A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California Issue 676-5/29/2015- Visit us on Facebook -- Follow us on Twitter -- Share us with friends and colleagues! THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES: - Sage-Grouse - National Conservation Lands - Discover the Coast - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and DOI Highlights - Wildlife Question of the Week - Upcoming Events 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,291l8,3xn3,ctjc,mfst,1bct,ijo3 SAGE-GROUSE Sage-Grouse and Sagebrush Conservation (BLM Website) Once seen in great numbers across the West, greater sage-grouse have declined in number over the past century because of the loss of sagebrush habitats essential for their survival. Learn more about what BLM is doing to protect this species and conserve its habitat.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,ld4t,k2dv,1bct,ijo3 BLM, USFS Plans for Public Lands in Nevada and Northeastern California Provide for Greater Sage-Grouse Protection, Balanced Development (BLM News Release) The updated Nevada and Northeastern California plan is an essential element of an unprecedented and proactive strategy to respond to the deteriorating health of the American West's sagebrush landscapes and declining population of the greater sage-grouse. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,718z,1yc4,1bct,ijo3 Conserving Sagebrush (BLM Facebook) Sagebrush is key for wildlife, recreation & local economies. Here's how we're conserving. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,2vzb,14or,1bct,ijo3 There are only 400,000 Sage Grouse Left. Here's the Government's New Plan to Save an Awesome Bird (The Washington Post, 5/28/2015) There's an odd but uniquely American bird out West that dances on a wide stage to mate with hens, and the federal Bureau of Land Management announced a long awaited plan Thursday that aims to help them so they don't go extinct.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,6ery,dpbr,1bct,ijo3 Sec. Jewell Unveils Feds' Sage Grouse Plan to Avoid Endangered Listing (The Denver Post, 5/28/2015) Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Thursday morning unveiled plans for protecting greater sage grouse on 66 million acres of federally managed public lands in Colorado and nine other western states, declaring two thirds of that area "priority habitat" where human activity must be minimized. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,cw51,gv5w,1bct,ijo3 NATIONAL CONSERVATION LANDS BLM National Conservation Lands 15th Anniversary Celebrations (BLM Website) The Bureau of Land Management invites you to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the National Conservation Lands on June 19 and 20, 2015, in northern California at the Headwaters Forest Reserve and at the King Range National Conservation Area. Please RSVP by June 12. For more information and to RSVP, please visit: blm.gov/ca/nlcs15 National Conservation Lands (BLM Tumblr) This year marks an important milestone for the BLM's National Conservation Lands-America's newest conservation system turns 15! These lands include 30 million acres of National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Scenic and Historic Trails, and Conservation Lands of the California Desert. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,ljxi,7a6l,1bct,ijo3 DISCOVER THE COAST California Coastal Trail Dreamin' (Outside, May 28, 2015) Anyone who's driven California's Pacific Coast Highway knows that the Golden State's shoreline is a breathtaking jewel. If you've ever imagined Cali's oceanfront as a thru-hike, you're not alone-the state has been trying to carve out the 1,200-mile or so California Coastal Trail ever since a 2001 law sanctioned a public walking path connecting the Oregon border to the Mexico border, at all times within "sight, sound, or smell of the ocean."http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,fjbj,m0wd,1bct,ijo3 We're kicking off Memorial Day Weekend with My Public Lands Instagram Takeover by American Hiking Society! (BLM Tumblr) As the national voice for America's hikers, American Hiking Society promotes and protects foot trails, their surrounding natural areas, and the hiking experience. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,3lxb,46u5,1bct,ijo3 A Beautiful Saturday Sunset from the American Hiking Society Takeover of My Public Lands Instagram (BLM Tumblr) America's great trails do not build nor sustain themselves. A large percentage of our trails are maintained by volunteers every year. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,8u9l,bwsp,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: Discover the Coast (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,jksk,gqng,1bct,ijo3 CALIFORNIA HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS BLM Presents 2015 "Making a Difference" National Volunteer Award to Bodfish Resident (Newsbytes Extra) The Bureau of Land Management presented its prestigious "Making a Difference" National Volunteer Awards for outstanding volunteer service in 2014 on BLM-managed lands. Among the recipients of the award were Ted Brummer, a recreation and visitor services volunteer at the Keysville Special Recreation Management Area outside of the town of Lake Isabella http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,5erw,k3xy,1bct,ijo3 RELATED: BLM Presents 'Making a Difference' National Volunteer Awards (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,hxb1,hcyy,1bct,ijo3 Students Capture Beauty, Explore Nature on BLM Lands in Lassen (Newsbytes Extra) Wind was whistling and gray storm clouds were building, but that did not deter a group of high school art students who braved tempestuous spring weather on public lands near Susanville to capture on paper the beauty of the high desert. