Issue 607

Thu, 16 Jan 2014 14:09:03 -0800



Title: 
      News.bytes, issue 593 - BLM California - 02-28-13
    

A publication
of Bureau of Land Management in California

    
     Issue 607-01/16/14-  Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! 

    
    THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:

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

        - Renewable Energy 

        - On BLM  Social Media Pages

          - Wildlife Trivia Question of the Week

        - Upcoming Events

        - 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/2014/607.html    

            
          HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS
        
      
          52 Places to Go in
2014: #3. North Coast, California 

                    (New York Times, 01/10/14) 

                    A glorious new preserve for the public. The incorporation of the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands-- nearly 1,300 acres-- gives hikers new access to a contiguous 12-mile stretch of coastline and fields of wildflowers, cypress forests and cliff areas, much of it previously
off-limits to the public. 
            

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/3nld
          
            RELATED: BLM Stornetta Public Lands 

                        (BLM Website) 
              

                        The 1,132 acre Stornetta Public Lands are located along the Mendocino County coastline just north of the town of Point Arena. 
              

                      http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/stornetta.html 
          
          Making Community Investment a New Year's Resolution 

            (The Huffington Post, 01/16/14) 
            

            Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director and Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation, urges Congress to put Land and Water Conservation Fund "reauthorization and full funding high on the agenda for 2014." According to the authors, "for the Latino community, LWCF is
critical in the fight to eliminate childhood obesity." They conclude that "reauthorization and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be a step forward for our families and our communities." 
            
http://www.ca.blm.gov/ppld
          Lifelong Ties to the Land Remain Strong at
Former Navy Base Site 

                    (News.Bytes Extra) 

                    While US Navy specialists at the Centerville Naval Facility were busy tracking submarines during the 1960s, Yvette Green was playing with friends on the grassy expanses of the Navy base near her Ferndale, Calif. home.  Today, the base is a memory. The 40-acre facility was
decommissioned two decades ago, the buildings were razed, and the land was recently returned to public open space managed by the BLM's Arcata Field Office.
            

                    http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2014/607-Extra_Navy.html
          BLM Seeks Comment on Oil, Gas Leasing 

                    (The Californian, 01/14/14) 
            

                    The BLM is seeking public comments on how oil and gas resources on lands with federal mineral estate should be managed in the BLM's Hollister Field Office and whether the BLM should include areas of California beyond the Hollister Field Office in this process.  
            

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/mpld
          Corridor Management Plan Seeks Scenic Byway Designation for Route 66 

                  (Needles Desert Star, 01/13/14) 

                  Members of the California division of the BLM and the California Historic Route 66 Association met at Juicy's River Caf/Dec. 3 as part of a multi-day tour of The Mother Road.  
            

                  http://www.ca.blm.gov/npld      
          
            Historic Route 66 

                      (BLM Website) 

                      In California, the original 66 is known as The National Old Trails Highway. It runs from the Colorado River west of Needles, CA through Goffs, Essex, Danby, Chambless, Amboy, Ludlow, then on to Barstow before reaching Los Angeles. ...the spirit and grandeur of a pioneer trail
that helped to settle the west continues to live on. 
              

                      http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/route_66.html
          
          Dry Weather Leads to Fire Restrictions on Region's BLM-Managed Lands 

                    (Sacramento Bee, 01/09/14) 
            

                    Citing the unusually dry winter, the BLM announced it will implement fire restrictions on public lands the agency manages in El Dorado, Amador, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. Jerry Martinez, fire management officer, said the restrictions are needed
because of the unseasonably dry vegetation and fire danger throughout Central California. "A wildfire under these conditions could pose a serious threat to public land visitors and resources, and adjacent private lands and communities"... 
            

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/6nld
          
            RELATED: BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Some Lands Managed by Mother Lode Field Office 

                        (BLM News Release)
              

                        the BLM is implementing fire restrictions on public lands managed by the Mother Lode Field Office. This includes lands managed by the BLM in El Dorado, Amador, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Counties. The fire restrictions will remain in effect until further
notice. 
              

                      http://www.ca.blm.gov/dpld
          
        
          RENEWABLE ENERGY
        
      
          Blythe Solar Project Wins Key Approval 

            (My Desert, 01/15/14) 
            

            A solar project that could put thousands of flat, dark panels on about 4,000 acres of public land east of the Coachella Valley won its first key approval Wednesday with a 5-0 vote at the California Energy Commission. 
            
http://www.ca.blm.gov/lpld
          
            RELATED: BLM Solar Energy Program 

                        (BLM Website) 
              

                        California continues to be a pioneer in this area, offering incentives for small-scale solar development through the California Solar Initiative and mandating one of the most aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standards in the nation. 
              

                        http://www.ca.blm.gov/dpld
          
          America's Energy Boom 

                    (Washington Post, 01/16/14) 

                    David Ignatius writes of the amazing fact that on nearly every front, America's energy prospects have improved in ways that would have been unimaginable just a decade ago. He says that President Obama's "all of the above" strategy is "actually happening." The changing energy
picture was summarized for me recently by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. Ignatius went on to say "I'd worry that Moniz was just blowing smoke, but he backed up his claims with extensive statistics." After reviewing the gains, Ignatius says it is an "almost ridiculously upbeat story." 
            

