News.bytes, issue 404 - BLM California

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:06:17 -0700



Title: News.bytes, issue 404 - BLM California - 10/14/09

    
        A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California

        
        Issue 404 - 10/15/09 

        
        THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:

        - DOI Secretary Salazar and BLM Director Abbey visit California

        - Renewable Energy

        - Not for educators only:

              - Wildlife trivia question of the week

        - Wild Horses and Burros 

        - Firewood and Fire Management 

        - Recreation and Volunteers 

        - Headlines and highlights 

        - Selected upcoming events 

        - National and/or Department of the Interior items 
         
        Also see this issue of News.bytes online at:

        http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/newsbytes/2009/404.html
        
            
                    DOI SECRETARY SALAZAR AND BLM DIRECTOR ABBEY VISIT CALIFORNIA
                    Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visits Southern California (News.bytes Extra)

                    Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and BLM Director Bob Abbey visit BLM's Field Office in Palm Springs to emphasize the importance of renewable energy development in helping address climate change.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2009/404Extra-salazarvisit.html
                    

                    "Secretary Salazar, Director Abbey Open Renewable Energy Coordination Office in California to Speed Project Processing" (DOI News Release, 10/9/09)

                    " Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey officially opened a California Renewable Energy Coordination Office, one of several Interior initiatives to expedite the leasing and production of renewable energy resources on public lands in the West. '?These offices in California, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming, along with our renewable permitting teams in six other western states, will help to swiftly complete application reviews on the most ready-to-go and environmentally appropriate solar, wind, and geothermal projects on U.S. public lands,' Salazar said. 'In California the coordinating office will enable us to balance vital renewable energy development with the needed protection of sensitive resources in the California Desert Conservation Area.'"

                    http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100909c.html 
                    

                    "Salazar discusses future plans for solar projects" (The Desert Sun, 10/10/09)

                    "The United States could be generating 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said Friday, the Coachella Valley could be the 'point of the spear in making these goals a reality.'?

                    http://www.mydesert.com/article/20091010/NEWS01/910100306/-1/newsfront
                    

                    "Interior secretary's goals are to boost power projects, preserve land" (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 10/9/09)

                    "U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar vowed Friday to step up the pace of alternative-energy development on the nation's public lands but also to take care in preserving unspoiled terrain important to wildlife. 'We want to scale up the pace of environmentally appropriate projects, and I emphasize environmentally appropriate,' Salazar told reporters gathered outside of the federal Bureau of Land Management office in Palm Springs, where wind turbines could be seen in the distance."

                    http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_abbey10.483c8da.html# 
                    

                    "Secretary of the Interior visits the Coachella Valley" (Palm Springs Desert Sun, 10/9/09)

                    "Salazar was in the valley today for an aerial tour of federal parks and the public lands east of Joshua Tree National Park being primed for major solar development. His visit also marked the official opening of a new Renewable Energy Coordination Office at the Bureau of Land Management Field Office in Palm Springs." 

                    http://www.mydesert.com/article/20091009/NEWS01/91009011/1141/RSS25/Secretary-of-the-Interior-visits-the-Coachella-Valley
                    

                    "U.S. Interior Secretary Talks Clean Energy in Palm Springs" (KESQ, 10/9/09)

                    "The Coachella Valley stands as the epicenter of the nation's potential for harnessing wind and solar energy. That's according to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who arrived in Palm Springs Friday morning after flying from LAX, above the I-10 corridor to Blythe, getting a bird's eye view of what he feels are promising areas for the future of renewable energy."

                    http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11290539
                     
                    
                    BLM Director Bob Abbey visits Piedras Blancas Light Station (News.bytes Extra)

                    BLM Director Bob Abbey toured Piedras Blancas Light Station on California?s central coast as part of his visit to California.  Abbey met with Piedras association members and volunteers at a Wednesday evening event and was given a tour by volunteers and staff the next day.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2009/404abbey-piedras.html 
                     
                     
                    RENEWABLE ENERGY

                    
                    "Secretary Salazar, Gov. Schwarzenegger Sign Initiative to Expedite Renewable Energy Development" (TradingMarkets, 10/12/09)

                    "Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed what they called 'a model of federal-state initiative and cooperation' to use expedited review and processing and Recovery Act funding to spur the development of environmentally appropriate renewable energy on U.S. lands in California."

