THE PUBLIC LANDS FOUNDATION presents the Friends of Saddle Mountain with a Landscape Stewardship Certificate of Appreciation and Citation.  The Foundation grants this recognition to honor private citizens and organizations who work to advance and sustain community-based stewardship on landscapes that include, in whole or in part, public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Candidates for the award include any private citizen or citizen group of the United States who, over the past 1-5 years, has demonstrated sustained outstanding leadership, vision, and purpose in contributing to BLM’s efforts and in motivating other citizens and institutions to work together to more effectively manage whole landscapes, including watersheds, planning or management units, and other land systems upon which people share a common interest.

In his nomination of the Friends of Saddle Mountain, Jack Ragsdale, Outdoor Recreation Planner for BLM’s Lower Sonoran Field Office, detailed many of the contributions they have made.

The Friends of Saddle Mountain include approximately 20 volunteers that have assisted BLM in natural and cultural resource inventories and monitoring in the Saddle Mountain region covering nearly 58,000 acres.  They have identified and continue to monitor hundreds of archaeological sites and resources in the area.  They assist with the maintenance and inspection of over 50 miles of pedestrian and motorized routes.  They provide maintenance of kiosks and recreation signage.  They monitor and provide treatment of invasive plant species along roadside areas of the region.  They remove unauthorized trials and restore native habitat.  And, they provide field trips and outreach to the general public and other organizations.  Additionally, they established a 501(c)3 organization to directly benefit the resources of Saddle Mountain and BLM’s mission.  Recently, the Friends have started training in providing outreach materials based on the “Tread Lightly” and “Leave No Trace” program, which will eventually be presented to the general public and organizations in the Buckeye and Tonopah, Arizona area.

The Public Lands Foundation is pleased to present the Friends of Saddle Mountain with this Citation and a Certificate of Appreciation for invaluable contributions to the stewardship of America’s public landscapes.

June 28, 2016