A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 661-2/13/2015- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Renewable Energy - Happy Valentines Day - 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,25n23,3xn3,6wso,9nly,1bct,ijo3 RENEWABLE ENERGY Secretary Jewell, Director Kornze 'Flip the Switch' on Desert Sunlight Solar Farm (BLM Newsbytes Extra) Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and BLM Director Neil Kornze yesterday joined California state and industry leaders to "flip the switch" on the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, the nation's largest solar project on public lands that is now delivering clean, renewable energy to American consumers. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,6vy,gz3f,1bct,ijo3 Huge Solar Farm opens in California:Enough energy for 160,000 homes (Los Angeles Times, 2/9/2015) About 4,000 acres of shiny black solar panels stretch across Riverside County near Joshua Tree National Park, where on Monday U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell dedicated one of the largest photovoltaic solar energy farms in the world. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,10j6,efhc,1bct,ijo3 World's Largest Solar Plant Opens in California Desert (USA Today, 2/10/2015) U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined state officials on Monday to open the 550¬megawatt Desert Sunlight solar project in the town of Desert Center, Calif., near Joshua Tree National Park. Built by First Solar, the project generates enough electricity to power 160,000 average California homes. Desert Sunlight received a federal loan of nearly $1.5 billion, and Jewell called its completion an example of the loan guarantee program's tremendous importance. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,dqot,j3j7,1bct,ijo3 California Solar Palens Power Thousands of Homes ( MSNBC, 2/13/2015) Solar panels fill the desert of Southern California providing clean power to thousands of homes across the region. Ed Schultz and Bernadette Del Chiaro discuss California's role in leading the clean energy revolution. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,nxg,ewzt,1bct,ijo3 Secretary Jewell helps California Meet its Clean Energy Goals Today while Planning for Tomorrow (The Wilderness Society, 2/9/2015) As a new solar plant comes on line in the California Desert, agencies continue work on a first-of-a-kind clean energy and conservation plan. California has long led the nation with its commitment to clean energy and recently announced even more ambitious clean energy goals for the state. Interior Secretary Jewell helped the state get one step closer to meeting those goals this week when she flipped the switch for a new solar energy project called Desert Sunlight. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,62so,1n0j,1bct,ijo3 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY This Valentines Day We Want to Share Wildlife Valentines! (BLM Pinterest) More than 3,000 species of wildlife call BLM public lands home. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,c838,g7tb,1bct,ijo3 Wondering what to give for Valentines Day? How about a gift of the outdoors? (BLM Facebook ) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,55dn,lqsv,1bct,ijo3 Candy and Flowers for Valentine's Day? (BLM Tumblr) How about lizards, sagegrouse, burros, and moose instead?Send a Valentine e-card, featuring the cutest wildlife on your public lands! http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,lxrb,36y6,1bct,ijo3 The Sweetest Valentine's Day Video You'll Watch Today (DOI Youtube) Each year thousands of people come to public lands to express their love. Here are a few of those special moments. Happy Valentine's Day from all of us here at the Department of the Interior.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,603i,dd9y,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE COAST Weekend Recreation Inspiration (BLM Tumblr) Winter in Northern California looks and feels more like June. The King Range experienced a January with plenty of sunshine and not much in the way of precipitation. Recently, it's been raining. And I mean raining. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,ao9c,257w,1bct,ijo3 Discover the Coast @ Piedras Blancas (BLM Facebook) Join us & celebrate Piedras Blancas 140th birthday this Saturday, Feb. 14 Valentines Day. 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. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,53l6,9c7k,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE DESERT Tales of the Plank (BLM Website) A short, fenced, 1500 foot stretch of dried, decaying wooden planks tha is the largest remaining section of the Plank Road. This wooden road once spanned the Imperial Sand Dunes, providing a means of commerce and transportation to the southern Imperial Sand Dunes. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,7hiv,663u,1bct,ijo3 RELATED:California Gold:A Closer Look (Champan University) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,ool,2ia9,1bct,ijo3 BLM Winter Bucket List #30: Cadiz Dunes, California, for Dramatic Photography of Pristine Wilderness (BLM Tumblr) The Cadiz Dunes Wilderness is located in a remote corner of the Mojave Desert about 12 miles south of Cadiz and historic Route 66. The area is accessible year-round, but summer temperatures can soar to 120 degrees in the dunes so winter and spring are better times to visit. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,j5x9,g6pn,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Discover The Desert (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,ehnu,aie3,1bct,ijo3 Discover the Desert Story Maps (BLM Website) Take an online tour of the California desert! http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,gr21,dabi,1bct,ijo3 OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Cosumnes River Preserve (BLM Facebook) This is the Cosumnes River Preserve after much needed rain. 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,25n23,3xn3,i9du,loip,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Cosumnes River Preserve (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,k75v,bvv4,1bct,ijo3 Mojave Desert: Bill Would Create Two New National Monuments (The Press Enterprise, 2/9/2015) Sen. Dianne Feinstein today introduced legislation that would expand California desert protections by establishing two new national monuments in the Mojave, additional wilderness areas and permanent off-highway vehicle areas. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,92nz,buhr,1bct,ijo3 King of the Hammers 2015 (BLM Newsbytes Extra) Tens of thousands of people gathered near Yucca Valley this past week at the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area for the 9th Annual King of the Hammers international off-road event. For nine days the Means Dry Lake became "Hammertown,'' home to more than 45,000 visitors- including more than 400 racing teams, event staff, vendors, and plenty of excited fans. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,4g1p,4cik,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Inside the 2015 King of the Hammers (ESPN photo slide show): http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,koap,ivqd,1bct,ijo3 BLM Seeks Second Call for Desert District Advisory Council Nominations (BLM News Release) The BLM's California Desert District is soliciting nominations from the public for seven members to its California Desert Advisory Council to serve three-year terms. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,a14w,izt7,1bct,ijo3 Brent Douglas Cole Who Shot and Wounded two Law Enforcement Officers in Nevada County Convicted in Federal Court Trial (YubaNet.com, 2/11/2015) After a three-day trial, a federal jury found Brent Douglas Coleresident of Nevada County, guilty of assault on a federal officer witha deadly weapon which inflicted bodily injury; assault on a personassisting a federal officer with a deadly weapon which inflicted bodily injury; and discharge of a fire arm during and in relation to a crime of violence. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,ikni,m55c,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK How much weight do you think an adult grizzly bear gains before hibernating for the winter? a. 100 pounds b. 200 pounds c. 300 pounds d.400 pounds e. all of the above ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes. BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights This Week at Interior (Video): February 13, 2015 (DOI Youtube)This week: Secretary Jewell flips the switch on the largest solar farm on U.S. public lands; Secretary Jewell kicks off the Administration's Native Youth Listening Tour at two Arizona elementary schools; the national strategy for fighting wildlife trafficking gets a new implementation plan; and it's a fee free weekend on U.S. public lands to celebrate Presidents' Day. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,7z2e,4z6y,1bct,ijo3 Last Week at BLM : FEBRUARY 2-6, 2015 News and Events (BLM Tumblr) On Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, President Obama requested $1.2 billion for the Bureau of Land Management for Fiscal Year 2016. The proposal includes strategic investments for improving management of increased energy production, conserving sage-grouse habitat in the West, strengthening BLM's National Conservation Lands, and establishing a BLM Foundation to foster public partnerships that support BLM's mission. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,7kfg,l7hv,1bct,ijo3 UPCOMING EVENTS 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. 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,25n23,3xn3,bbec,7h6l,1bct,ijo3 Feb 14-15: Wild Horses and Burros Adoption in Ferndale http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,1krv,ihz2,1bct,ijo3 Feb 21: Plank Road Centennial Celebration (BLM Facebook)The Plank Road Centennial Celebration 1915-2015. Nearly 100 years ago, visionaries cobbled together a road of planks to traverse the nearly impassable Algodones Dunes, now commonly known as the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,6te3,dkpp,1bct,ijo3 Feb 23: Draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan End of Public Comment Period http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,khro,axr2,1bct,ijo3 February 28: Desert Advisory Council to Meet in Riverside http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,cldm,anen,1bct,ijo3 March 18 & 21: Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area Public Meetings http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,i4mf,fpij,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER How much weight do you think an adult grizzly bear gains before hibernating for the winter? Answer: All of the above, A Grizzly Bear can put on as much as 400 pounds to prepare for its winter sleep. SOURCE:Nature Watch (enature.com) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25n23,3xn3,g1m6,3ipr,1bct,ijo3