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

            
                    After a Building Boom, Solar Energy's Prospects Now Aren't as Sunny 

                    (LA Times, 01/11/14) 
            

                    Five years after the Obama administration's renewable energy initiative touched off a building boom of large-scale solar power plants across the desert Southwest, the pace of development has slowed to a crawl, with a number of companies going out of business and major projects
canceled for lack of financing. The slowdown has taken officials by surprise. Ray Brady, who oversees the renewables program for the BLM, called the build-out of utility-scale plants "a little bit slower than we have hoped for or anticipated." 
            

                http://www.ca.blm.gov/5nld
        
      
          BLM SOCIAL MEDIA
        
      
                  BLM California Facebook Page:          
          
            Thanks
Sandy Nieman, FICC BLM Operations Manager, and others in our fire program, for their support at the Federal Interagency Communications Center. Congratualtions for receiving the 2013 CAL FIRE Director's Annual Recognition Award. 

                      http://www.ca.blm.gov/9nld
          
          BLM's National Tumblr Page (My Public Lands):
          
            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... 

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

                                  California Friends
Preserve Beauty and Diversity of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. 

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

            
          WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK
        
      
                Photo Credit: Merrill Gosho, NOAA 

              
          How far do gray whales migrate?

            
                  (a.) about 100 miles each way, from southern to central California 
            

                  (b.) about 400 miles each way, from southern to northern California 
            

                  (c.) almost 1200 miles each, from Mexico to Washington state 
            

                  (d.) about 10,000 miles round trip
            

                  (e.) so far north into cold water, that they turn into blue whales
          See answer - and more information near the end of this News.bytes.

                  
          SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS
        
      
          Feb. 1:  7th Annual Winter Bird Festival 

                  (City of Galt Webpage) 
            

                  The city of Galt in collaboration with BLM Cosumnes River Preserve and the Galt Joint Union Elementary and High School Districts are hosting a birding festival, including paddling and photography tours. 
            

                  http://www.ci.galt.ca.us/index.aspx?page=495      

            
                         Feb. 8:  Photo Hike! Indian Pass Arches 

                    (BLM News Release) 
            

                    Want to learn how to use that DSLR you got over the holidays?  Or finally figure out how to use the one you already have?  Photographers from the Imperial Valley Friends of Photography Club will join us on the hike to give you pointers on composition, exposure, techniques, etc. 
            

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/2nld
          Feb. 14:  BLM Announces Application Period for Dunes Subgroup 

                  (BLM News Release) 
            

                  The BLM's California Desert District Desert Advisory Council announces an open application period for membership on its Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area subgroup. 
            

                  http://www.ca.blm.gov/hpld
          Feb. 15:  Striking It Rich- Fan Hill Hike 

                    (BLM CA Facebook)
            

                    The Fan Hill hike is          near Sky Valley and the Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness. This is the first of seve hikes that are planned for 2014 in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. 

                    https://www.facebook.com/events/1453743764848712/
          Jan 17, 29 and
Feb. 10:  Upcoming Deadlines for Greater Sage-Grouse and Bi-State Sage-Grouse Project 

                  (BLM NV Facebook) 
            

                  http://www.ca.blm.gov/8nld
          

                    Jan. 29:  Guided Dog-Friendly Hike to Wind Caves in the Coyote Mountain
Wilderness

                  (BLM CA Facebook) 

                    http://www.ca.blm.gov/bpld
        
      
          NATIONAL, OTHER STATE AND DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR ITEMS
          DOI Video: This Week at Interior January 10, 2014


                  (DOI YouTube) 
            

                  Here's what happened this week at Interior: Secretary Jewell announces a ground-breaking public-private partnership with American Eagle Outfitters to develop the next generation of conservationists and outdoor stewards...
            

                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZSLtJKq6jc&feature=youtu.be

                
        WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer and related websites

                
                How far do gray whales migrate? 

                (d.) about 10,000 miles round trip        
                  

                    Photo credit: Merrill Gosho, NOAA 
            

                        SOURSE:  Gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) round trip. 

                  (BLM California Wildlife Database)
            

                        http://www.ca.blm.gov/kpld
          
            RELATED: Record Number Of Gray Whale Sightings Reported Off SoCal Coast (CBS News, 01/07/14) Whale watchers reported regular sightings of fin whales, minke whales, and five different species of dolphins, in addition to gray whales and even
one visit from humpback whales at Dana Point. 

                        http://www.ca.blm.gov/jpld
            RELATED:         How Does This Season of Whale Sightings Compare to Others in January? (ACS/LA Website)  ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project is a unique long-term shore-based study of the marine mammals that utilize the nearshore
waters of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, located approximately 8 miles north of the Los Angeles Harbor, in southern California. 

                        http://www.acs-la.org/GWCensus.htm

            
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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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