News.bytes, Bureau of Land Management California ISSUE 730 - JUNE 23, 2016 Facebook Twitter Flickr YouTube tumblr Instagram - Summertime - Wildfire - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and DOI Highlights - Wildlife Question of the Week - Upcoming Events SUMMERTIME First Day of Summer Full moon setting captured as the sun rose on the solstice over the valley oak woodlands in the Consumnes River Preserve. This is the first time the full moon has coincided with the solstice in almost 70 years, since 1948. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,aj21,1fn1,1bct,ijo3 Related: Rare Summer Solstice Full Moon, 1st Since 1948 (Space.com) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,14t8,e4x9,1bct,ijo3 My Public Lands Virtual Summer Roadtrip, Week 2 Last week, we kicked off this virtual summer roadtrip with Places That Rock – Caves, Volcanoes, Hoodoos and More. This week, #mypubliclandsroadtrip sets up camp on BLM-managed lands for beautiful sunsets, clear and starry skies, and endless outdoor fun. (My Public Lands Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,hmrs,j3w7,1bct,ijo3 Related: My Public Lands Roadtrip 2016 Map (Esri Storymap Journal) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,2j37,dmft,1bct,ijo3 It’s Pollinator Week! >From June 18 - 22, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is highlighting the importance of pollinators and giving you tips about what you can do to help them thrive! (USFWS Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,2o7r,hhtv,1bct,ijo3 Celebrating Summer With Service BLM Eagle Lake Field Office teamed up with 6 volunteers from the Susanville Indian Rancheria Tribal Youth Trainee Program to begin the process of removing barbed wire and dilapidated fencing from important wildlife habitat and priority sage-grouse habitat near Ravendale, California. (News.Bytes story) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,1wii,g2d7,1bct,ijo3 Summer Camp The Desert Discovery Center begins Summer Day Camp 2016. (Desert Discovery Center Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,ebhw,kaub,1bct,ijo3 WILDFIRE BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Lands Managed by Arcata, Redding and Ukiah Field Offices Effective Monday, June 20, the BLM implemented fire restrictions for public lands managed by the Arcata, Redding and Ukiah Field Offices. Restrictions affect public land managed by the BLM in Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Siskiyou, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn and Solano counties. The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,1jzo,alg8,1bct,ijo3 BLM Initiates Stage III Fire Restrictions in the California Desert District The BLM has initiated Stage III fire restrictions for BLM lands administered by the California Desert District. Stage III restrictions state that setting, building, maintaining, attending, or using open fire of any kind is prohibited in the designated area. Controlled flame devices, such as portable stoves fueled by petroleum or LPG products, are allowed only by permit. Smoking is only permitted within enclosed vehicles or camp trailers. The possession or use of all fireworks, including "safe and sane," as well as the use of Chinese Lanterns, Floating Sky Lanterns, Fire Balloons or Acetylene Balloons is prohibited. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,7cm2,7s0b,1bct,ijo3 If You Fly, We Can't Drones shut down aerial firefighting operations on a fire in Utah this week. So far this year, at least 11 drone incursions have occurred over wildfires, creating serious safety hazards and delaying firefighting efforts. Please help us get the word out: don’t fly your drone near a wildfire! (National Interagency Fire Center Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,m5rf,dmdl,1bct,ijo3 Related: No Drone Zone (National Interagency Fire Center website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,iqb9,5igc,1bct,ijo3 Officials announce over 66 million trees dead in California As wildfires burn across California, new estimates on the number of dead trees in California were announced, prompting continued concern for California’s forest health and wildfire danger. Today the US Forest Service released the outcome of its latest aerial surveys over California forestland, finding that over 66 million trees have now died due to drought and bark beetles since 2010. That number is up from 29 million dead trees in 2015 and 3.3 million in 2014. (CAL Fire News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,2hcb,m1rk,1bct,ijo3 Wildfire Recovery Beautiful photographs taken along Hunting Creek in the Knoxville Wildlife Area of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Part of the area are still recovering from the wildfires of 2015. (Tuleyome Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,las1,54r9,1bct,ijo3 5 Homes Destroyed as Border Fire Burns More Than 6,700 Acres on Fourth Day NBC San Diego, June 22, 2016 Five homes and eight other buildings were destroyed as a 6,700-acre fire continued to scorch a rugged part of far east San Diego County on Wednesday. The fire, fueled by hot and dry conditions near the border city of Potrero, has rapidly grown since Sunday afternoon, prompting evacuations of 700 residents. About 950 homes and 50 commercial buildings are threatened, officials said. The Border Fire was 20 percent contained Wednesday evening, according to Cal Fire. Officials lifted the evacuation orders at 4 p.m. for the greater Potrero community. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,i7km,6ev0,1bct,ijo3 Related: Border Fire updates (Twitter) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,md2s,436,1bct,ijo3 HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS The Museum of Western Film History The hundreds of movies and television shows shot in this high desert town are commemorated in a unique museum. Starting in 1919 with the Western film serial Lightning Bryce, Lone Pine and its environs have appeared as the backdrop for genre classics starring Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, and John Wayne as well as less successful revisionist Western fare like Kevin Costner’s The Postman and 2013’s box office bomb The Lone Ranger. The landscape has also doubled as the Himalayas in films like 1939’s Gunga Din, Spain in 2000's Gladiator, and even outer space in science fiction movies like Rocketship X-M from 1950 and Star Trek V from 1989. (Atlas Obscura) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,dqc8,1b8d,1bct,ijo3 Bill Places 300 Acres of Federally-Managed Land will Preserve Tribe’s Culture Action News Now, June 22, 2016 Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), of Richvale, praised the final passage of the Susanville Indian Rancheria Lands Bill, which will transfer federally-owned lands into trust for the Susanville Indian Rancheria to preserve the Tribe’s cultural and natural resources. Gaming is prohibited on the land transferred under this bill. