BLM California News.bytes Issue 575

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:16:11 -0700

Title: News.bytes, issue 575 - BLM California - 04-11-13

      A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California

      Issue 575 - April 11, 2013 

THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:

- Let's Get Outside

- America's Great Outdoors 

- On our Facebook page 

- Other social media pages 

- Not for educators only: Wildlife trivia question of the week 

- Renewable energy 

- Oil and gas fracking

- Headlines and highlights: Assorted topics from your public lands in California 

- National and Department of the Interior items 

      If this message does not show up properly in your email, you can see it online at:

        www.blm.gov/ca/news/newsbytes/2013/575.html

          GET OUTSIDE in America's Great Outdoors

            Hey kids! Bring your parents and binoculars to the Cache Creek Natural Area, where you
may see a mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, badger, raccoon, beaver, river otter or one of the few tule elk herds in the state!  The bald eagle is one of the more spectacular winter visitors to the Cache Creek area, as they feed, soar and roost here from mid-October to mid-April.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/cachecreek.html

    AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS

          "Endangered Wallflower Brings Color Splashes to the Dunes" (News.bytes Extra) As
springtime unfolds across California, wildflower enthusiasts are planning trips to the deserts, forests and foothills to find annual splashes of color across the landscape.  Most won't consider the coastal sand dunes, but some of these areas also have a spring show to offer.  The Ma-le'l Dunes,
managed by the BLM Arcata Field Office on the North Coast, provides habitat for the Humboldt Bay wallflower, a federally-listed endangered species.  The plants bloom before heavy rains set in, and this is a good time to see them.

      http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/575_extra_-_endangered.html

      RELATED: "Ma-le'l Dunes Cooperative Management Area" (Arcata Field Office)

      The Ma-le'l Dunes offers a range of recreational opportunities that allow visitors to experience a diverse and dynamic coastal landscape of forests and salt marshes, sand dunes and beaches.   The northern portion of Ma-le'l is part of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (HBNWR). Trail
access is limited pedestrians only.  The road to the northern parking lot is closed to vehicles Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in order to provide visitors with more of a "wilderness" experience. 

      http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/ma-le_l_dunes_cooperative.html

      "BLM to Celebrate Wilderness 50th Anniversary" (News.bytes Extra)

      In 2014 America will celebrate "50 Years of Wilderness" as it commemorates the golden anniversary of the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wilderness Act of 1964. BLM manages 222 wilderness areas that encompass over 8.7 million acres of public lands in 10 western states. BLM
wilderness areas are extremely diverse, and comprise deserts, forests, rangelands, mountains and make up almost 30 percent of the National Conservation Lands. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/575_extra_-_wilderness.html

    ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGES...

    ...check out the Seymour Antelope Adventures: Redding Field. The Redding Field Office has been busy taking
flat Seymour Antelope to various locations in their area of northern California. https://www.facebook.com/blmcalifornia

    ON OUR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES...

      ...Though it has not been a bumper crop of wildflowers this spring, there is plenty to discover along Red Rock Canyon
trails. Desert Globemallow and Desert Marigolds are currently brightening our roadsides and trails - watch for winged visitors such as Sagebrush Checkerspots and other butterflies visiting for nectar. http://mypubliclands.tumblr.com/

 NOT for EDUCATORS ONLY:  

      Photo by: Glenn and Martha Vargas, California Academy of Sciences

    WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK: 

      What is unique about the migration patterns of the Mountain Quail? 

      (a.)  They do not follow the same patterns from year to year 

      (b.)  They will migrate with other bird species 

      (c.)  They migrate the opposite direction from most birds, moving north as the weather gets cold 

      (d.)  They walk most of the way 

      (e.)  They invariably choose the most popular winter beach resorts, even though they claim to hate crowds 

      See answer - and more wildlife stories - near the end of this News.bytes.

