Contact:
Rebecca Silver, Sierra Club Mission Outdoors, rebecca.silver@sierraclub.org, 201-981-1221
Kaveh Sadeghzadeh, Bureau of Land Management, kcsadegh@blm.gov, 202-308-0181
The Bureau of Land Management and Sierra Club Mission
Outdoors
Commemorate Veteran’s Day with Photo and Essay Contest for Military
Service Members and Families
(NOVEMBER 12, 2012 – WASHINGTON, DC) - As part
of their continued commitment to serving the members of our nation’s Armed
Forces, the Bureau of Land
Management and Sierra Club Mission Outdoors kicked off their first annual Veterans Day Essay and Photo
Contest. This contest, centered on the theme “What My Public Lands Mean to Me,”
encourages veterans, active-duty military, and their families to submit photos,
essays and video about their experiences and memories of time spent outside on
America’s public lands.
The BLM and Sierra Club will accept entries through
Thursday, December 6 at http://mypubliclands.challenge.gov. Beginning December 7
(Pearl Harbor Day) and through December 14, members of the public will be able
to vote for their favorite entries through the same website. The three most popular entries will be
featured on the BLM and Sierra Club websites and social media platforms, and
receive an outdoor support kit from the Sierra Club.
“As a veteran, I have not only experienced the
healing powers of our country’s public lands first hand, but have been lucky
enough to hear others tell me about their positive experiences,” said Sierra
Club Mission Outdoors Director Stacy Bare. “This contest will allow others like
me to share their stories, photos, and videos highlighting the important role our
public lands have played in their lives.”
The BLM-managed lands provide veterans with not
only a wide variety of recreational activities, but also an opportunity to
enhance physical and emotional well-being. Today’s announcement comes one month
after a military
family outing at the Organ Mountains on BLM-managed land in
New Mexico, hosted by the Sierra Club. During the event, for service members
and their families engaged in hikes, children’s events, and educational
workshops.
“Each and every day, the men and women of our
Armed Forces commit their lives around the world to defending our nation,” said
BLM Acting Director Mike Pool. “The BLM is proud to welcome them home,
celebrate their service, and invite them to enjoy the most beautiful parts of
this country they have so dutifully served.”
Through
direct programming, public education and advocacy, Sierra Club’s Mission
Outdoors program combats the growing divide between America and the outdoors by
increasing opportunities for all to improve their overall well-being by exploring
and enjoying the natural world. Over the
last few years the Sierra Club has worked with over 50,000 service members,
veterans, and family members from all over the country to help ease the
stresses of service and coming home by helping them get outside.
More information on the contest, including how
to enter and a complete set of rules, can be found at http://mypubliclands.challenge.gov.