BLM-Alaska, Recreation Capacity Building Partnership

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The BLM in Alaska has many obligations for managing public lands and there is a need for additional capacity to accomplish long term goals and projects. Assistance could allow for the expansion of opportunities and services beyond those required for BLM to accomplish its mission. The BLM and partners could benefit from recreation assistance in the form of organizing outreach events, and joint projects. Assistance from a non-profit partner would help the BLM align recreation goals with communities, develop a land ethic within local communities, deliver the services communities and visitors want while improving effectiveness and efficiency. The principal purpose of this project is to cooperatively develop and support a long-term strategy to create comprehensive recreational trail systems and visitor use facilities for public use and enjoyment. The strategy will emphasize organizing and utilizing the combined efforts of volunteers, trail organization members and staff, and affected public agencies to incrementally develop the system of recreation services delivery. This agreement stimulates the realization of public purposes and benefits by providing the public with volunteer trail project opportunities at the local level, the latest educational and training resources, increases the knowledge, skills and abilities of community and trail volunteers, organization members, recreation and tourism advocates and agency staff via staffing support, trail events, longer term volunteer opportunities on public lands and through targeted educational projects. The agreement also facilitates the creation of locally managed, cost-effective, locally-based, recreation experience delivery systems in a variety of communities across Alaska in response to rising public demand for such recreation opportunities and the limited availability of agency resources to meet that demand.

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