    RENEWABLE ENERGY

      "California Sets Wind Power Records During High-Wind Event" 

      (KCET Re-Wire, 4/8/13)

      More wind power than ever has powered the state in the last few days, according to the California Independent System Operator (CaISO), which runs the electrical power grid covering most of the state. On Sunday, wind power production reached an all-time peak of 4,196 megawatts -- nearly twice
the output of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant. All told Sunday, wind turbines generated 70,560 megawatt-hours of electrical power throughout the day, 13 percent of the state's total electrical power consumption. 

      http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/wind/california-sets-wind-power-records.html

    OIL AND GAS FRACKING 

      "Judge temporarily blocks fracking on California's Central Coast" 

      (Mercury News, 4/9/13)

      Nearly 20,000 acres of prime Central Coast farm and ranch land may be protected at least temporarily from oil and gas "fracking" due to a federal judge's "watershed" ruling. Environmentalists and local representatives cheered the decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal, who said federal
land managers violated a key environmental law when they auctioned off the rights to drill for oil and gas on public lands in Monterey County, home to one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the nation. 

      http://www.ca.blm.gov/12kd 

        "California Senate Panel Approves Bill to Regulate Fracking" 

      (The Sacramento Bee, 4/10/13)

    A bill to more tightly regulate the drilling process called hydraulic fracturing cleared a Senate committee Tuesday. Fracking, as the extraction technique is commonly called, has become a flash point for environmental advocates as the process has become more commonplace in recent years.
California is in the incipient stages of regulating fracking, which involves shooting a mix of chemicals, sand and water deep underground.

    http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/10/5329530/ca-lawmakers-approve-bill-to-regulate.html

    HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS

        "South Cow Mountain Motorcyle Event Draws Hundereds of Riders of All Ages" (News.bytes
Extra) 

      Hundreds of riders of all ages gathered at Cow Mountain April 5-7 for the North Bay Motorcycle Club's Sawmill and Crosscut Family Enduro motorcycle events. The event is just one of numerous organized events, as well as casual use, at the popular recreation site managed by the BLM's Ukiah
Field Office.

      http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/cow_mountain.html

        RELATED: "Cow Mountain Recreation Area" (Ukiah Field Office)

        Named for the longhorn cattle that once roamed wild, the 52,000-acre Cow Mountain Recreation Area offers a variety of recreational opportunities. The terrain is rugged, consisting mostly of steep, chaparral-covered slopes with scattered stands of fir, pine and oak. Elevations range from 800
to 4,000 feet. The area offers beautiful views of Ukiah and Clear Lake, over 31 miles of stream, 13 wildlife reservoirs, and habitat for blacktail deer, bear, wild turkey, and other upland species.  

        http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/cowmtn.html

"Cosumnes River Preserve Gets Grant" (Lodi News-Sentinel, 4/4/13)

Pacific Gas and Electric Company recently contributed $10,000 towards the Cosumnes River Preserve environmental education program. Funding has provided opportunities for Galt students to participate in environmental education and stewardship projects. Representatives from the Bureau of Land
Management, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District, the Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited gathered to receive the ceremonial giant check.

http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_8ffe0b4d-afb6-5ed6-8c3c-ebc607a21269.html

RELATED: "Cosumnes River Preserve" (Mother Lode Field
Office)

The Cosumnes River Preserve is home to California's largest remaining valley oak riparian forest, and is one of the few protected wetland habitat areas in the state. This habitat has been reduced by more than 90% of its historical occurrence in California.  The Preserve includes 46,000 acres of
central valley grasslands, vernal pools, wetlands and valley oak forests.  

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

"El Centro Girl Scouts Curate For Bronze" (News.bytes Extra)

Six youngsters from local Girl Scout Troop 7949 worked in the Imperial Valley Desert Museum to help curate artifacts in the Imperial Valley College Archaeology Collection. The project, part of an ongoing effort by the museum to complete re-inventory of artifacts found on BLM-managed public lands,
helped the scouts earn a Bronze Badge. The highest award a fourth or fifth-grade scout can earn, the badge represents leadership in a project that makes a positive impact on the community.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/575_extra_-_girl_scouts.html

    "Calif. Archaeological Site Defaced With Paint" (Associated Press, 4/10/13)

    Federal officials are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of vandals who spray-painted an archaeological site in the desert near California's border with Arizona. The Bureau of Land Management says someone used blue paint to deface Native American petroglyphs at the
site in Riverside County. 

