Cosumnes River Preserve (Photo by Bob Wick, BLM) News.bytes, Bureau of Land Management California ISSUE 704 - DECEMBER 11, 2015 - America's Great Outdoors - Youth - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and DOI Highlights - Wildlife Question of the Week - Upcoming Events AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS Free Offer- America's Great Outdoors 2016 Monthly Planner "Enjoy amazing photographs of BLM-managed lands here in California each month with the 2016 Monthly Planner. Sign up to receive yours here: America's Great Outdoors 2016 Monthly Planner. http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,j6yx,scn,1bct,ijo3 Hurry while supplies last - limit one planner per person. King Range National Conservation Area Enjoy #6secondsofcalm from the King Range National Conservation Area (BLM Vine)http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,15ri,gcfd,1bct,ijo3 California Coast Soak up some winter sun on California's rocky coastline.(BLM Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,hue4,j6f6,1bct,ijo3 Slinkard Valley Wildlife Area Ever been to the Slinkard Valley Wildlife Area? A wonderful trip for hikers and birdwatchers, this winter deer refuge is located on the western outskirts of Walker/Coleville. (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,5b97,ervo,1bct,ijo3 YOUTH Canoeing the Cosumnes with Latino Outdoors When it’s cold outside who doesn’t love to stay in indoors and bundle up? Not us! It was a cold and chilly morning. How cold? 38 degrees cold. That’s really cold if you’re a Californian, but that didn’t deter Latino youth and Latino Families from hiking and canoeing. The Bureau of Land Management in collaboration with Latino Outdoors hosted a hiking tour and canoe outing at the Cosumnes River Preserve. (BLM Newsbytes) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,lpot,i12g,1bct,ijo3 Related: Canoeing at the Cosumnes River Preserve (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,hiu5,43t,1bct,ijo3 Related: Cosumnes River Preserve (BLM Website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,1odv,dbte,1bct,ijo3 Connecting People to their Public Lands 2015: Learn Educational programs and interpretation programs are essential for the BLM to achieve its mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands. Public lands are significant resources for engaging learners of all ages about their cultural heritage and the natural world in which they live. (BLM Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,b17j,7zov,1bct,ijo3 Sierra & Rio BLM Junior Explorers Sierra and Rio remind you to Plan Ahead and Prepare before leaving for your next outdoor adventure. Make it one full of great memories! (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,b4ur,hni6,1bct,ijo3 HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Bakersfield Employees Build Prize-Winning Float Bakersfield Field Office employees volunteered their time constructing an award-winning float for the 33rd Annual Bakersfield Christmas Parade. Directed by mastermind and BLM Materials Handler Joaquin Martinez, the float builders hammered, painted, stapled, glued, wreathed, wrapped, and glittered a 40-foot-long trailer in the style of a “Hometown Christmas” theme. (BLM Newsbytes) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,7iz5,drmi,1bct,ijo3 Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Thank you to our partners for your help and support as we begin our efforts to stabilize and restore the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument from the wildfire events of 2015. (BLM Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,6iqd,5ofq,1bct,ijo3 Santa Clarita City Council Supports Expanded San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Santa Clarita Valley Signal, 12/9/2015 Santa Clarita City Council members opted this week to support a piece of legislation that would expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument farther into the Santa Clarita Valley. (Read full story) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,bjk8,g07p,1bct,ijo3 This Energy Project Isn’t on a National Preserve Washington Post, 12/4/2015 The Nov. 27 Politics & The Nation article “A new flash point over power lines: Sturgeon,” about Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed transmission line across the James River, included a reference to similar opposition to the proposed Soda Mountain Solar Project in Southern California “in the Mojave National Preserve. (Read full story) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,ffiq,cen6,1bct,ijo3 California Solar Plan Snarled by Controversy Public CEO, 12/4/2015 In the California desert and in solar-paneled neighborhoods around the state, a new conflict over alternative energy has broken out. Pitting lawmakers, regulators, customers and the solar power industry against one another, the dispute centered around how much solar users ought to be charged — and how much solar power ought to be incentivized. (Read full story) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,en2k,giox,1bct,ijo3 BLM Lifts Fire Closures in the California Desert District Effective today, fire closures have been lifted for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands administered by the California Desert District which includes Eastern San Diego County, Gavilan Hills, Sycamore Canyon, and Whitewater Canyon. Due to increased relative humidity, higher fuel moisture, and a general improvement in predicted fire weather conditions and sufficient firefighting resources, fire closures are no longer necessary. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,2k3t,jssw,1bct,ijo3 2 House Bills Would open California Public Lands to Off-Road Vehicles Sacramento Bee, 12/9/2015 Off-road vehicles could again be roaring through Fresno County’s western hills and Southern California’s desert under bills weighed Wednesday by a House panel. While the separate legislative packages would designate new wilderness areas for protection, the bills emphasize public use of federal lands. That puts them in the middle of a perennial access vs. conservation debate that often stymies Congress. (Read full story) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,b5ar,631c,1bct,ijo3 BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS Video: Paris Climate Talks Special Edition This Week at Interior: the eyes of the world turned to Paris, where President Obama and Secretary Jewell led discussions on addressing climate change, protecting wildlife and improving international cooperation. (DOI YouTube) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,a23o,b34a,1bct,ijo3 The Longest, Crookedest, Most Arduos Mule Route in the History of America The Old Spanish National Historic Trail links Santa Fe and Los Angeles across six states and 2,700 miles. It traverses red rock mesas, passes below snow-capped peaks, avoids the immense depths of the Grand Canyon, and skirting the continent’s harshest deserts. (BLM Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,i43m,7fb2,1bct,ijo3 On this Day in 1805, The Lewis and Clark Expedition Settled at Fort Clatsop, Near Modern Day Portland Oregon, For the Winter The expedition rested at Fort Clatsop for three months after spending the last year traversing the difficult route from the upper Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. (BLM Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,fzkk,hr9v,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK monarch_t What does the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard feed on primarily? (a.) beetles (b.) ants (c.) smaller lizards and mammals (d.) scorpions (e.) pancakes, tortillas, flat noodles and unleavened bread Keep reading for answer below UPCOMING EVENTS December 12: BLM Seeking Volunteers for Preservation Work at Historic Mining Town The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), El Centro Field Office, will host a National Public Lands Day (NPLD) activity on Sat., Dec. 12, 2015 at the Tumco historic gold mining town located just east of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. Volunteers will assist BLM staff in replacing signs, painting kiosks and benches, and rock lining trails throughout the area. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,gjoc,d8o6,1bct,ijo3 Jan 6 and Feb 3: La Quinta Doggie Hikes http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,j6sd,1aqx,1bct,ijo3 Join the friends of Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument group for a doggie hike on your public lands. WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER What does the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard feed on primarily? Anwser b.) ants -- and read more below, about how they can eat venomous ants. "Flat-tailed horned lizard - Phrynosoma mcallii" Flat-tailed horned lizards are most frequently found near ant nests, as ants are their primary food. They are patient hunters, waiting for long periods of time for the ants to emerge. They will also eat arthropods when available. SOURCE: BLM Wildlife Database http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2f57u,3xn3,7yis,8p5e,1bct,ijo3