                    http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2575525/
                    

                    "Sunrise Powerlink Project Faces Legal Challenges" (KPBS, 10/13/09)

                    "The route for the proposed Sunrise Powerlink electrical transmission line would cross a national forest and other public lands in southeast San Diego County. While the California Public Utilities Commission has approved it, legal challenges may delay or possibly derail the Sunrise project."

                    http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/oct/13/sunrise-powerlink-project-faces-legal-challenges/ 
                    

        NOT for EDUCATORS ONLY: 
        

                    coyote - from a photo by National Park Service

                    
                    WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK: 

                    Coyote pups leave their parents at four to ten months of age, usually?

                    (a.) ?because family groups will not hunt together.

                    (b.) ?when their mother and father split up for prime hunting season.

                    (c.) ?to move to a distant area where their hunting territories will never overlap with their parents.

                    (d.) ?when food becomes scarce.

                    (e.) ?when they realize they are smarter than their parents. 

                    ------> See answer -- and more information -- near the end of this issue of News.bytes. 

                    
                    WILD HORSES AND BURROS

                    
                    "Salazar Presents Ambitious Plan to Manage Wild Horses" (Washington Post, 10/8/09)

                    "Preserves in Midwest and East, Sterilizations Proposed as Population Grows Beyond Control in West|."

                    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100703237.html?hpid=moreheadlines
                    

                    "7 Preserves Envisioned to Manage Wild Horses" (New York Times, 10/8/09)

                    "Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday that he was proposing to create seven new wild-horse preserves, including one in the East and one in the Midwest, to address the problem of a growing population crowding the Western range. The program, which also applies to wild burros, would expand the use of contraceptives and would geld more herds on public lands in the West, Mr. Salazar said. "

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/tu/nytimes/20091008horses
                    

                    "Wild horse preserves proposed for Midwest and East" (Los Angeles Times, 10/8/09)

                    "Thousands of mustangs that roam the West would be moved to preserves in the Midwest and East to protect the wild horses and the rangelands that support them, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday. 'We have a huge problem -- out-of-control populations of wild horses and burros on our public lands,' Salazar said in a conference call with reporters. 'The problem has been growing and simmering over time, and it's time for us to do something about it that protects the horses, the public lands and the taxpayers.'"

                    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wild-horses8-2009oct08,0,3717377.story
                    

                    "Interior Secretary Wants to Move Surplus Population of Wild Horses from West to East at a Cost of $96 Million" (CNS News, 10/9/09) 

                    "Saying that 'we have a huge problem in America today' with wild horses and burros, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday asked Congress to buy land to create two new 'national wild horse preserves' for 37,000 horses. The estimated cost is $96 million.  Salazar said the new preserves would relocate the horses from land in the western United States, where they are said to contribute to overgrazing, to more lush areas in the East." 

                    http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/55196
                    

                    "Pesky burros being relocated from Big Bear Valley" (Riverside Press Enterprise, 10/15/09)

                    "Midnight snacks on residential landscaping and hee-hawing that keeps the neighborhood awake are among Big Bear Valley residents' complaints about 50 burros that will be rounded up and hauled to an adoption facility, officials said Wednesday. "

                    http://www.pe.com/localnews/environment/stories/PE_News_Local_S_burros15.367a2ea.html
                     
                     
                    "Burro-ing out of Valley" (Big Bear Grizzly, 10/7/09)

                    "A representative of the Bureau of Land Management is expected to arrive in Big Bear during the week to investigate the wild burro situation in the East Valley. According to Robin Eliason, biologist with the San Bernardino National Forest, the representative will determine what steps to take to protect the burros while keeping them out of East Valley neighborhoods."

                    http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/articles/2009/10/07/news/doc4acbe4067df23819418419.txt
                    

                    FIREWOOD AND FIRE MANAGEMENT

                    
                    Firewood Cutting Area to Open in King Range (BLM News Release, 10/14/09)

                    Firewood cutting will be allowed at a designated area in the King Range National Conservation Area beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14, and continuing until fire restrictions are put in place next summer.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/NC1004_kingrange_firewood_cutting.html
                    

                    BLM Lifting Fire Restrictions on North Coast Public Lands (BLM News Release, 10/14/09)