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,3aj,f5r1,1bct,ijo3 Join the Re-vole-ution! “What is a vole? That is a question that I often hear when telling people about the Amargosa Conservancy’s work on behalf of the Amargosa Vole. Voles are small (larger than a mouse, but smaller than most rats), stocky, short tailed rodents, closely related to lemmings and muskrats... The follow up question is often, “Why should I care?” There are many answers to that question but the answer that seems to win over the most people is a picture showing of the voles with their little white beards contrasting with their overall cinnamon colored fur. There is power in cute." (Desert Report) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,eizj,jv72,1bct,ijo3 Napa to consider managing Lake Berryessa resorts Daily Republic, June 21, 2016 After consultation with Bureau of Reclamation, the Napa County administrative staff is recommending that the county negotiate for concession management of the resort areas around Lake Berryessa. Supervisor Diane Dillon, who represents part of the lake area, favors Napa County taking over management responsibilities, but was clear in a Monday interview that the county must make sure there are no pitfalls before committing itself. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,erex,924o,1bct,ijo3 Headwaters Forest Reserve seeks ranch add-on Eureka Times-Standard, June 18, 2016 Nearly 17 years after the creation of the Headwaters Forest Reserve, federal and local entities are working on a new addition to increase public access, preserve the land and restore the Elk River. Within the 7,500-acre reserve stands one of the last old-growth redwood ecosystems on the planet, to which the U.S. Bureau of Land Management hopes to add the golden pastures and second-growth redwood groves of the 77-acre Westfall Ranch. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,fhre,fbmd,1bct,ijo3 BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS BLM Returns to Work in Gold Butte The BLM is moving forward with plans to resume work in southern Nevada’s Gold Butte region. Due to safety and security concerns, BLM employees have not conducted field work in the Gold Butte area in northeastern Clark County since early 2014. With the support of the local community, BLM officials have determined that the conditions are now right to resume work. BLM archaeologists, law enforcement officers, and local agency leadership have all visited the area over the past month. BLM Director Neil Kornze and BLM Nevada State Director John Ruhs toured Gold Butte, along with Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Captain James LaRochelle of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,9yw5,8s5b,1bct,ijo3 New Junior Ranger Book Explores Wildlife and Habitat Young readers can learn about the diverse habitats on BLM lands through the new Junior Ranger Wildlife & Habitat book. Packed with puzzles, activities, and engaging art, the book describes the habitat needs of creatures such as pronghorn, kangaroo rat, golden eagle, and desert tortoise. Three of the most popular BLM books for kids are now available in refreshed editions. Wild Horses and Burros, Native Plants, and Geology & Fossils now feature Junior Ranger branding, including a new pledge and certificate for Rangers. (BLM website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,413l,gda2,1bct,ijo3 Interior ‘strongly opposes’ bill to disarm federal land law enforcement The Hill, June 21, 2016 The Interior Department is blasting a Republican bill that would abolish armed law enforcement bodies in two federal land management agencies. Interior argues the measure would significantly undermine the ability of the BLM and the Forest Service to protect federal land and says it improperly assumes local police agencies would be willing and able to enforce federal law on the government’s land. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,9p0x,7oru,1bct,ijo3 Celebrating the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service They call the valley walls here at Yosemite “cathedral walls,” and I understand why. There’s something sacred about this place. At places like this, we connect not just with ourselves, but with something bigger — with the spirit of America itself. Our family visited the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We went down into a cave more than 700 feet underground. That park might not be as well known as Yosemite or Yellowstone, but trust me — the views there are just as stunning. (President Obama Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,1rwg,lww9,1bct,ijo3 Related: González, Savage: President Obama’s Yosemite visit reminds of public land opportunities (The Mercury News) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,v0i,36ux,1bct,ijo3 Secretary Jewell Announces $452 Million in Payments to Local Communities to Support Vital Services in Rural Communities As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to rural communities, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced more than 1,900 local governments around the country are receiving a total of $451.6 million under the 2016 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The payments represent the largest amount ever allocated under the PILT program to compensate counties and local governments for their support of national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands and waters as they forego property taxes due to non-taxable federal land in their jurisdictions. (Department of Interior News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,7097,5o86,1bct,ijo3 Changing Fear to Passion for the Great Outdoors As an Arctic Youth Ambassador, I want people to get outside and enjoy all this country has to offer. That is my passion and this is my story. In 1994, my parents fled East Africa to escape the civil war in South Sudan. They settled in Rochester, New York, and I was born a year later. For