A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 663-2/27/2015- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Discover the Desert - Discover the Coast - 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,262lx,3xn3,5cs7,jlf0,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE DESERT Celebrating the Historic Plank Road (BLM Extra) The BLM, United Desert Gateway and community partners celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Plank Road near Winterhaven, California. The event celebrated the visionaries who cobbled together a road of planks to traverse the nearly impassable Imperial Sand Dunes. The Plank Road became the improbable last link in an east-west route that connected Arizona to coastal San Diego. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,6i9c,dnge,1bct,ijo3 Remembering the Plank Road (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/20/2015) There's not much left now of the Plank Road, a wooden wonder built 100 years ago this month across the Imperial Sand Dunes, opening for the first time a direct route for motorists traveling between San Diego and Arizona. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,jner,1uoc,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,262lx,3xn3,lpxf,afwc,1bct,ijo3 Come Take A Ride On the Oldest and Most Famous Highway in America! (BLM Facebook) Completed in 1926, U.S. Route 66 begins in Chicago and terminates at the Santa Monica Pier, covering a distance of 2,448 miles. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,fv01,6sg7,1bct,ijo3 Journey Back in Time With Our Countdown to the Oscars. (BLM Tumblr) Trona Pinnacles is one of the most unique landscapes in the California Desert. The tufa spires, some as high as 140 feet were formed underwater thousands of years ago when Searles Dry Lake connected Mono Lake to Death Valley. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,7xac,atdr,1bct,ijo3 BLM In Film: Our Oscar Countdown Wouldn't Be Complete Without The Alabama Hills (BLM Tumblr) A short drive from the Hollywood center of film making, the Alabama Hills have attracted movie makers from all over the world. Since the early 1920's, movie stars such as Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, and the Lone Ranger have been shooting it out with outlaws. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,b3rk,fkfx,1bct,ijo3 The Whipple Mountains Wilderness (BLM Tumblr) A part of the BLM's National Conservation Land has the only stand of saguaro cactus in California. Although they are abundant in Arizona's part of the Sonoran Desert, saguaro cactus don't occur on the California side of the Colorado River except in this one spot. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,9v5i,3bfz,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE COAST Meet creatures of the Coast at the California Coastal National Monument (BLM Tumblr) The California Coastal National Monument, a part of the BLM's National Conservation Lands, stretches the entire length of California's 1,100 mile coastline. With more than 20,000 islands, rocks, reefs, and pinnacles, there is plenty to see and experience. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,8gsd,9sno,1bct,ijo3 Wildflower Tour Planned at Fort Ord National Monument (BLM News Release) The BLM and California Native Plant Society are hosting a guided wildflower tour at Fort Ord National Monument during peak bloom on April 12. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,6yyh,jwjh,1bct,ijo3 CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Wildflowers (BLM Facebook) Warm weather has brought an early display of wildflowers to the Panoche Hills area managed by the Hollister Field Office. Flowers that have been in bloom include the Amsinchia furcata, forked fiddleneck, and Gilia tricolor, bird-eyed gilia. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,5iz3,r3q,1bct,ijo3 Inyo County man accused of removing Native American relics from public land (LA Times, 2/23/2015) An Inyo County man has been indicted on federal charges he hunted for and took ancient Native American relics from public lands along the Eastern Sierra. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,9mbt,ca6q,1bct,ijo3 Leaders Call for Stronger Planning, Others Offer Overlooked Alternative (Hesperia Star, 2/20/2015) A letter signed by a cross-section of 40 desert community leaders and sent last week to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell calls for a successful Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan that prioritizes conservation, minimizes the impact on neighborhoods and maintains recreation opportunities. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,d460,m4gr,1bct,ijo3 Over 12,000 Comments on Desert Renewable Energy Plan (Desert Sun, 2/24/2015 ) More than 12,000 people submitted comments on the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan before this week's deadline, many of them urging policymakers to protect specific parts of the desert from development. Unprecedented in scope and scale, the 10,000-page draft plan has far-reaching implications for the future of California's deserts. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,3w13,ctg5,1bct,ijo3 Eagle Mountain Hydropower Proposal Still in Flux (Desert Sun, 2/20/ 2015) There's still no resolution in sight for the old Eagle Mountain iron mine, eight months after federal regulators approved plans to build a hydroelectric power plant at the site, in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,5ta2,4uaw,1bct,ijo3 BLM Seeks Comments on 2015 Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Proposals (BLM News Release) Approximately 35 BLM projects throughout the state have been proposed including OHV rules enforcement, facility development, restoration work and other activities. The proposals are available at: www.ohv.paks.ca.gov for review and comment March 3 through April 6, 2015. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,hgyj,fxdi,1bct,ijo3 Controlled burn conducted at Humboldt Bay South Spit (NewsChannel3, 2/27/2015) About 1,000 acres of invasive plant filled land from the Humboldt Bay North Jetty to the South Spit have been restored since 2003. On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management worked to restore five more. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,3utb,j9br,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE FACT OF THE WEEK How many Wolves are in a pack? a) 3 b) 4 c) 5 d) 6 e) 7 ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes. BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR Highlights This Week at Interior (Video): February 27, 2015 (DOI Youtube) leaders and delegates from the most distant American territories meet with Interior and White House officials in Washington; a historic signing this week on water rights with state and tribal officials from Nevada; Secretary Jewell recognizes young native leaders at the Center for Native American Youth's Champions of Change event; Fish and Wildlife makes it easier to teach your kid to fish; the USGS wants to know what's on the menu for your average polar bear; and we end Black History Month with the incredible journey of one man from Sudanese war refugee to BLM scientist. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,3yvz,it0w,1bct,ijo3 Check Out What Happened Last Week at the BLM: Feb. 15-20,2015 (BLM Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,i5t4,bbjr,1bct,ijo3 My Public Lands Magazine, Spring 2015, Now Available Online! (BLM Tumblr) Nature has a way of compensating us for the tough times. For those hot summer days in the Mojave Desert? How about an ever-so cool winter road trip along the iconic Route 66? What about for those short days and long nights in Alaska? The Spring issue of My Public Lands magazine provides articles about outdoor adventures from each of the BLM's State Offices. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,f3g6,h0c0,1bct,ijo3 UPCOMING EVENTS 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,262lx,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,262lx,3xn3,cldm,anen,1bct,ijo3 March 7 - Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival The Wildflower Festival is a unique one day event held at of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center in Palm Springs. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,ip6e,bjn0,1bct,ijo3 March 18 & 21: Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area Public Meetings http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,i4mf,fpij,1bct,ijo3 March 21 - Fish Slough Clean-Up The BLM Bishop Field Office and Friends of the Inyo host clean-up at the Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern on March 21 to pick up trash and help restore the area.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,fbb1,chfk,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER Answer: E is the right answer! Wolves live, travel and hunt in packs of 7 to 8 animals on average. Packs include the mother and father wolves (called the alphas), their pups and older offspring. The alpha female and male are typically the pack leaders that track and hunt prey, choose den sites and establish the pack's territory. Wolves develop strong social bonds within their packs. The alpha female and alpha male wolves of a pack usually mate for life. SOURCE: Basic Facts About Gray Wolves (Defenders.org) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,262lx,3xn3,hj0y,8u4i,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,262lx,3xn3,4h2h,jgx0,1bct,ijo3
