The Wilderness Society's BLM Action Center presents the annual CAPE Awards to  the Bureau of Land Management for achieving meaningful protections for public lands. The new administration took some important steps for wildlands conservation this year and we’re excited to count down the BLM's top ten accomplishments of 2009.

Here they are, in order (5 CAPEs is the highest ranking, l the lowest):

1. New Guidance for the National Landscape Conservation System Reaffirms Protective Management
   
   Recipient: BLM NLCS Office, Washington DC
    
2. Final Review of 77 Oil and Gas Lease Parcels Offered in BLM-Utah’s December 2008 Lease Sale: Recommendations for Balanced Oil and Gas Management
   
   Recipient: Review Team; Mark Stiles, Team Leader
    
3. BLM Takes Critical Steps Towards Environmentally Responsible Solar Energy Development
   
   Recipient: BLM National Renewable Energy Team & Solar Energy PEIS Team
    
4. Arizona BLM’s Restoration Design Energy Project: Turning Brownfields Green with Renewable Energy
   
   Recipient: BLM Arizona State Office
    
5. Craters of the Moon National Monument Travel Plan Prioritizes Protection of Monument Resources
   
   Recipient: Craters of the Moon National Monument Staff
    
6. Nevada ACECs Withdrawn From Hardrock Mining
   
   Recipient: Las Vegas Field Office
    
7. Canyons of the Ancients Staff Explores the Meaning of its Proclamation
   
   Recipient: Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Staff
    
8. Arizona Strip Monuments Set Criteria for Large Motorized Events
   
   Recipient: Arizona Strip District Office
    
9. Exceptional Martinez Canyon Protected from Harmful Off-Road Use
   
   Recipient: Tucson Field Office
    
10. BLM Enforces the Paria River Closure in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
     
    Recipient: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Staff

Read the full awards listing for stories about this year's CAPE Award winners and even a couple Honorable Mentions.