conservation and Land Management Internship 

Program contributed their expertise to BLM-Wyoming 

during 2011. Programs ranged from plant conservation 

and collection for the Seeds of Success program, 

to threatened and endangered species and range 

management, to the Wyoming Landscape Conservation 

Initiative. One intern was cohosted by the Wyoming 

Natural Diversity Database.

STUDENTS ASSIST WITH 

CURATING ARCHAEOLOGY 

COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA

The next generation of Alaskan archaeologists got 

hands-on experience in the course of bringing 

the BLM’s archaeology collections up to modern 

standards for curation and preservation. The student 

assistants were trained and supervised by a professional 

archaeological collections manager and a curator/

professor. Work was performed under the auspices 

of the Archaeology Department of the University of 

Alaska Museum, which curates BLM archaeology 

collections from all over the state. 

TRIBAL YOUTH GAIN HANDS-ON 

EXPERIENCE IN ARIZONA

Each year, as part of BLM-Arizona’s Youth Initiative, 

the American Indian Science and Engineering Society 

(AISES) administers a 10-week program to foster 

STUDENTS TRACK DINOSAURS 

IN UTAH

Many school groups that visited the Cleveland-Lloyd 

Dinosaur Quarry National Natural Landmark in 2011 

had the pleasure of taking tours led by interpretive 

guides who were themselves students—more specifically, 

student interns from GeoCorps and the Student 

Conservation Association. The interns led younger 

children along a groomed trail to view a dinosaur bone 

embedded in a rocky ledge. Older children were taken 

on a more arduous tour up a nearby hillside, to observe 

multiple paleontological and geological features.
36 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENTS EXPLORE 

THE PAST IN NEW MEXICO

Archaeology students from Washington State University 

conducted a field inventory of archaeological resources 

within the Mesita Blanca and Eagle Peak wilderness 

study areas in 2011. Their work was part of ongoing 

research on Chacoan “Great House” community sites 

in the area. The effort is also aimed at ascertaining the 

role this region played in filtering and transmitting 

traits between the Mogollon and Anasazi cultures, 

two of the Southwest’s major prehistoric cultures. The 

project has reached out to tribal groups to ensure that 

their perspectives and insights are incorporated.

INTERNS CONTRIBUTE 

TO A CULTURAL RESOURCES 

PROGRAM IN UTAH

Several students majoring in archaeology became 

cultural resource program interns with the BLM 

during 2011. The students, who hailed from Utah 

State University and Western Washington University, 

were trained and mentored in many aspects of federal 

archaeology programs. Notably, the experience 

exposed them to site-recording techniques, Native 

American consultation, and compliance with 

the Native American Graves Protection 

and Repatriation Act. Another intern 

catalogued and rehoused prehistoric 

Native American artifacts in 

compliance with Department of the Interior museum 

standards. Employed through the BLM’s Student 

Temporary Employment Program (STEP), this intern 

learned to use the Interior Collections Management 

System cataloging database and performed data entry.

YOUTH EMPLOYEES ARE WELCOMED 

TO IDAHO’S CRATERS OF THE 

MOON AND INVITED TO THE 

UNDERGROUND 

GeoCorps youth were hired in 2011 to complete a 

cave geodatabase for BLM’s Shoshone Field Office. 

The threat of white-nose syndrome in bat populations, 

and policies and procedures for managing the threat, 

were other focus areas. Meanwhile, the interns also 

implemented cave management programs alongside 

National Speleological Society volunteers at Craters 

of the Moon National Monument. Along with the 

GeoCorps members, a young BLM seasonal recreation 

technician led cave tours at the monument, which is 

jointly managed by the BLM and the National Park 

Service.
CAREER PATHWAYS 37

STUDENTS EXCAVATE ROCK 

SHELTERS IN COLORADO

An Archaic-period rock shelter at Lawhead Gulch, 

located near a former big-game river crossing, was the 

scene of modern-day instruction about excavation and 

recording techniques during the summer of 2011. 

Local volunteers and college students from Western 

Wyoming College participated, continuing a tradition 

of summer excavations (now several years in the 

making) in Gunnison Gorge National Conservation 

Area. Archaic-period projectile points and petroglyphs, 

along with Fremont-style basketry, are helping to paint 

a picture of prehistoric life in the region.

BIOLOGY STUDENTS CONDUCT 

FISHERIES RESEARCH IN WYOMING

What students from Brigham Young University didn’t 

know about the northern leatherside chub (a small, 

stream-dwelling fish), they learned by capturing, 

marking, and releasing more than 300 of the fish in 

2011. Graduates and undergraduates alike participated 

in this long-term fisheries research project sponsored by 

the BLM’s Rock Springs Field Office. The study aims 

to determine the relationship among land use patterns, 

stream habitat characteristics, and occurrence and 

abundance of the northern leatherside chub. Students 

have assisted in every phase of the project and, in 2011, 

managed data from three different stream studies.

