News.Bytes A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 626-05/29/14- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Wildland Fire Management - Discover the Coast - Wildlife Trivia Question of the Week - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and Department of Interior Highlights - 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/2014/626.html WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT Hunters Fire Photos and Information (BLM Facebook) BLM is one of many interagency partners supporting CAL FIRE with wildfire management efforts at the Hunters Fire in Mariposa County... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,kexw,17dp,1bct,ijo3 Central California Wildfire Burns Out of Control, Threatens 100 Homes (Reuters, 05/27/14) The Hunters Fire, west of Yosemite National Park, threatened more than 100 homes. Approximately 500 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, including crews from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, the BLM and dozens of local fire aids... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,bvm,5pqn,1bct,ijo3 BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Various Locations Around the State (BLM Website) Visit our BLM California News Room webpage for a list of news releases announcing fire restrictions on various BLM public lands. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,9cqa,klye,1bct,ijo3 PREVENT WILDFIRE.ORG (CA Wildland Fire Coordinating Group Website) Get campfire permits, debris burning guidance, equipment and vehicle safety information, wildfire forecasting and more. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,gw61,26db,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE COAST VIDEO: Discover the Coast @ Trinidad - Lighthouse Celebration (BLM YouTube) Join the community of Trinidad as they celebrate the transfer of the Trinidad Head Lighthouse from the Coast Guard to the BLM. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,8qbj,56z4,1bct,ijo3 Friends of the Dunes and the Redwoods Coast Montessori's Coastal Stewards (BLM Facebook) BLM, Friends of the Dunes, and Redwood Coast Montessori have been working on the Coastal Stewards project for the past year. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,7lzq,2xof,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,1x5yt,3xn3,1cr0,11yu,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK Spring bat monitoring has jumped into high gear in the California Desert, just ask Sterling White, Abandoned Mine Lands Specialist at the BLM's California Desert District. He's shared some fun trivia with us about one of his favorite bats...the California Leaf-nosed bat. Which of the following statements about the California Leaf-nosed bat is false? (a) It is the only bat in North America, north of Mexico, with large ears and a leaf-like projection on the nose. (b) They migrate long distances following waterways and riparian corridors. (c) Their helicopter-like flight enables them to pluck insects directly from foliage without slowing down. (d) They can detect and locate their insect prey by listening for the faintest of sounds, like that of a cricket walking. (e) Their night vision ability has been compared to that of military goggles, enabling them to spot tiny sleeping insects illuminated by nothing more than star light. (f) They don't crawl on thumbs and toes like most bats. While perched on a cave/mine ceiling, they dangle by one leg and swing their feet in a backward stride, bending the head at right angles toward the rear, so that it's looking ahead while walking. See answer - and more information near the end of this News.bytes. OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Steele Peak Reserve Cleanup Day (BLM Facebook) What do the BLM, Calguns.net, Riverside County Waste Management, the American Conservation Experience, and an endangered kangaroo rat have in common? http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,5lmi,ht6z,1bct,ijo3 BLM Says Iron Canyon Trail is Safe (KRCR ABC, 05/23/14) The death of 69-year-old Francis Patrick Gregory has many asking questions. Gregory was hiking the Iron Canyon Trail with his friend when they both were shot. The BLM's Field Manager Jennifer Mata said their trails are safe. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,3qky,dxz5,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Video (KRCR News Website) BLM says Iron Canyon Trail is safe. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,d6ai,e217,1bct,ijo3 BLM Announces $2 Million in Funding to Hire Youth to Work on Public Lands in California (Sierra Sun Times, 05/23/14) As part of BLM's commitment to connecting youth and the outdoors, three projects in California received funding to support conservation employment and mentoring opportunities throughout the state. These projects will also support approximately 70 volunteers working on public lands... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,cxog,b39t,1bct,ijo3 U.S. Embassy Workshop Environmental Information Analysis and Compliance in Oil and Gas Exploration and Development (BLM Facebook) Gabe Garcia, Field Manager for BLM's Bakersfield Field Office, was one of the experts presenting at a workshop with over thirty officials from the United States and Papua New Guinea. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,5l5i,c3b3,1bct,ijo3 Star Trails at the Slinkard Wilderness Study Area (BLM Facebook) The star trails image encompasses about 40 minutes of exposure time and captures the movement of the milky way. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,1zvf,fd63,1bct,ijo3 BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights BLM Last Week: May 19-23, 2014 (BLM Tumblr) President Obama signed a proclamation establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument; Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell last week announced $6.7 million in grants to support conservation employment and mentoring opportunities; BLM Director Neil Kornze kicked off the new @BLMDirector Twitter account... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,1oo9,majr,1bct,ijo3 VIDEO- This Week at Interior: May 23, 2014 (DOI YouTube) Here's what happened this week at Interior: President Obama designates half a million acres in New Mexico for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument; and Secretary Jewell travels to Denver to announce $6.7million in public/private grants to hire young people to work on public lands across the nation. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,j8mv,87b0,1bct,ijo3 SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS BLM Extends Nomination Deadline for Northern Calif. Advisory Council (BLM News Release) The BLM has extended the nomination deadline for membership on the Northern California Advisory Council, a citizen group that advises the agency on management of public lands. There are 15 vacancies for terms of one, two and three years. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,6tw4,3stq,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,1x5yt,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,1x5yt,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,1x5yt,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,1x5yt,3xn3,ge64,i1gg,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER and Related Information Which of the following statements about the California Leaf-nosed bat is false? (b) FALSE: "They migrate long distances following waterways and riparian corridors." They do not migrate. They are restricted from migrating farther north by their inability to hibernate or migrate. Their short, broad wings are not suited to long-distance travel. SOURCE: The California Leaf-nosed Bat, Sophisticated Desert Survivor (Bat Conservation International Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,k2jt,l6l5,1bct,ijo3 SOURCE: California Leaf-nosed Bat (Desert Museum Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,29oj,b9uw,1bct,ijo3 Bats and Mines in the California Desert (BLM Website) Abandoned mines house significant colonies of bats, many of which include threatened and endangered species. Bats are important and valued members of the environment; they can eat up to half their weight in insects each night and are instrumental in pollination and seed dispersal. Bat Conservation International, the BLM, the Forest Service, FWS, and National Park Service have partnered to help protect vulnerable bat species in abandoned mines. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,1x5yt,3xn3,j7db,4u9l,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 We appreciate feedback. 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