most of my youth, I had a hard time understanding what they left behind. In South Sudan, my family had lived off the land in a semi-nomadic lifestyle: raising cattle and building homes out of the resources they had available. They grew sorghum and knew how to prepare it many different ways. My people, my culture and my immediate family prospered by being connected to the lands and nature. (Department of Interior blog) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,hzra,89ln,1bct,ijo3 Secretary Jewell Announces Tribal Youth Conservation Corps Projects to Aid in Ecosystem, Economic Recovery on Gulf Coast Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell traveled to the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana to announce the first suite of projects to move forward using funding from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, established in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy to manage part of the ecosystem restoration responsibilities that resulted from the massive oil spill. (Department of Interior News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,gnk9,1tii,1bct,ijo3 Video: This Week at Interior June 17, 2016 The First Family heads for a vacation at Yosemite National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, to help mark the 100th birthday of the National Park Service; a new report details Interior’s positive impact on the national economy; Secretary Jewell gives the keynote address at the Western Governors’ Association’s annual summer meeting, and signs a land exchange deal for Grand Teton National Park; four employees honored this week with the Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Award; and new information about the Chesapeake Bay’s so called dead Zone. (Department of Interior YouTube) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,f3sg,74ct,1bct,ijo3 Interior Department Supported $106 Billion in Recreation, Conservation, Water and Renewable Energy Investments, Supporting More than 860,000 Jobs in FY 2015 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell released the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Economic Report for Fiscal Year 2015. The report highlights that Interior investments in recreation, conservation, water and renewable energy led to $106 billion in economic output, and supported 862,000 jobs. Interior’s activities related to fossil fuel extraction and mining also contributed $179 billion to the national economy, down from $241 billion from the prior year due to market forces and commodity price reductions. (Department of Interior New Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,40x5,9r1w,1bct,ijo3 Obama administration’s fracking rules struck down by federal judge The Washington Times, June 21, 2016 In the latest rebuke of the Obama administration’s expansive view of executive power, a federal judge has struck down the Interior Department’s effort to regulate fracking for oil and natural gas. Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District Court of Wyoming already had put a hold on the regulations last year, and in a decision released late Tuesday, he ruled that Congress did not give Interior the power to regulate hydraulic fracturing, indeed it had expressly withheld that power with some narrow exceptions. Read full story http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,jihv,bsjg,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK Which fictional character might a rattlesnake be most afraid of? a) Woody Woodpecker b) Wile E. Coyote c) The Roadrunner d) Lassie e) Huey, Louie and Dewey f) American Idol judges Read below for answer. UPCOMING EVENTS June 29: BLM Schedules Public Meetings to Address Juniper Flats Restoration Project The Barstow Field Office has scheduled two public meetings to update the local community on the ongoing Juniper Flats Restoration Project. The restoration project is located in the northern foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains south of Apple Valley. The first public meeting will be scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, at the Apple Valley Fire Center located at: 18809 Central Rd, Apple Valley, CA. The meeting will run from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Restoration staff and labor crews will provide an overview of work completed and highlight future plans. The public will be given the opportunity to comment and discuss ways of getting involved. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,f94v,fae9,1bct,ijo3 July 14: BLM Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Public Land Withdrawal in Coolgardie Mesa and West Paradise Conservation Areas The BLM Barstow Field Office is seeking public comment on the Environmental Assessment released today for the proposed withdrawal of 10,094 acres of BLM-managed lands in the Coolgardie Mesa and West Paradise Conservation areas. The 30-day comment period ends July 14. The purpose of the withdrawal is to protect the Lane Mountain Milkvetch, an endangered federally listed plant. The Coolgardie Mesa and the West Paradise Conservation area represent two-thirds of the plants’ known range. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,2ycr,f76g,1bct,ijo3 July 25: BLM Seeks Desert District Advisory Council Nominations The BLM California Desert District is soliciting nominations from the public for four members of its California Desert Advisory Council to serve three-year terms. The council's 15 members provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on the management of over 10 million acres of public lands in eight counties of Southern California. Nominations will be accepted until July 25 for the four positions to be filled: one environmental protection, one public-at-large, one transportation/rights-of-way, and one non-renewable resource. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,e7qx,ft2k,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER Which fictional character might a rattlesnake be most afraid of? c) The Roadrunner Kingsnakes, roadrunners, and owls are the most common predators of this snake. Source: “Red diamond rattlesnake – Crotalus ruber” (BLM website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2km8j,3xn3,98s1,8mfq,1bct,ijo3 News.Bytes is a publication of the Bureau of Land Management California. Bureau of Land Management California State Office 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W1623 Sacramento, Ca 95825 (916) 978-4600 www.blm.gov/ca/
