Martin selected as ARC Legend Award recipient — for second time!

Written by: Steve Leon

Bill Martin. LCR photo by Patrick Jacobs“The biggest reward I get in my job is seeing the public use the recreation projects; it makes it all worthwhile!”

That is how Outdoor Recreation Planner Bill Martin responded to his selection as a 2016 recipient of the American Recreation Coalition’s (ARC) Legend Award. Initiated by ARC in 1991, the Legends Award program recognizes Federal employees for extraordinary personal effort who have “. . . made a real difference in enhancing outdoor recreation programs and resources.”

“I look at the award as an award to the LC Region, area offices and our partners,” Martin said modestly when asked about the award. “It takes a team of people to get the work that we have accomplished over the years completed. I believe that working in teams and partnerships is the most cost-effective way to manage natural and cultural resources.”

Martin added that he has enjoyed working with the other entities on various outdoor recreation projects. This group includes the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Clark County, Mohave County, the City of Henderson, City of Boulder City, City of Bullhead City and “. . . others to accomplish recreation-related projects throughout the LC Region,” he said.

In his nomination, Martin, who works in the Resource Management Office (RMO), is described as a 38-year Reclamation veteran who has worked in three of Reclamation’s Regions. It states how the nomination, submitted by RMO Chief Marc Maynard, focuses on his accomplishments from 2006 to present. Projects on which he worked prior to 2006 were not included because in 2006 he won his first Legend Award. The acclaim for his efforts is complemented by his status as the only person to receive two such awards since the program began.

“Through his management and vision in the Recreation and Fish and Wildlife Program (RFW) and the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) programs, Bill has contributed significantly to recreation opportunities in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona over the past 10 years,” his nomination states. “Through the RFW and SNPLMA programs, Bill has helped to design and build a number of local recreation facilities. These Clark County projects include the Laughlin Colorado River Heritage Park and Trails, a Wetlands Park, the River Mountains Loop Trail, the Historic Railroad Trail, the Logandale Off-Road Vehicle Trail, accessible public fishing facilities at Lake Havasu in Mohave County, Arizona and providing outdoor education improvements at existing regional facilities and facilities that he helped design and build.”

The nomination goes on to say how Martin was “. . . instrumental in getting local trails designated as National Recreation Trails, National Blue Water Trail and Scenic Highways, and how he also worked to improve existing facilities such as the canoe/kayak launch below Hoover Dam which provides access to the National Blue Water Trail. Additionally, Martin is highlighted in his nomination for his engagement, enthusiasm, and vision, along with his use of formal and informal partnerships to accomplish work.

“A great example of Bill’s use of partnerships is related to the recent designation of the National Blue Water Trail below Hoover Dam,” said Maynard. “Bill worked in partnership with the National Park Service and the Outside Las Vegas Foundation to develop the Lower Colorado River Water Trail Alliance.”

This Alliance is a partnership consisting of Federal, state and local entities as well as non-profit organizations and for profit river outfitters to support the designation, improvement of access, and information on the Blue Water Trail. During the summer of 2015, the Alliance sponsored four YMCA summer youth programs, which involved 160 youths at Lake Mohave for a day. The partners funded the YMCA transportation to the site, provided kayaking and rafting opportunities, and presented a Colorado River water education/conservation hands on session.

The Alliance would like to make this an annual event. The Alliance is also in the process of publishing a Colorado River, Blue Water Trail user’s guide. A link to the online platform can be found at http://blackcanyonwatertrail.org/.

Martin was also acknowledged for his past and current efforts at the Laughlin Colorado River Heritage Park and Trails, which according to the Laughlin Town Manager’s office “. . . will lead to an economic benefit by opening up a new form of tourism for the Laughlin and Tristate area.”

He received his formal education from the University of California in Sacramento, where he earned degrees in natural resource management and business administration.

ARC is a Washington-based nonprofit organization formed in 1979. Since its inception, ARC has sought to catalyze public/private partnerships to enhance and protect outdoor recreational opportunities and the resources upon which such experiences are based. ARC also monitors legislative and regulatory proposals that influence recreation and works with government agencies and the U.S. Congress to study public-policy issues that will shape future recreational opportunities. For more information, visit www.funoutdoors.com.

Published on June 06, 2016