                    With the onset of rainy weather, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has ended fire restrictions on public lands managed by the Arcata Field Office in Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/NC1003_arcata_liftrestrictions.html
                    

                    Restrictions on Outdoor Burning Lifted (BLM News Release, 10/14/09) 

                    The Bureau of Land Management also announced that fire restrictions have ended on public lands in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Butte, Tehama and Trinity counties in California, and in Washoe County, Nevada.  Permits are required for campfires outside of developed campgrounds.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/NC1002_liftrestrictions_Oct09.html
                    

                    Bureau of Land Management Hollister Office Lifts Fire Restrictions (BLM News Release, 10/14/09)

                    With the onset of cooler temperatures, the Bureau of Land Management will lift fire restrictions on public lands within the Hollister Field Office jurisdiction effective Friday, Oct. 16.   This includes the Tumey, Griswold, Ciervo, and Panoche Hills. Visitors will be able to have open campfires and barbecue fires at campsites on BLM public lands with a valid California campfire permit, according to Fire Mitigation Specialist Michael Chiodini.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/CC1002_hollister_lifts_restrictions.html
                    

                    "Fire Safe Council denied funding" (Ukiah Daily Journal, 10/10/09) 

                    "The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council did not get $482,434 that it asked for in an application for 2010 funding that was submitted to the California Fire Safe Council."

                    http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_13532398?IADID=Search-www.ukiahdailyjournal.com-www.ukiahdailyjournal.com
                     
                    
                    RECREATION AND VOLUNTEERS 

                    
                    Fall Colors Highlight Bizz Johnson Trail Weekend Bike Ride (BLM News Release, 10/9/09)

                    Autumn colors are adorning the Bizz Johnson Trail between Susanville and Westwood in northeast California, and a great way to enjoy the scene is from the saddle of a mountain bike. The Bureau of Land Management will make a fall color outing easy with the annual Fall Colors Ride and bus shuttle on Saturday, Oct. 17.  The shuttles enable mountain bikers to organize one-way rides without the logistics of arranging their own vehicle shuttles.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/NC1001_weekend_mountainbike_ride.html
                    

                    National Public Lands Day at the Carrizo Plain National Monument (News.bytes Extra)

                    Sixty-five volunteers braved 102-degree heat at the Carrizo Plain National Monument to accomplish a variety of projects on National Public Lands Day.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2009/404-npld-carrizo.html
                    

                    "Marines, sailors volunteer in local community" (Hi-Desert Star/The Observation Post, 10/9/09)

                    "When Marines and sailors are not training or on liberty, many take the time to volunteer in the local community cleaning up trash and tidying up the area?s parks. [M]arines and sailors from Combat Logistics Battalion 7 ventured to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve... to help the caretakers clear the hiking trails for local residents and other travelers to enjoy."

                    http://hidesertstar.com/articles/2009/10/12/observation_post/news/news04.txt
                    

                    Related: Big Morongo Canyon Preserve (BLM Website)

                    The Preserve includes an internationally recognized desert oasis and marsh that is one of the 10 largest cottonwood and willow riparian (stream) habitats in California. It is also identified by the Audubon Society as one of the most important avian habitat areas in California. 

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings/bigmorongo.html 
                    

                    "Bill would promote recreational shooting, hunting on federal lands" (Pocono Record, 10/13/09)

                    "The bill specifically directs the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to utilize the multi-use mandates in their agencies' respective land-management plans to promote sportsmen and sportswomen's access to forest and public lands. The bill would further provide federal land managers with the authority to designate specific areas for recreational shooting."

                    http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091013/OUTDOORS02/910139987/-1/NEWSMAP
                    

                    "Fort Ord projects lined up" (Monterey County Herald, 10/15/09)

                    Volunteers are expected to turn out to work on four projects at Fort Ord as part of National Public Lands Day on Oct. 24.

                    http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_13566645
                    

                    Related: Fort Ord Public Lands (BLM Website)

                    Bureau of Land Management is working with the community and other partners to help this former military base become available for public use.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister/fort_ord/index.html 
                    

                    HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS

                    
                    "EBMUD to vote on water supply, Pardee Reservoir" (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/10/09)

                    "Critics in the foothills communities along the Mokelumne River say a Pardee expansion would inundate about 1,200 acres, including several miles of the river east of the current reservoir, destroying a historic bridge, popular whitewater run and fishing spots. (The water district and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management own the acreage that would be flooded.)"