YOUTH INTERNS MANAGE 

INVASIVE SPECIES INFORMATION 

IN WISCONSIN

Two youths armed with GPS (Global Positioning 

System) units clamored over islands in the Milwaukee 

River and across lands in southeastern Wisconsin, 

downloading information about invasive species and 

importing it into the BLM’s Northeastern States Field 

Office. There the information was merged with GIS 

(Geographic Information Systems) data to create 

spatial information about these populations using the 

application known as NISIMS (the National Invasive 

Species Information Management System). These 

young employees, hired in 2011 to help implement 

NISIMS in the BLM’s Eastern States Office, collected 

important data that was then shared with conservation 

groups and uploaded to the NISIMS national database. 
38 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

BLM HELPS TO CREATE CAREER 

PATHWAYS FOR ALASKA NATIVES 

The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program 

(ANSEP) increases university recruitment and 

retention rates through hands-on middle and high 

school outreach initiatives, rigorous summer bridging 

programs, focused academic learning communities, 

organized student cohorts, networks of peer and 

professional mentors, community-based learning, 

professional internships, and undergraduate and 

graduate research projects. Three ANSEP students 

worked with BLM staff at the Anchorage District 

Office and Anchorage Field Office in 2011. One 

student worked with a BLM wildlife biologist on 

breeding-bird surveys, while another assisted with mine 

inspections and compliance checks. A third ANSEP 

student, already enrolled in college, spent 21⁄2 months 

during the summer collecting stream habitat data on 

the Unalakleet River.

BLM-PHOENIX WORKS TO 

EXPAND CAREER PATHWAYS

A pilot program sponsored by the BLM’s Phoenix 

District expands workforce diversity by creating 

education and employment opportunities for urban 

youth. As part of Hands on the Land programs in the 

Phoenix Union High School District, students learned 

about riparian ecology, fire science, and other land 

management topics in the classroom and outdoors, 

working with numerous local and national partners of 

the BLM.

In 2011 not only did students in the River Pathways 

program receive instruction in “multiple indicator 

monitoring,” but some of them also earned the newly 

created Certificate in Environmental and Natural 

Resources Stewardship. Several other students 

completed a wildland firefighting course, earning 

certifications that enabled them to be employed by the 

BLM as STEP hires. One intern was hired to assist with 

vegetation surveys at Agua Fria National Monument.

The Phoenix District also collaborated with the U.S. 

Department of Labor and its Maricopa County, 

Phoenix, and Yavapai County workforce investment 

boards to create a national pilot program to hire and 

train underprivileged urban youth. Several other BLM 

states, including Colorado and California, are working 

with minority-serving institutions and other partners to 

replicate this model program.
APPENDIX 39

APPENDIX

The BLM Education Program charts and graphs in 

this report reflect data submitted by BLM state and 

field offices for only those FY 2011 projects and 

programs that engaged or educated youth up to age 25. 

They do not reflect the entire scope of education and 

interpretation activities in which BLM offices are engaged.

FY 2011 BLM Education Program Costs and Funding Sources, by State

$0

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Eastern States

Idaho

Montana/Dakotas

Nevada

New Mexic

o

Oregon/Washington

Utah

Wyoming

$200,000

Total BLM funding

Dollar value of partner contributions

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

$1,400,000

FY 2011 BLM HOL and TIO Programs, by State*

State

Number of HOL sites 

reporting

Number of HOL 

participants

Number of TIO event 

reports received

Number of TIO 

participants

Alaska 2 9,246 6 2,869

Arizona 3 278 4 62

California 10 5,639 11 2,629

Colorado 0 0 10 279

Eastern States 1 500 9 1,647

Idaho 3 1,243 6 1,523

Montana/Dakotas 1 125 5 480

Nevada 2 9,590 7 2,942

New Mexico 1 550 2 1,394

Oregon/Washington 6 13,377 44 8,333

Utah 2 1,476 8 3,155

Wyoming 1 21 22 1,889

Totals 32 42,045 134 27,202

HOL = Hands on the Land, TIO = Take It Outside! 

*Reports were not received for all HOL sites or TIO events.
40 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

State

Number 

of youth 

participants 

(excluding 

hires)

Number 

of adult 

participants

Number 

of partner 

groups 

involved

Value of 

partner 

contributions 

($ cash/in-kind)

Total BLM 

funding ($)

Total 

program 

cost ($)