    http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/10/5331235/calif-archaeological-site-defaced.html

    "170-Riders Compete in Hare Scrambles Event at Fort Sage OHV Area"
(News.bytes Extra)

Sunny skies and buffeting winds greeted 170 off-road motorcycle racers who competed in the Diamond 100 Hare Scrambles Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, at the Bureau of Land Management's Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area south of Susanville.  The races, which featured classes for competitors as
young as 6, were hosted by the Lassen Motorcycle Club of Susanville and the Motorcycle Racing Association of Northern Nevada, under a special recreation use permit granted by the BLM's Eagle Lake Field Office. 

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/575_extra_-_fort_sage.html

    "BLM Closes Cronan Ranch and Greenwood Creek for Weed Control Work" 

    (BLM, 4/9/13)

    The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office will close the Cronan Ranch and Greenwood Creek parcels to public access on April 16 and 17 when herbicides will be applied for invasive weed control. A notice of intent to apply herbicides will be posted on signs
at the trailhead at least 24 hours before application and closure signs will be posted during the herbicide application. Broadcast and spot herbicide applications are planned along approximately 14 miles of trail edges to reduce weeds and make trails more accessible for recreational use. 

    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/april/WeedControlWork.html

    "Algodones Dunes Insect Survey Turns up Variety of Life" 

    (Imperial Valley Press, 4/10/13)

    The UC Davis insect survey stems from an effort by the Bureau of Land Management to create a comprehensive inventory of invertebrate life -- which includes insects -- at the largest mass of sand dunes in the state. The Bureau's effort was prompted in 2006 by a United States District Court
ruling that the BLM had approved its 2003 Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Management Plan "with outdated and inadequate inventories of endemic invertebrates," court records show.

    http://www.ca.blm.gov/22kd

    "BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Lands Managed by Hollister Field Office" (BLM, 4/4/13)

    The Bureau of Land Management is placing precautionary fire restrictions and road closures on public land managed by the Hollister Field Office. No vehicles, campfires or open flames will be allowed on BLM lands in the Panoche, Griswold, Tumey and Ciervo Hills, effective April 15 due to high
fire danger.

    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/april/hollister-firerestrictions.html

    NATIONAL, OTHER STATE AND DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR ITEMS

      "Senate OKs Sally Jewell as New Interior Secretary" 

      (Los Angeles Times, 4/10/13)

      The Senate approved REI Chief Executive Sally Jewell Wednesday as the new secretary of the Interior by a vote of 87 to 11.   Jewell, 58, had faced tough questioning by some Senate Republicans during her confirmation hearing in early March. But in comparison to some Obama Cabinet nominees, she
sailed through the committee and full Senate votes.

      http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-pn-jewell-interior-confirmed-20130410,0,2944561.story

      "President Proposes $1.2 Billion for BLM in Fiscal Year 2014 to Protect Resources and Manage Uses of Public Lands" (BLM, 4/10/13)

      Focusing on renewable energy, safe and responsible mineral development, outdoor recreation and other key priorities, the President's budget has requested $1.2 billion in appropriations for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management for fiscal year (FY) 2014.  The request,
announced today, represents a $32.6 million or 2.9 percent increase over the agency's congressionally enacted FY 2012 budget.

      http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/april/04_10_2013.html

      "17 photos that make you appreciate America" 

      (Washington Post, 4/4/13)

>From redwood forests to Gulf Stream waters, workers from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management have photographed the often-remote terrain they supervise. Here are a few of the best images and descriptions from My Public Lands, the bureau's lively Tumblr site, of the land that Woody Guthrie wrote "was
made for you and me.'' http://www.ca.blm.gov/z2kd 

    WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER

    (d.)  They walk most of the way

      SOURCE: "Mountain Quail" (BLM California wildlife database)

      http://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/wildlife/details.php?metode=serial_number&search=2763

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News.bytes published by

Bureau of Land Management

California State Office

2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1834

Sacramento, Ca 95825

(916) 978-4600

http://www.blm.gov/ca/

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