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Desert Renewable Energy
Conservation Plan
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ISSUE 700 - NOVEMBER 12, 2015 |
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- Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
- Discover the Desert
- Discover the Coast
- Headlines and Highlights
- BLM and DOI Highlights
- Wildlife Question of the Week
- Upcoming Events
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DESERT RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSERVATION PLAN |
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The Department of the Interior and the State of California announced the final environmental review of the Desert
Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. The DRECP is an innovative landscape-scale plan that provides protection and conservation for wildlife, recreation and cultural resources in the California desert while encouraging streamlined renewable energy development in the right places.(BLM Facebook)
Related: Interior
Department, State of California Announce Innovative Strategy for Renewable Energy and Conservation on Public Lands in California Desert (BLM News Release)
Related: DRECP (Drecp.org)
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Wilderness.org, 11/10/2015
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan for the California desert, released today, could have lasting benefits for both conservation and renewable
energy. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) was initiated to find appropriate places for development—and just as important—those that are not. (Read full story)
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Sacramento Bee, 11/10/2015
A sweeping plan released Tuesday to regulate development of renewable energy in Southern California deserts designates nearly 400,000 acres for potential solar, wind and geothermal plants and millions more acres for conservation and recreation. (Read full story)
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The Desert Sun, 11/10/2015
State and federal officials released a sweeping plan for the future of California’s deserts Tuesday, designating areas for renewable energy development, conservation and recreation across 10 million acres overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. (Read full story)
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The Sun, 11/10/2015
Federal and state officials Tuesday released a final draft of the federal portion of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Officials call the plan, which covers about 22.5 million acres of federal and non-federal California desert land, an unprecedented cooperative effort
to manage where California’s renewable energy conservation projects go to preserve plant and animal habitat as well as recreation areas. (Read full story)
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DISCOVER THE DESERT
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America’s victories during WWII began in the Mojave Desert of California and Arizona. Don’t Miss this
Special PBS Veterans Day Broadcast of Sands of War. (BLM Facebook)
Related: Discover the Desert Sands of War (BLM Website)
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The Friends of the Desert Mountains along with the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and the Agua Caliente
Band of Cahuilla Indians, hosted a 15th Anniversary celebration of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument on Friday, November 6, 2015. (BLM Newsbytes)
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The Santa Rosa and Jacinto Mountains National Monument celebrated their 15th anniversary on November 6, 2015. The
Monument was established on October 24, 2000, In order to preserve the nationally significant biological, cultural, recreational, geological, educational, and scientific values found in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains. (BLM Youtube)
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DISCOVER THE COAST |
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On behalf of the King Range National Conservation Area thank you to the Shelter Cove Arts and Recreation Foundation for a significant amount of
planning and a successful Plein Air at the Lost Coast event. Public lands in the King Range and the community of Shelter Cove received a tremendous benefit from this effort. (BLM Tumblr)
Related: Discover the
Coast (BLM Website)
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With more than 20,000 rocks, islands, exposed reefs, and pinnacles along the 1,100 miles of California’s coast. The scenic beauty and
important wildlife habitat within the Monument are protected by the BLM’s National Conservation Lands. Millions of people view the California Coastal National Monument from roads, beaches, bluffs, watercraft, or through one of the Monument Gateway Communities. (BLM Tumblr)
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The BLM’s Teachers on Public Land program, part of Hands on the Land, came to the Headwaters Forest Reserve this
year. The Arcata Field Office hosted middle school teacher Hart Ford and provided staff support to help her students with units focused on watershed, salmon restoration and salamander monitoring. (BLM Newsbytes)
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Discover the Coast at the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit of the California Coastal National Monument. (BLM Facebook)
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HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS |
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Residents of two long-term care facilities had the opportunity to enjoy the fall splendor along the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail on November 5, thanks to a
