A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 656-1/9/2015- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Winter Bucket List - Discover the Coast - Discover the Desert - Headlines and Highlights - Wildlife Trivia Question of the Week - BLM and Department of the Interior Highlights If this message does not show up properly in your email, you can see it online at: http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,kg96,5jd6,1bct,ijo3 WINTER BUCKET LIST Winter Bucket List (BLM Tumblr) Each day of winter, we’ll feature BLM-managed locations that you should add to your bucket list visit the BLM Tumblr site - for spectacular winter scenery, unique features and events, and even a few warmer locations for a winter getaway. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,ku60,embi,1bct,ijo3 BLM California Locations #2 Eagle Lake ACEC, CA #7 Trona Pinnacles, CA #9 Consumnes River Preserve, CA #14 Cache Creek Natural Area, CA DISCOVER THE COAST Remembering A Huge 'Rogue' Wave (Eureka Times-Standard, 1/4/2014) Record-breaking weather extremes were the rule rather than the exception in 2014, with the world potentially seeing its warmest year since modern record keeping began. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,75lb,k0mr,1bct,ijo3 Peek at the Past: 140th Birthday Celebration (BLM Webiste) The first order light at Piedras Blancas was first lit on February 15, 1875. This year we will be celebrating the 140th birthday of the lighthouse on Saturday, February 14. A special living history tour,"Peek at the Past", will feature guides in period attire and enactors portraying life at the light station in the 1890s. This special tour is offered at the regular tour fee of $10 for adults and $5 for ages 6 through 17. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,4x01,au3l,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Discover the Coast (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,g803,llgh,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE DESERT Celebrating a Decade of Success Restoring Habitat for the Endangered Least Bell's Vireo (BLM Extra) The Amargosa River flows through one of the hottest and driest regions in the western United States. As one of only two large rivers in the Mojave Desert, the river supports a wide array of valuable resources and represents a unique addition to the National Wild and Scenic River System. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,4l3y,g8vt,1bct,ijo3 Trona Pinnacles (BLM Tumblr) Trona Pinnacles is one of the most unusual geologic wonders in the California Desert. This unique landscape consists of more than 500 tufa pinnacles-some as tall as 140 feet-rising from the bed of the Searles Dry Lake basin. Michael Shainblum captured this dramatic photo of Trona Pinnacles at sunset, which is a popular time to visit the sight. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,430s,b9r7,1bct,ijo3 Discover the Desert: (BLM Facebook) Dedication of the Turquoise Mural & Tribute to Kay White Cloud of the Pueblo Laguna Tribe at the Desert Discovery Center on Jan 10 at 10 a.m. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,jpjj,f12f,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Discover the Desert (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,ehnu,aie3,1bct,ijo3 Imperial Sand Dunes Visitor Fees To Be Waived MLK Weekend (Imperial Valley Press, 1/3/2015) Recreation-related fees for visitors to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area will be waived during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, Jan. 16 through Jan. 19. The Bureau of Land Management El Centro Field Office will also waive visitor fees during the holiday weekend at Lark Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area and Cottonwood Campground in southeastern San Diego County, a BLM press release stated. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,76g6,cn79,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: BLM Recreation Fees Waived over MLK Holiday Weekend in Imperial County (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,4t6r,e801,1bct,ijo3 OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Future of Berryessa-Snow Mountain Lands in Limbo (KQED, 1/5/2014) It could become California's largest national monument-or not. The future of about 350,000 acres of federal lands north of the Bay Area likely now rests in the hands of President Obama and his Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell. Proponents of special protections for the huge, biologically diverse tract of land have changed their strategy. For years they've been pushing Congress to create a national conservation area that includes a mishmash of federal lands stretching from Lake Berryessa, 100 miles north to Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,5e4i,lo1b,1bct,ijo3 Tribal Land Swap Back For More Public Review (The Desert Sun, 1/2/2015) A new review of the proposed land trade between the federal government and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians gives little solace to hikers who are hoping that several popular Palm Springs trails would remain out of the deal. The possible exchange, now 15 years in the making, involves more than 7,000 acres of undeveloped mountainous land near Palm Springs, all within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountain National Monument. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,1w2g,7kku,1bct,ijo3 Gov. Brown's Inaugural Speech Continues His Green, Fiscal Themes (Los Angeles Times,11/6/15) If Brown is successful in pressing his environmental agenda, Californians will be living with the results long after he leaves office. Brown said that by 2030, he wants half the state's electricity to come from renewable sources, an increase from the one-third goal set for 2020 by his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And the governor called for doubling the energy efficiency of existing buildings and cutting in half the use of gas and diesel fuel in cars and trucks. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,b1g0,j87v,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: DRECP (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,3mdu,2fcl,1bct,ijo3 Eagle Mountain Legal Battle Settled After 15 Years (The Desert Sun, 12/31/2014) A longstanding legal battle over land around the old Eagle Mountain iron mine has been settled in a deal that some activists hope could bring the mine one step closer to inclusion in Joshua Tree National Park. The old mine has been the subject of fiery debate in recent years, with several groups fighting over its future. The owners have been trying to sell the land to another mining company, while a separate company has obtained federal approval to build a hydroelectric power plant at the site. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,b9tb,i0yh,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: U.S Distrcit Court Issues Final Judgment and Order for Eagle Mountian Land Exchange in Riverside County(BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,84da,eol4,1bct,ijo3 Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (BLM Website) Dove Springs Segment featured in the movie "Wild". Learn more about the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail at http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,2z87,abml,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: 'Wild' Makes it to the Big Screen (The Trust for Public Land) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,bjx7,kzz3,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK True or False? Rabbits are born blind. ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes. BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights This Week at Interior (Video): December 19, 2014 (DOI Youtube) A look back at the top stories of 2014 from This Week at Interior. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,bwvv,7zwm,1bct,ijo3 Secretary Jewell Launches Comprehensive Strategy to Protect and Restore Sagebrush Lands Threatened by Rangeland Fire (DOI Press Release) Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today issued a Secretarial Order calling for a comprehensive science-based strategy to address the more frequent and intense wildfires that are damaging vital sagebrush landscapes and productive rangelands, particularly in the Great Basin region of Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and California http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,6ydk,h36k,1bct,ijo3 UPCOMING EVENTS Jan 10-Feb 14: BLM Bald Eagle Hike. (BLM Facebook) BLM will host free guided hikes to look for wintering bald eagles in the Cache Creek Natural Area in Lake County on Saturdays, Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31 and Feb. 7 and 14.Those interested in participating should reserve space for a specific date by calling the BLM Ukiah Field Office, (707) 468-4000. Early reservations are requested for the popular hikes, which are limited to 25 participants each and fill quickly. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,bbec,7h6l,1bct,ijo3 Jan 10: Ribbon Cutting for New Trail Planned at Fort Ord National Monument (BLM News Release) The Bureau of Land Management and Monterey Off-Road Cycling Association will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new trail segment developed by volunteers on the Fort Ord National Monument. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,29vk,61c0,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER True Rabbits produce closed-eye naked or altricial young. Altircal means that offspring are are helpless at birth and require parental care for sometime afterward. SOURCE:Upland Game Biology and Ecology of Utah Rabbits and Hares (Wildlife Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,68lf,jjls,1bct,ijo3 Science Quizzes (Science Kids):http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,24hlk,3xn3,al46,2e50,1bct,ijo3