Alaska 12,305 2,378 42 236,226 182,656 418,882

Arizona 942 250 49 85,549 88,872 174,421

California 39,255 17,586 227 644,495 650,119 1,294,614

Colorado 13,144 2,641 170 345,868 260,943 606,811

Eastern States 3,227 491 25 17,100 37,150 54,250

Idaho 49,161 18,875 62 165,135 327,481 492,616

Montana/Dakotas 6,091 5,514 111 56,956 239,390 296,346

Nevada 22,704 6,083 51 263,972 650,400 914,372

New Mexico 6,345 2,840 12 33,221 82,726 115,947

Oregon/Washington 36,687 17,078 270 192,000 518,000 710,000

Utah 10,299 3,721 117 335,614 264,650 600,264

Wyoming 14,968 5,961 252 480,791 569,727 1,050,518

Totals 215,128 83,418 1,388 2,856,927 3,872,114 6,729,041

Youth Ages 15–25 Hired by BLM States and Centers in FY 20111

0

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Eastern States

FA/NIFC*

Idaho

Montana/Dakotas

Nevada

New Mexic

o

NOC**

WO***

Oregon/Washington

Utah

Wyoming

100

Partner-supported hires

Youth hires in Federal Personnel/Payroll System

1 Based on data from the Federal Personnel/Payroll System and on quarterly reports provided by the states during FY 2011

* FA/NIFC = Fire & Aviation/ National Interagency Fire Center

** NOC = National Operations Center

*** WO = Washington Oce of the BLM, including the National Training Center

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

FY 2011 BLM Education Program Statistics, by State
APPENDIX 41

BLM Hands on the Land Sites

Site Field Office State

Campbell Creek Science Center Anchorage District Office Alaska

Glennallen Field Office Glennallen Field Office Alaska

Agua Fria National Monument Phoenix Field Office Arizona

Empire Ranch Tucson Field Office Arizona

Metro Tech's Fire Science Program Phoenix Field Office Arizona

Atwell Island Bakersfield Field Office California

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office California

CA Coastal National Monument Trinidad Gateway Arcata Field Office California

Desert Discovery Center Barstow Field Office California

Fish Slough Bishop Field Office California

Headwaters Forest Reserve Arcata Field Office California

King Range National Conservation Area Arcata Field Office California

San Joaquin River Gorge Bakersfield Field Office California

Sand Canyon Environmental Education Program Ridgecrest Field Office California

Trinity County Resource Conservation District Redding Field Office California

Garden Park Fossil Area Royal Gorge Field Office Colorado

Jupiter Inlet Natural Area Southeastern States Field Office Florida

Challis Outdoor Classroom Challis Field Office Idaho

Coeur d'Alene Field Office Coeur d'Alene Field Office Idaho

FIRE Up for Summer Idaho State Office Idaho

Upper Missouri River Breaks NM Interpretive Center Lewistown Field Office Montana

Carson City District Office Carson City District Office Nevada

Don't Trash Nevada Southern Nevada Field Office Nevada

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Southern Nevada Field Office Nevada

El Malpais National Conservation Area Rio Puerco Field Office New Mexico

Alder Creek Children's Forest Roseburg District Office Oregon

McGregor Park Medford District Office Oregon

Roseburg District Roseburg District Office Oregon

Table Rocks Medford District Office Oregon

West Eugene Wetlands Education Center Eugene District Office Oregon

Wildwood Recreation Site Salem District Office Oregon

Black Ledges Archaeology Camp Cedar City Field Office Utah

Green River Bonanza Bridge Vernal Field Office Utah

GSENM Student Explorations Grand Staircase-Escalante NM Utah

Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area Lower Potomac Field Station Virginia

Buffalo Field Office Buffalo Field Office Wyoming

Mallo Recreation Area Newcastle Field Office Wyoming

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center Casper Field Office Wyoming
42 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

BLM “LEARNING LANDSCAPES” 

WEBSITE, www.blm.gov/education

In addition to teacher workshops and other 

opportunities for professional development, the BLM 

offers a wealth of educational resources on its Learning 

Landscapes website. These include articles and classroom 

activities authored by BLM resource specialists, as well as 

educational pieces published as newspaper inserts and in 

other media.

The website also features highlights and educator guides 

from BLM-developed distance learning programs, 

including satellite broadcasts and interactive electronic 

field trips. Designed to complement existing curricula, 

BLM teacher resources typically focus on topics of 

particular interest to BLM land managers. 

The Learning Landscapes site also offers resources 

for kids and lifetime learners, including “homework 

helpers,” engaging activities, and information to 

encourage young people and families to “Take It 

Outside!”

OTHER WEBSITES OF INTEREST

BLM Volunteer Program – www.blm.gov/volunteer.

This site features BLM Volunteer Program activities, 

news, and projects.

BLM Youth Initiatives – www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/

more/blms__youth_initiatives.html. This site offers 

information on BLM programs for school-age youth, as 

well as resources on youth corps, internships, and BLM 

career opportunities.

Hands on the Land – www.handsontheland.org.

Teachers can find Hands on the Land educational 

resources, view site profiles, and take virtual tours.

Volunteer.gov – www.volunteer.gov. 

Interested citizens can search volunteer job opportunities 

offered by several land management agencies, including 

the BLM.
The mention of company names, trade names, or commercial products does not constitute 

endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government.

This publication was produced by the BLM Division of Education, 

Interpretation, and Partnerships. Additional copies may be obtained by 

calling (202) 912-7457 or by writing to: BLM Division of Education, 

Interpretation, and Partnerships, 1849 C Street, N.W., 2134LM, 

Washington, D.C. 20240.

The BLM Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships 

would like to thank the many BLM employees from BLM field offices, 

headquarters, and the National Operations Center for their invaluable 

contributions to this update.

BLM/WO/GI-12/018+1400