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,30mq,1dz9,1bct,ijo3 Working Dogs for Conservation (BLM Facebook) Our friends Working Dogs for Conservation helping with climate change research on public lands in the San Joaquin Valley. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,fbp5,gxuf,1bct,ijo3 Memorial Day Weekend (BLM Facebook) Every year during the Memorial Day weekend, more than 700 mules compete in 181 events at the Bishop Mule Days Celebration. The BLM Bishop Field Office's antique fire wagon won 2nd place for best decorated wagon at the Mule Days Parade this year! http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,h8x5,6d99,1bct,ijo3 Lost Voles Won't Stop Effort to Save Endangered Rodent (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/24/2015 ) In the sun-baked desert 80 miles west of Las Vegas, you live where the landscape lets you. For the Amargosa vole, home is beneath the bulrush in a handful of spring-fed marshes one mountain range removed from Death Valley. But life has been particularly hard lately for one of North America's most endangered mammals. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,j414,6cbw,1bct,ijo3 Making a Monument from Scratch (High Country News, 5/25/2015) I've always had a weakness for the underappreciated, overlooked corners of the public domain. Now, one of my favorite Cinderella places is on the cusp of becoming a national monument. I've been pondering: Does it deserve this? http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,fvcm,eib,1bct,ijo3 Cal Poly's Real, Live, Mustang Mascot (slo horse news, 5/26/2015) As the Cal Poly Performance Horse Sale approaches, this year's offerings of well-bred and well-started performance horses will also include two graduates of the newly-minted Cal Poly Mustang Enterprise. You may have heard the buzz surrounding the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustang Mascot being a living, breathing horse, bravely charging the football field at touchdowns. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,79ae,clyz,1bct,ijo3 Pot Grower gets 7 Years for Starting Sierra Forest Fire (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/27/2015) A man who was growing marijuana in a remote canyon in the southern Sierra Nevada last summer was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison and ordered to pay $6.5 million for lighting a burn that grew into the devastating 1,680-acre Nicolls Fire. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,ihng,9pv3,1bct,ijo3 California Drought: Forest Service Ready For Wildfire Season (Capital Public Radio, 5/26/ 2015) The U.S. Forest Service has finished hiring most of the firefighters needed this summer in California. The U.S. Forest Service recently hired 780 additional firefighters. John Heil with the Pacific Southwest Regional Office in Vallejo said the temporary positions include smokejumpers, air tanker base managers and dispatchers. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,jvst,37vn,1bct,ijo3 BLM AND DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HIGHTLIGHTS This Week at Interior (Video): May 29, 2015 (DOI Youtube) Secretary Jewell visit Riverside Indian School in Oklahoma, part of her listening tour for Native American Youth; another milestone this week for one of the largest conservation efforts ever attempted; survival prospects are improving for the Florida manatee; USGS and BOEM are giving you a glimpse of the deepwater marine habitats off the coast of Maryland and Virginia; and two bear cubs in Yosemite National Park have stolen America's heart, thanks to social media.http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,cis0,36r9,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK When are sagebrush lizards inactive? (a) During the day (b) During the summer (c) During the winter (d) After a large Thanksgiving meal ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes. UPCOMING EVENTS June 3: Fort Ord National Monument National Conservation Lands 15th Anniversary Celebration. (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,bvco,b4v0,1bct,ijo3 June 5: Open House Sunset Tour (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,jknt,jxc5,1bct,ijo3 June 12-14 : Wild Horses, Burros Available for Adoption at Napa Mustang Days (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,wck,buxz,1bct,ijo3 June 19: Headwaters Forest Reserve National Conservation Lands 15th Anniversary Celebration (BLM Website) blm.gov/ca/nlcs15 June 20: King Range National Conservation Area National Conservation Lands 15th Anniversary Celebration (BLM Website) blm.gov/ca/nlcs15 June 21: Trinidad Annual Fish Festival (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,1w6j,m7pn,1bct,ijo3 June 13-22: Biggest Little Critters in the Creek' Kicks Off King Range Summer Hike Series (BLM News Release) "Biggest Little Critters in the Creek," a free, guided hike to discover macroinvertebrate creatures, will kick off the annual King Range summer hike series on Northern California's Lost Coast http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,4hlg,4hcu,1bct,ijo3 June 15-19: Volunteers Welcome for Archaeology Week Projects (BLM News Release) Opportunities to learn about archaeology and to try out archaeological field work are available June 15 through 19, when the Bureau of Land Management holds its second annual Archaeology Volunteer Week near Susanville. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,6m5e,43c1,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE TRIVIA ANSWER When are sagebrush lizards inactive? (c) During the winter RELATED: "Sagebrush lizard" (BLM Wildlife Database) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,291l8,3xn3,607j,4637,1bct,ijo3