partnership involving the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office and the City of Susanville. (Read full story)
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Desert Dispatch, 11/5/2015
Citing fears over potential mining limitations and off-road vehicle use hampered by Bureau of Land Management control, the City Council on Monday unanimously endorsed Rep. Paul Cook’s desert resources bill. After hearing a report from Cook’s field representative, Dakota Higgins, the Council voted to 5-0 to approve the resolution to support the California Minerals, Off-road
Recreations and Conservation Act of 2015. (Read full story)
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San Francisco Chronicle, 11/6/2015
Although Bay Area drivers traveling north on Highway 101 often bypass Clear Lake, birds never make that mistake. The Audubon Society designated Clear Lake as an Important Bird Area long ago because it serves as a vital resting spot for migrating birds on the Pacific flyway. (Read full story)
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Santa Cruz Sentinel, 11/7/ 2015
The effort to turn the rolling hills of Coast Dairies near the tiny town of Davenport into a national monument is still moving too fast say many on the “Slow Coast,” a nickname for the stretch of quiet coastline north of Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay. The new title, if approved,
would raise the 5,800-acre Coast Dairies’s profile. (Read full
story)
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The Hill, 11/9/2015
California’s rural economies depend on very small businesses – 95 percent of companies in these areas have fewer than five employees. Many of them depend upon our state’s unique and spectacular natural resources for their success. The California Desert region is
no exception. (Read full story)
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BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS |
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On public lands across our country, memorials, battlefields and cemeteries help us remember those who have served and
sacrificed for our nation. With this video, Interior seeks to us honor these heroes. Thank you, veterans. (DOI Youtube)
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As we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day tomorrow, November 11, we want to thank all military veterans for their service and specifically
recognize those BLM employees across the country in all of our BLM states who have served and continue to serve our country. Their contribution to our national security is something that comes at a cost, and it is right that we acknowledge and appreciate the great sacrifice our veterans and
their families make on behalf of all of us. (BLM Tumblr)
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Pictured here, the BLM protects and manages the Fort Ord National Monument on the Monterey Peninsula in California. A
part of the BLM’s National Conservation Lands, the former Fort Ord military base has been set aside for preservation, conservation and recreation for current and future generations to enjoy – and to remember the military tradition of this historic place. (BLM Tumblr)
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Located just an hour’s drive from Fairbanks, Alaska, the one-million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area offers stunning scenery,
peaceful solitude, and outstanding opportunities for recreation. (BLM Tumblr)
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Over thirty years ago, four elk hunters in northwest Montana formed a conservation organization dedicated to elk, elk
hunting, and a healthy habitat in which elk can thrive. This organization – the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation – now includes more than 200,000 members and has conserved more than 6.6 million acres for elk and other wildlife. (BLM Tumblr)
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WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK |
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What record does the Desert Iguana hold in North America?
(a) It can hold its breath longer than any other land-based lizard
(b) It is the fastest sprinter in North America
(c) It is the most heat-tolerant reptile in North America
(d) It has more scales per inch than any other reptile
(e) Most nachos eaten at a sitting
Keep reading for answer
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
Representatives from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Marine Corps will host a Resource Management
Group meeting about changes in land use in the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area on Nov. 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (BLM News Release)
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November 23: Public Comments Due
The Bureau of Land Management Ridgecrest Field Office, has announced the availability of the proposed plan for remediating contamination for Operable Unit 1 (OU1)
at the Rand Historic Mining Complex Site. The proposed plan was prepared by the BLM under authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act and is the first step in the CERCLA remedy selection process. (BLM Website)
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WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER |
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What record does the Desert Iguana hold in North America?
(c) It is the most heat-tolerant reptile in North America
Dipsosaurus dorsalis both emerges and remains active later in the day than most lizards, and
body temperatures of 45° C have been recorded — well above lethal levels for most lizard species.
SOURCE: “Dipsosaurus dorsalis, Desert Iguana” (The University of
Texas at Austin website)
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