United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Oregon State Office
P.O. Box 2965
Portland, Oregon 97208
April 9, 2012
In Reply Refer To:
1400-252 (OR910) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 04/10/2012
Information Bulletin No. OR-2012-049
To:
All Oregon/Washington Employees
From:
State Director, Oregon/Washington
Subject:
Membership and Participation in Professional Societies
The Oregon/Washington (OR/WA) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages
approximately 16 million acres of the nation’s most treasured natural and cultural resources. To
fulfill our mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of these public lands, the
BLM hires a diverse and highly qualified professional workforce. Our employees are our
greatest asset in ensuring that our management is based on the best use of available science and
meets professional standards.
With the many resource conservation challenges facing us, it is essential that BLM professionals
maintain their knowledge and skills. Membership and participation in professional societies are
excellent ways to maintain and enhance our capabilities in professional resource management.
Membership and participation not only help to develop a knowledge-based workforce but also
enable the BLM to accomplish our strategic and program goals. It also helps to develop a higher
degree of public confidence and trust in our professional abilities. There are many benefits and
opportunities as a member of a professional society, such as:
networking and development of relationships with other agency, academia, and private
sector professionals;
increased agency visibility and enhanced professional reputation;
continuing education opportunities and exposure to the latest technological
developments;
opportunities to pursue and maintain professional certification;
training opportunities at reasonable costs;
enhanced employee morale, self-esteem, and motivation; and
development of leadership skills.
2
I strongly support your active participation in your respective professional society if you are
already a member. If you are not currently a member, I encourage you to consider joining.
I also encourage your supervisor and manager to support your involvement, recognizing that
budgetary constraints will affect the number of people that can travel to attend meetings. Even
though participation benefits the BLM, managers also need to balance on-the-clock involvement
with workloads.
Federal law prohibits the use of appropriated funds to pay membership and there are restrictions
on fiduciary decisions that involve the BLM. The State Office ethics coordinator can help
resolve any questions that may come up.
Districts with Unions are reminded to notify their unions of this information bulletin and satisfy
any bargaining obligations before implementation. Your servicing Human Resources Office or
Labor Relations Specialist can provide you with assistance in this matter.
Signed by
Edward W. Shepard
State Director
Oregon/Washington
Distribution
WO100
Authenticated by
Paj Shua Cha
Records Section