News.Bytes A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 624-05/15/14- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Discover the Coast - California Desert - Off-Road Recreation - Wild Horse and Burro - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and Department of Interior Highlights - Wildlife Trivia Question of the Week - Upcoming BLM California Events If this message does not show up properly in your email, you can see it online at: www.blm.gov/ca/news/newsbytes/2014/624.html DISCOVER THE COAST FREE OFFER! Discover the Coast @Trinidad Poster (BLM Website) To celebrate our "Discover the Coast" campaign we are giving away this 11"x14" framable poster. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,1lj,69d1,1bct,ijo3 VIDEO: Discover the Coast @ Trinidad (BLM YouTube) Escape to California's north coast in this short video where local communities share their thoughts about the coast and invite you to Discover the Coast @ Trinidad. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ll7r,75ao,1bct,ijo3 Trinidad Head Lighthouse (BLM Facebook) First activated in 1871, the lighthouse is now be transferred from the US Coast Guard to the BLM...the celebration event is tomorrow! Anyone know the year that the highest wave was ever recorded at the lighthouse? http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,dero,gzam,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: BLM, Coast Guard to Celebrate Transfer of Trinidad Lighthouse (BLM News Release) A ceremony on May 16th marks the transfer of lighthouse from the U. S. Coast Guard to the BLM. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,59m3,6zb4,1bct,ijo3 Trinidad Head Art & Poetry Contest (BLM Facebook) Trinidad Museum and BLM judges were impressed by all of the artwork submitted from the K-12 students and chose 19 winners that best represented the Discover the Coast theme and other artistic characteristics. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,jq1h,emr5,1bct,ijo3 Looking for Northern California Coastal Hikes? (BLM Facebook) Here are a few Trinidad treks to take: Axel Lindgren Memorial Trail, Trinidad Head Trail, Parker Creek Trail, and Elk Head Trail. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ehx2,6rpz,1bct,ijo3 Students Meet Monumental Sheep (News.Bytes Extra) Every year the sheep come to graze at the Fort Ord National Monument. They usually arrive in late February and stay until as late as July. Many of the neighbors of the Monument, as well as the visitors to the area look forward to sheep the fluffy lawn mowers out grazing on the hills. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,e7ql,i6bg,1bct,ijo3 Visit Our Discover The Coast Website (BLM website) Learn more about our Discover the Coast campaign, partnerships, and events. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,1cr0,11yu,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK Did you know that on Flatiron Rock, north of Trinidad Head, there could be over 30,000 Common Murre sitting on their eggs right now? Nesting on rocks has its advantages and disadvantages and Murres have adapted to this rugged nesting site. Why are Common Murre eggs pointed and covered in spots? (a) Keeps the egg from falling off the rock. (b) So the parent can recognize their nest and egg from hundreds of others on the same rock. (c) Because it nests on bare rock near cliffs. (d) All of the above. See answer - and more information near the end of this News.bytes. CALIFORNIA DESERT BLM and the City of Needles Opened a New Route 66 Rest Area (BLM Facebook) Travelers can stop, rest, and learn more about the historic Route 66 byway, at a new rest area near Needles, CA. The Desert Advisory Council joined in the ribbon cutting as part of a scheduled field tour. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,g7kq,ic4n,1bct,ijo3 Road Trip: Route 66 (National Geographic Travel, 05/14) They say driving Route 66, the iconic 2,400-mile road connecting Chicago with Santa Monica, sneaks us into a bygone America, an era of neon signs and mom-and-pop diners. That may be true about the route, but that's not the only reason to take it. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,35xu,izg7,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Historic Route 66 (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,gfkr,c38z,1bct,ijo3 Wilderness Acquisitions in the California Desert (BLM Facebook) With support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and California Desert Land Conservancy, 280 acres were added within the Sheephole Valley Wilderness, and 960 acres added within the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ixrs,2c72,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Old Woman Mountains Wilderness (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,87zp,8jb,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Sheephole Valley Wilderness (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,7fa4,jepa,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Celebrating 50 Years of American Wilderness (Wilderness50.Org Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,2su2,4at1,1bct,ijo3 Thomas Jefferson Middle School Students Visit San Jacinto State Park and National Monument (The Desert Sun, 04/25/14) Photo album of a school field trip. BLM National Monument Volunteer George Raymond led a hike with Friends of the Desert Mountains that brought local disadvantaged youth outdoors for a learning opportunity at the San Jacinto State Park, within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument boundary. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,gj94,i51b,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,5mib,h193,1bct,ijo3 Judge Rejects Environmental Challenges to Mojave Groundwater Project (LA Times, 05/09/14) In a one-page ruling, an Orange County Superior Court judge last week swept aside environmental challenges to Cadiz Inc.'s plans to pump groundwater from beneath the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California suburbs. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,iaax,apal,1bct,ijo3 OFF-ROAD RECREATION Trail Tuesday and the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area (BLM Facebook) There are over 250 miles of roads and trails for various outdoor activities and adjacent campgrounds provide a great base camp for your family adventures. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,2fgt,7n8s,1bct,ijo3 Compromise in Dispute Between Marines, Off- Roaders (The Washington Post, 05/10/14) The Marine Corps and off-road vehicle enthusiasts will share a rugged patch of desert near the military base at Twentynine Palms under a compromise brokered by Congress. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ac39,5ia9,1bct,ijo3 Protesters in Utah Drive ATVs Onto Federal Land - But Find No Showdown (LA Times, 05/10/14) BLM officials banned the vehicles to protect archaeological sites, a move residents say has cheated them out of a prime recreational area. Unlike in the Bundy incident, no guns were brandished here, but the words were volatile. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,mgv5,2udr,1bct,ijo3 Federal Probe Could Leave Utah ATV Protest Riders Facing Charges (Reuters, 05/13/14) Federal agents have launched a damage inspection of protected archeological sites in southern Utah where public-lands activists on all-terrain vehicles staged a weekend protest ride challenging the prolonged government closure of a canyon trail. Undercover agents from the BLM monitored the Recapture Canyon rally and documented cases in which ATV riders broke the law by venturing into an area off-limits to motorized use, BLM spokeswoman Megan Crandall said on Tuesday... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,dfua,63ud,1bct,ijo3 WILD HORSE AND BURRO Court Upholds Wild Horse Roundup on California-Nevada Line (Salt Lake Tribune, 05/17/14) A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a split decision on Monday upholding the government roundup of more than 1,600 wild horses along the Nevada-California line in 2010. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,5ge8,4qpz,1bct,ijo3 BLM Releases Decision on Grazing, Wild Horse Allocations in Massacre Lakes Area (BLM News Release) The BLM has released a decision authorizing livestock grazing and setting an appropriate population level for wild horses on public lands in the Massacre Lakes area in northwest Nevada. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,c4yu,2nsx,1bct,ijo3 BLM Seeks Bids for New Corrals for Wild Horses (The Washington Times, 05/11/14) The BLM is soliciting bids for new, short-term holding facilities for wild horses removed from Western rangelands under its ongoing program to thin what it calls overpopulated herds. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,fony,9ylb,1bct,ijo3 OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Redding Area Children Get Inspired About Natural Resource Careers (BLM Facebook) On May 9th, the BLM's Redding Field Office joined CollegeOptions.Org for the 8th Annual KinderCollege Day. BLM provided a fun-filled show and tell about Outdoor Recreation, Fire and Fuels Management, and Biological careers with the BLM. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ggw3,d6q8,1bct,ijo3 Restoration Project Atwell Island Shows Success in Reclaiming Tainted Farm Land (Visalia Times-Delta, 05/14/14) The habitat type the BLM is working with partners to restore is called alkali sink scrub habitat. Plants used are highly tolerant to salts and alkali soil. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,emng,1s49,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Atwell Island Land Retirement Demonstration Project (BLM Website) An interagency team consisting of representatives from the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the BLM was assembled to accomplish the goals of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act Land Retirement Program. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,lunz,5ba7,1bct,ijo3 Thompson Bill Would Transfer Lake Berryessa Management to BLM; Hearing Set For Late May (Lake County News, 05/13/14) A bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has legislation that would transfer the management of Lake Berryessa from the Bureau of Reclamation to the BLM. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,jcw0,2fb9,1bct,ijo3 Marijuana Grow Site Debris Airlifted from Northern Mendocino County (The Times-Standard, 05/12/14) Hundreds of pounds of debris from recently-eradicated illegal marijuana cultivation sites will be airlifted out of public lands sites in northern Mendocino County. Staff members with the BLM will work with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department, volunteers from the Eel River Recovery Project and the California National Guard, which will provide a helicopter... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,fauq,lvnl,1bct,ijo3 BLM, Partners to Airlift Marijuana Grow Site Debris from Public Land Sites (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,31em,3dnc,1bct,ijo3 Drought Prompts Early Campfire Restrictions in Northern California (Press Democrat, 05/14/14) The BLM last week banned campfires and other potential fire triggers outside of developed campgrounds on its properties in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn and Solano counties. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,fa4m,1glh,1bct,ijo3 Report: Officer's Truck Likely Cause of Chariot Fire (San Diego Union-Tribune, 05/09/14) An officer with the BLM is suspected of accidentally starting last summer's Chariot fire in East County's Laguna Mountains, state fire officials say in a report released Thursday to U-T San Diego. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,8hec,gikh,1bct,ijo3 Candidates Call on McKeon to Act on Cemex Mine (SCVTV, 05/07/14) A pair of candidates for the 25th Congressional District seat held by Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, and a state assemblyman are calling on McKeon to stop an aggregate mine in Canyon Country by reviving a tact he tried in 2001. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,cgwd,g3m0,1bct,ijo3 BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights BLM Last Week: May 5-9, 2014 (BLM Tumblr) Application deadline extended for research proposals aimed at controlling the population growth of wild horses and burros that roam public lands in the West; DOI Secretary Sally Jewell joined BLM California, CAL FIRE and other agency partners last week for California Wildfire Awareness Week... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,lefl,5hoq,1bct,ijo3 VIDEO- This Week at Interior: May 9, 2014 (DOI YouTube) The White House released the third annual National Climate Assessment; Secretary Jewell joins California leaders and first responders as the state braces for another tough wildfire season... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,3tg,dcpf,1bct,ijo3 What The President Can Do Right Now for Conservation (High Country News, 05/13/14) The president could start with California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's bill to protect a million acres in the Mojave Desert of California. The president can use his authority under the Antiquities Act to take these bills and their establishing language and designate the lands in questions as new national monuments. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,hn5i,l4g0,1bct,ijo3 Federal Land Management (The Diane Rehm Show, NPR, 05/12/14) The federal government owns almost half the land west of the Mississippi. Strict rules apply to some areas including those designated as Wilderness and National Parks. But on hundreds of millions of acres of federal land, the interests of ranchers, conservationists, energy companies, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and others can, and often do, collide. Guest: BLM Director Neil Kornze. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,kloy,fqxz,1bct,ijo3 Fed Govt Failed To Inspect Higher Risk Oil Wells (NPR, 05/11/14) The government has failed to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells it considers potentially high risks for water contamination and other environmental damage. Investigators reviewed 14 states in full or part: Arkansas, California, Colorado.... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,8xow,ihzt,1bct,ijo3 SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS May 7: BLM, Coast Guard to Celebrate Transfer of Trinidad Lighthouse (BLM News Release) A ceremony on May 16th marks the transfer of lighthouse from the U. S. Coast Guard to the BLM. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,e77h,fvmr,1bct,ijo3 May 16-17: Extreme Mustang Makeover Returning to Horsetown, USA The Extreme Mustang Makeover will make its annual visit to the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center in Norco, CA. Forty-two trainers picked up Mustang geldings, ages 4 to 5, in early April and spent the spring preparing their horse for the event. These horses, which were virtually untouched by humans, represent dozens of wild horse herds located all over the West. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,6itu,abdn,1bct,ijo3 Apr-May 24 (Saturdays): Soda Lake and Painted Rock Guided Tours at Carrizo Plain National Monument (BLM Facebook) Come join us for our Soda Lake/Painted Rock Guided Tour. Reservations are required and can be made at: http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,2mrx,hao0,1bct,ijo3 and http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,2z8u,cwxc,1bct,ijo3 May 28: BLM to Host Online Solar Energy Zone Monitoring and Adaptive Management Public Webinar (BLM News Release) The BLM will host a public webinar on Wednesday, May 28 from 10:00am to 1:00pm to provide an update and ask for input on the Riverside East Solar Energy Zone Monitoring and Adaptive Management Strategy. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ks6c,5mj0,1bct,ijo3 May 28: BLM Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Solar Project in San Bernardino County (BLM News Release) The public comment period for the proposed Silurian Valley solar project has been extended. Public comments are now due by May 28, 2014. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,1qdu,jice,1bct,ijo3 May 29: Workshop Set for Proposed Mineral Withdrawal along Wild and Scenic Trinity River (BLM News Release) A public workshop will be held Thursday, May 29, on two proposals to withdraw public lands along the Trinity Wild and Scenic River from availability for mining. The session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Trinity Congregational Church Parish Hall, 735 Main St. in Weaverville. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,hazv,e3sh,1bct,ijo3 Apr-Jun. 1: Clear Creek (near Redding) Outings (BLM Facebook) We are offering everyone a chance to learn more about our natural world in a series of free outings near Clear Creek south of Redding. Topics on these free guided hikes include fire ecology and more. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,c194,eyme,1bct,ijo3 June 9-13: Volunteers Welcome for Archaeology Week Projects Anyone interested in archaeology of the Great Basin along the California-Nevada border is welcome to join the Bureau of Land Management Eagle Lake Field Office for its inaugural Archaeology Volunteer Week. Join BLM archaeologists in archaeological survey and recording work in the high desert northeast of Susanville. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,1xeb,88xl,1bct,ijo3 Apr-Oct. 23: Webcasts Scheduled to Solicit Comments on Route 66 Management Plan (BLM News Release) The California Historic Route 66 Association and BLM California Desert District have scheduled four webcasts to continue soliciting public comments on the preparation of a corridor management plan for the segment of historic Route 66. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,ge64,i1gg,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER and Related Information Why are Common Murre eggs pointed and covered in spots? Answer (d) All of the above. The Common Murre is a seabird that lays its eggs on a bare rock ledge on a cliff face. When an egg is accidentally dislodged, its shape causes it to spin in a tight circle, which prevents it from falling off the ledge into the sea. It has also been proven that the spotted patterns on each Murre egg are distinct and recognizable to the parent, who might perhaps otherwise find it difficult to locate their nest among the hundreds of others in the colony. RELATED: Common Murre Parent and Chick (Seabird Protection Network Facebook) Like mother, like chick, or is that the father? Murres don't display much sexual dimorphism... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,cz9z,xdh,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Common Murre Species Profile (BLM CA Wildlife Database) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,h469,6moq,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Murre Egg Photo (WikiCommons Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,fwr6,cewd,1bct,ijo3 -------------------- - If your e-mail program does not allow you to click on the above links to visit that Web page, copy and paste the URL into your browser's "Location" or "Address" bar. - Some online news sites require free registration to view their content online. Some news sites remove news stories from the Web soon after publication. If you plan to keep a story, you should print a copy or save the Web page to your computer. DISCLAIMER: By linking to Web sites, the BLM does not imply endorsement of those sites, or of products or advertisements on those sites. 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.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,4h2h,jgx0,1bct,ijo3 We appreciate feedback. Send comments to the News.bytes team at: mailto:canewsbytes@xxxxxxx To subscribe to News.bytes, visit our News.bytes subscription page at: http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1woyu,3xn3,k0vc,86f4,1bct,ijo3 To unsubscribe, send an email to: unsubscribe-183567@xxxxxxxxxxx
