A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 662-2/20/2015- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Discover the Coast - Discover the Desert - Headlines and Highlights - Wildlife Fact 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,25udz,3xn3,jtvy,j378,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE COAST Piedras Blancas Light Station 140th Birthday (Newsbytes Extra) A public tour was transported back in time to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the first lighting of the lighthouse. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,f4q6,67u5,1bct,ijo3 Wild Flowers and Warm Thoughts from the California Coastal National Monument (BLM Tumblr) I Got Flowers for Valentine's Day! No greenhouse flowers for me - just all-natural, blowing in the wind flowers, plentiful on my public lands. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,ln3x,6spx,1bct,ijo3 Fort Ord National Monument (BLM Facebook) It was a busy weekend at Fort Ord National Monument. Over 50 volunteers planted native seedlings on a habitat restoration site through a partnership with the Return of the Natives Restoration Education Project. Volunteers were really able to get into their work with live music from a local harpist. After the planting, BLM Ranger Tammy and other volunteers visited the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History for their annual Valentine's Day Open House. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,6yrj,hdvr,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE DESERT Moonlight over Imperial Sand Dunes - An Oscar Worthy Location (BLM Tumblr) The Imperial Sand Dunes, widely known as Glamis, are the largest dune mass in California. Formed by windblown sands of ancient Lake Cahuilla, they create a unique landscape, ideal for Hollywood film backdrops. Road to Zanzibar, Flight of the Phoenix, and Return of the Jedi are just a few of the many movies and commercials filmed at the dunes. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,h5nm,96k1,1bct,ijo3 Discover the Desert (BLM Facebook) It may be cold and snowy in most of the country, but the weather is just right for exploring the California Desert. Find your next adventure: http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,b8bg,8842,1bct,ijo3 Tales of the Plank (BLM Website) A short, fenced, 1500 foot stretch of dried, decaying wooden planks 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,25udz,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,25udz,3xn3,ool,2ia9,1bct,ijo3 Route 66 Public Lands Cruise Poker Run, and 7th Annual Route 66 Hot Boat and Custom Car Show (ZachNews, 2/18/2015) Explore fascinating Points of Interest as you drive along the historic and world famous Route 66 in a poker run collecting your winning poker hands by visiting each stop and learning about the history of that place and location. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,lpxf,afwc,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,25udz,3xn3,gr21,dabi,1bct,ijo3 OTHER CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Homes Found, Connections Made when Wild Horses Visit Ferndale (Newsbytes Extra) Ferndale resident, Jeff Chase, visited Ferndale's annual horse packing clinic on Valentine's Day, to learn about the events and the BLM's wild horse and burro adoption program. He ended up leaving the event with a new friend. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,jofo,avfd,1bct,ijo3 BLM Joins Effort Encourage Students to Explore (Newsbytes Extra) More than 1,000 high school freshmen in Shasta County recently learned about the possibilities of careers involving science, technology, engineering and math, by hearing directly from professionals including staff from the Bureau of Land Management, in those fields. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,5n2j,6msq,1bct,ijo3 BLM Office Moving to New Location (BLM Facebook) The BLM Eagle Lake Field Office in Susanville, will be moving to the Riverside Drive building that houses the Lassen National Forest headquarters. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,7wsk,13c7,1bct,ijo3 'Slow Coast' May Get a National Monument (Bay Nature, 2/16/2015) The Coast Dairies property, which spans the so-called "Slow Coast" north of Santa Cruz, has fallen into limbo since it gained protection in 2006. Funding shortfalls at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is in charge of the 5,848-acre property, has stalled public access to the former dairy ranch, once the third-largest privately held piece of the California coast from San Francisco to the Mexican border. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,q2s,gspk,1bct,ijo3 Public comments on DRECP, which will change region forever, due by Feb. 23 (Daily Press, 2/20/2015) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,d9yp,8ei9,1bct,ijo3 Sally Jewell: 'Plenty of time' for Energy Plan Comment (Desert Sun, 2/12/2015) Interior Secretary Sally Jewell had a message this week for critics of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan: Your input is valuable, but you don't need more time to submit your comments. State and federal agencies have spent six years working on the plan that would lay the ground rules for the next quarter-century of solar, wind and geothermal development across 22.5 million acres of California desert. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,247y,6fya,1bct,ijo3 February #conservationlands15 (BLM Tumblr) National Monuments under the BLM's stewardship have yielded numerous scientific discoveries, ranging from fossils of previously unknown dinosaurs to new theories about prehistoric cultures. They provide places to view some of America's darkest night skies, most unique wildlife, and treasured archaeological resources. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,dlsr,2bck,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE FACT OF THE WEEK Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. With extremely elongated fingers and a wing membrane stretched between, the bat's wing anatomically resembles the human hand. Almost 1,000 bat species can be found worldwide. In fact, bats make up a quarter of all mammal species on earth. SOURCE:Basic Facts About Bats (Defenders.org) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,3a38,58yh,1bct,ijo3 BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights This Week at Interior (Video): February 20, 2015 (DOI Youtube) President Obama designates three new national monuments, and launches his "Every Kid in a Park" initiative; Secretary Jewell travels to Alaska to meet with communities threatened by climate change; and it's really big news for a small fish in Oregon. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,jh4,5r5j,1bct,ijo3 Secretary Jewell, Secretary Vilsack Applaud President Obama's Designation of Browns Canyon National Monument (BLM News Release) President's proclamation fulfills decade-long community drive to protect spectacular landscape and world-class recreation opportunities.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,51q2,f094,1bct,ijo3 UPCOMING EVENTS Feb 21: Plank Road Centennial Celebration (BLM Facebook) 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,25udz,3xn3,8ebm,jdkx,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,25udz,3xn3,khro,axr2,1bct,ijo3 Feb 27-28: Route 66 Public Lands Cruise Poker Run, and 7th Annual Route 66 Hot Boat and Custom Car Show, and Golf Tournament http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,3xn3,vyv,e920,1bct,ijo3 Feb 28: Desert Advisory Council to Meet in Riverside http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,25udz,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,25udz,3xn3,i4mf,fpij,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,25udz,3xn3,4h2h,jgx0,1bct,ijo3 We appreciate feedback. Send comments to the News.bytes team at: mailto:canewsbytes@blm.govTo unsubscribe, send an email to: unsubscribe-183567@xxxxxxxxxxx
