News.Bytes A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 642-09/18/14- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - History and Culture - Discover the Desert - Wilderness - 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/2014/642.html HISTORY and CULTURE Empire Mine State Historic Park Visit (News.Bytes Extra) Despite the late July heat, six students from Grant High School toured nearly every corner of the Empire Mine State Park. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,e0u0,lm64,1bct,ijo3 Bodie Hills Archaeology Tour (BLM Facebook) Archaeologist Greg Haverstock, from the BLM Bishop Field Office, led a tour in the Bodie Hills. He talked about the use of obsidian and other tools and materials over the past 10,000 years. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,c0v9,7srz,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE DESERT Student Science Program Studies the Desert Tortoise (BLM Facebook) The Desert Discovery Center started their Young Scientist Program with help from the Student Conservation Association and U.S. Geological Survey. Students learnd about the ecology and conservation of the desert tortoise and how to use radio-tracking technology. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,huz9,k74u,1bct,ijo3 BLM Desert Wilderness Areas Highlighted on Facebook: Indian Pass Wilderness (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,4c7g,fo3e,1bct,ijo3 Owens Peak Wilderness (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,iowj,5p5m,1bct,ijo3 Transformers Movie Scenes on BLM's El Mirage Dry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (BLM Facebook) The desert inspires... These dramatic landscapes transcend place and time and set the stage for our creativity. Desert landscapes are often used by the movie industry as an otherworldly stage. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,890y,gu0e,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: El Mirage Dry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (BLM Website) The El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle Area is located in the Mojave Desert on the western edge of San Bernardino County near the Los Angeles County Line. This Off-Highway vehicle area attracts a variety of Activities. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,3qfj,2bqs,1bct,ijo3 Black Rock Lecture Series (BLM Facebook) Join our partners for the Black Rock Lecture Series this fall. The program has been expanded to include academic and policy experts that will analyze and assess seven core aspects that challenge...Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,lsw9,ir2o,1bct,ijo3 WILDERNESS What Wilderness Means to Me (BLM Tumblr) Wilderness slows us down and stills us so that we hear and see more sharply the world firsthand. It reminds us that we are not the center of world. Ecologist -- Jim Weigand, Ecologist, California State Office http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,ktqb,cy4,1bct,ijo3 Visions of the Wild- Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act (News.Bytes Extra) The BLM partnered with the US Forest Service, the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation, and other agencies and organizations to make Visons of the Wild a great celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act! http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,kay7,66o3,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Visions of the Wilde Festival-Vallejo (Visions of the Wild Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,9n6u,ceiq,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK Which of these statements about the Mexican free-tailed bat are false? (a.) They are only seen in California while on their migration route to Mexico. (b.) They prefer to roost in caves, but will also choose attics, under bridges, or in abandoned buildings. (c.) They can fly up to 250 miles in a single night. (d.) A large roost (~one million bats) can eat 250 tons of insects each night. (e.) The largest colony in North America has an estimated 20 million individuals. ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes. OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Fish Day at the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area (News.Bytes Extra) Children at the Bend School south of Redding got to try their hands at fishing, some for the first time, earlier this month thanks to an agency-business partnership. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,afo6,9eq4,1bct,ijo3 State Grant Funds Forest Thinning Near West Point (Calaveras Enterprise, 09/16/14) Several hundred acres of dense forest east of West Point will be thinned over the next three years thanks in part to a Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant. The site is managed by the BLM. The 200 acres slated for thinning and brush burning are the second phase of the larger 420-acre Lily Gap Forest Health Project. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,cuq6,84vr,1bct,ijo3 BLM Proposes Closure of Recreational Shooting Area for Safety Reasons (BLM News Release) The BLM announced today a proposal to formally close 210 acres of public lands near Airport Mesa in eastern San Diego County to recreational shooting due to safety concerns. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,7q9k,a71u,1bct,ijo3 BLM and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center Announce Wild Horse Training Partnership (BLM News Release) Horse enthusiasts will have access to more saddle-trained wild mustangs, and jail inmates will be learning new skills, in a new partnership between the BLM and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,f21o,bxgo,1bct,ijo3 New Oil and Gas Leases Likely Following Fracking Report (The Mendocino Beacon, 09/11/14) Concludes no significant California impacts... The BLM requested a rigorous, independent expert assessment in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the best available science and potential impacts of using well stimulation technology in the unique geology of California. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,7vll,qxv,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: BLM California Oil and Gas Strategy (BLM Website) The BLM's comprehensive strategy for the federal oil and gas program in California incorporates information from the Independent Science Review by the California Council on Science and Technology; provides internal guidance for processing of applications for permits to drill and sundry notices; and provides the results from public scoping on oil and gas development in the Hollister Field Office. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,cvi9,4vwn,1bct,ijo3 BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights Last Week at the BLM, Sept. 8-12, 2014 (BLM Tumblr) BLM Director Neil Kornze announced the appointment of veteran land manager Timothy Murphy as the BLM's State Director in Idaho, John Ruhs, a native of Iowa, has been selected as the BLM's State Director in Eastern States and more. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,ko08,hog,1bct,ijo3 VIDEO- This Week at Interior: September 12, 2014 (DOI YouTube) 9/11 Anniversary marked on Capitol Hill and in a Waterfowl Sanctuary, Americorps celebrates 20 years, plus more. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,cm3r,e0sm,1bct,ijo3 Helping Hands for America's Lands (BLM Tumblr) National Public Lands Day began in 1994 and is now the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. For the 20th Anniversary of NPLD, last year 175,000 volunteers and park visitors celebrated at 2,237 public land sites... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,2kbb,cmi8,1bct,ijo3 SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 18: Experimental Stewardship Steering Committee to Meet in Cedarville (BLM News Release) The Modoc-Washoe Experimental Stewardship Steering Committee will discuss various rangeland management topics when it meets at the BLM Surprise Field Office. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,dyux,guid,1bct,ijo3 Sept.-Oct: BLM National Public Lands Day Events (BLM Webpage) NPLD is the largest volunteer event for America's public lands. It is held on a Saturday in late September when thousands of Americans volunteer to improve and enhance our nation's public lands. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,ce4q,fn98,1bct,ijo3 Sept. 26-28: Volunteers Welcome to Celebrate National Public Lands Day in the King Range (BLM News Release) Volunteers are welcome to help the BLM and its mountain biking partners expand the first mountain biking trail in the nation's first national conservation area in a three-day work party as part of National Public Lands Day. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,9lag,gw92,1bct,ijo3 Sept. 27: Let's Move in the Dunes (BLM Facebook) get outside, get active and have fun learning about the coast. The 0.82 mile course is designed for kids 3-11 years old and their adults with 8 challenges to get you moving in the dunes including... http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,beva,dk2h,1bct,ijo3 Sept. 27: Bodie Hills National Public Lands Day (BLM Facebook) Join us for a day of stewardship and fellowship and fun! http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,582r,2m3v,1bct,ijo3 Oct. 4: Volunteers Needed for Clear Creek Cleanup Project (BLM News Release) Volunteers are needed to help clean up the Lower Clear Creek area as part of the National Public Lands Day observance. The BLM, Western Shasta Resource Conservation District and Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve will host the event. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,d8m,ry,1bct,ijo3 Oct. 1: BLM Announces Scoping Meetings for Eagle Mountain Land Exchange Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in Riverside County (BLM News Release) The BLM has scheduled two public scoping meetings to receive public input regarding the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Eagle Mountain Land Exchange. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,m75e,ktl2,1bct,ijo3 Oct. 4: BLM, Bike Club Hosting 'Take a Kid Mountain Biking' Event (BLM News Release) Redding area children and their families can enjoy a day of mountain bike riding in a special "Take a Kid Mountain Biking" celebration at the Swasey Recreation Area in west Redding. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,1uty,lu4a,1bct,ijo3 Oct. 4: Event will Offer a Glimpse into the Past and the Science of Archaeology (BLM News Release) Today's residents can get a hands-on glimpse into how they hunted, prepared food, made tools and communicated, when the BLM and Susanville Indian Rancheria hold their first Public Archaeology Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Hobo Camp area west of Susanville. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,8foa,2fc6,1bct,ijo3 Aug. 11- Oct.: Delays, Closures will Affect Butte County Roads During Improvement Projects (BLM News Release) Visitors planning to travel on Doe Mill road in Butte County will be subject to delays and closures as construction gets underway on road improvements and a bridge replacement project. The road, also known as Ponderosa Way, will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during construction. The road will be open on weekends. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,doem,dszr,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER and Related Information Which of these statements about the Mexican free-tailed bat are false? ANSWER: (a.) They are only seen in California while on their migration route to Mexico is False. Bats in the northern California/Oregon region are non-migratory, spending inclement weather in torpor or hibernation. Bats of this species in the eastern Nevada, western Arizona and Colorado regions are non-migratory as well, however do not hibernate. Mexican free-tails from southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado migrate to western Mexico. The best known colonies, like Carlsbad Cavern and the caves in Texas and southeastern United States migrate to eastern Mexico. RELATED: Colony Of Bats Takes Over South Sac Sunset (CBS Sacramento, 09/2014) It's an experience that's completely batty. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,4mzv,hpu9,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: BLM Cosumnes River Preserve (BLM Website) 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.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,6lw,o2i,1bct,ijo3 SOURCE: Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (BLM Website) BLM California wildlife database species profile. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,4el8,4i40,1bct,ijo3 SOURCE: Mexican free-tailed bat (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,ccax,a67p,1bct,ijo3 SOURCE: Bats and Migration (Organization for Bat Conservation Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,20x5l,3xn3,7rcr,6ykv,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,20x5l,3xn3,4h2h,jgx0,1bct,ijo3 We appreciate feedback. Send comments to the News.bytes team at: mailto:canewsbytes@xxxxxxx
