Public Lands Foundation

Educated members on land issues and provided information to members on related issues. Held quarterly conference calls with Board members and an annual meeting for members to network and share views on BLM issues. This years annual meeting theme was Recreation and National Landscape Conservation System Management. The annual meeting had a range of local experts that discussed recreation, partnerships and permits. The general message was the importance of developing partnership efforts between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), State recreation agencies, recreation stakeholder interest groups, and public land users to address ever-increasing recreation demands on the public lands. The importance of developing strong relationships with local communities and the value of Friends organizations to support the work of BLM in management of National Conservation Areas and Monuments was also addressed

Awarded two $ 5000 scholarships to deserving junior, senior or master-level college students pursuing degrees in natural resources management or public land policy related fields. These scholarships assist the students in successfully completing their studies and encourage them to seriously consider future employment with the BLM or other federal land management agencies. This scholarship allows a shadow opportunity with a BLM Manager.

Student Congress Fourteen volunteers spent hundreds of hours over a two-year period developing, organizing and implementing the sixth biennial John Freemuth Student Congress in Las Vegas, NV in October 2024. Twenty-three college and graduate students from throughout the United States participated in the Congress.