Denver, CO– Regional and national efforts by the Bureau of Land Management were highlighted in the annual Comparative Analysis of Particular Excellence (CAPE) awards being handed out by The Wilderness Society’s BLM Action Center. For more than 75 years The Wilderness Society has pushed for added protections of our public lands and in the past year the BLM has made progress towards that effort.

The Wilderness Society’s BLM Action Center announced ten new recipients of the annual award identifying significant first steps and meaningful permanent protections for western lands.

Vermillion Basin Protected at Last! (5 CAPEs)
Recipient: Little Snake Field Office

Jarbidge Draft RMP Protects Wildlife, Wilderness and Fun (4 CAPEs)
Jarbidge Draft RMP Protects Wildlife, Wilderness and Fun

Carrizo Plain National Monument Protects Wilderness-Quality Lands (4 CAPEs)
Recipient: Carrizo Plain National Monument Staff

Secretarial Order Calls for Protecting Our National Conservation Lands (4 CAPEs)
Recipient: Secretary Ken Salazar

Long Overdue Reforms to BLM’s Oil and Gas Program (3 CAPEs)
Recipient: BLM Washington DC Office

Evaluation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Plan 10 Years Later (3 CAPEs)
Recipient: GSENM Implementation Assessment Team

BLM Joins Effort to Guide Landscape Scale Conservation and Renewable Energy Development in the California Desert (2 CAPEs)
Recipient: BLM California State Office

Prehistoric Trackways National Monument Releases Strong Preliminary Alternatives for Public Comment (2 CAPEs)
Recipient: Prehistoric Trackways National Monument Staff

BLM Sets New Guidance for Implementing Travel Plans (2 CAPEs)
Recipient: Division of Recreation and Visitor Services

Agua Fria National Monument Curtails Damage from ORVs (1 CAPE)
Recipient: Rem Hawes, Monument Manager and the Monument Staff

BLM Continues to Prioritize Stakeholder Engagement, Consideration of Multiple Alternatives for Proposed SunZia Transmission Project (Honorable Mention)
Recipient: BLM New Mexico State Office

BLM Initiates a New Planning Process for Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (Honorable Mention)
Recipient: BLM Alaska State Office

“We’re encouraged to see the BLM making important progress this year towards protecting our western wildlands,” said Culver. “These landscapes are treasured by all Americans for hiking, hunting, and their breathtaking scenery. The CAPE Awards are our way of recognizing the agency for taking action to protect wilderness-quality lands and other important resources.”