                    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/10/MNBL1A39BO.DTL
                    

                    Related: BLM's Mother Lode Field Office jurisdiction map (BLM Website)

                    Shows general location of the Mokelumne River and public lands managed by BLM

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/mapfolsom1.html 
                    

                    "Panel homes decision stalls in Highland: Shooting Range files court appeal" (San Bernadino Sun, 10/7/09)

                    "The property where the development is proposed is directly north of Inland Fish and Game...a popular pistol, rifle and shotgun shooting facility that has operated since 1945 on a 40-acre site owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. In 2004, IFG renewed its lease with the bureau for an additional 20 years, said IFG President Gene Crawford. "

                    http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_13508433?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com
                    

                    "Alliance to promote Mother Road" (Needles Desert Star, 10/12/09)

                    "A proposed Mother Road National Monument project may soon regain positive recognition for Needles. The 'driveable monument' concept is all about preserving a 70-mile section of historic Route 66 between Needles and Barstow in the Mojave Desert. It would pass through Goffs, Essex, Amboy, Ludlow and a few other small towns which became neglected after Interstate 40 was built. Needles is expected to be the eastern anchor for the monument road."

                    http://www.thedesertstar.com/articles/2009/10/14/news/local/news997.txt
                    

                    Related: Historic Route 66 (BLM Website)

                    After world war II, Route 66 prospered as tourism and motor commerce expanded westward. The US highway system reached its zenith in the early 1950s just before the Interstate Highway System was developed. 

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/route_66.html 
                    

                    SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS

                    Unless otherwise noted, find more details online at:

                    https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/

                    
                    Oct. 17 - Fall Colors Highlight Bizz Johnson Trail Bike Ride

                    https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_event.php?id=892&eDate=1255759200
                    

                    Oct. 20 - Public Meeting for Proposed Geothermal Project 

                    https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_event.php?id=890&eDate=1256018400
                    

                    Oct. 24 - Cosumnes River Preserve - Invasive Vegetation Removal & Treatment

                    https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_event.php?id=835&eDate=1256364000
                    

                    Oct. 24 - National Public Lands Day Event at Fort Ord

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/october/CC1003_FtOrd_NPLD_event.html
                    

                    Oct. 29-30 - Northwest California Resource Advisory Council Meeting

                    https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_event.php?id=891&eDate=1256796000
                    

                    Oct. 30 - "David Burton to Lecture at Sierra College Natural History Museum" (Rocklin & Roseville Today, 10/13/09)

                    Aspen Tree Expert David Burton will discuss the fascinating natural history of quaking aspen trees on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 7:30 PM as part of the Sierra College Natural History Museum Lecture Series. David Burton is principal coordinator of the Aspen Delineation Project, a collaborative effort of the Pacific Southwest Region (R5), California State Office-BLM, and California Department of Fish and Game.  The Aspen Delineation Project was created in 2002 to assess the state of knowledge and management practice regarding aspen on public lands. 

                    http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/sierra_college.asp?articleid=8203&zoneid=51
                    

                    NATIONAL AND/OR DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR ITEMS

                    
                    "BLM Employees Too Cozy With Advocacy Groups, IG Report Says" (New York Times, 10/5/09)

                    "Bureau of Land Management employees appeared to be 'less than objective' and created the potential for illegal behavior when coordinating with environmental groups over the National Landscape Conservation System, the Interior inspector general has found."

                    http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/05/05greenwire-blm-employees-too-cozy-with-advocacy-groups-ig-20341.html 
                     
                    
                    WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer and related websites

                    (d.) ?when food becomes scarce. 

                    
                    SOURCE: "Coyote - Canis latrans" (BLM California wildlife database)

                    The pups leave their parents between four and ten months, usually when food becomes scarce.

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/wildlife/details.php?metode=serial_number&search=2546 

                    
                    RELATED: "Decline in big predators wreaking havoc on ecosystems, OSU researchers say" (The Portland Oregonian/OregonLive.com, 10/1/09)

                    "The decline of top predators such as North American wolves and African lions is driving increases in smaller predators such as coyotes and baboons, disrupting ecosystems and economies worldwide, a study concludes."

                    http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/decline_in_big_predators_wreak.html 

                    
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        News.bytes published by

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