News.Bytes, Bureau of Land Management California ISSUE 760 - MARCH 30, 2017 Facebook Twitter Flickr YouTube tumblr Instagram - Track the Bloom - From the Field - Youth - Recreation - Headlines and Highlights - BLM and DOI Highlights - Wildlife Question of the Week - Upcoming Events TRACK THE BLOOM Track the Bloom Campaign Hey, public lands visitors! The Bureau of Land Management in California, Nevada and Arizona want to share YOUR #superbloom photos from this epic year of precip. Help us #TracktheBloom by submitting your wildflower photos from BLM-managed public lands on our social media platforms below. We will be featuring photo contributions on our channels as the flowers bloom. Happy photographing. (My Public Lands Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,hsit,46tw,1bct,ijo3 Related: #TracktheBloom on Facebook and #TracktheBloom on Twitter http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,1fc2,axgq,1bct,ijo3 http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,3wz3,6ee,1bct,ijo3 Related: Wildflower Bloom Carpets Southern California in Vivid Color (NBC News) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,1vpy,3si3,1bct,ijo3 #Superbloom visits the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area Did you know... flowers when seen in infrared light look like bulls eye's to pollinators? Pollinators will see coloration differences meant to draw them into the center or the flower so they can be covered in pollen to then take to the next flower to cross pollinate. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,cpaq,lzyx,1bct,ijo3 Successful #MeetUsonRoute66 InstaMeet at Mojave Trails National Monument Thank you for following our for first ever @mypubliclands InstaMeet, we are so happy you could #MeetUsonRoute66! Mojave Trails National Monument emphasizes the Bureau of Land Management's multiple-use mission within a conservation framework. BLM's emphasis really is on the management of this landscape in a way that supports local communities and allows visitors to enjoy public lands. (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,4vc2,6hvs,1bct,ijo3 http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,1o89,mfq1,1bct,ijo3 http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,958k,7z93,1bct,ijo3 It looked and smelled like a flower shop in the California desert for the first day of Spring Desert lilies were blooming by the tens of thousands at their namesake preserve. Located about 8 miles north of I-10 at Desert Center (drive north on highway 177 to mile marker 7), the Desert Lily Preserve was first protected in 1968 and is now part of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) California Desert Conservation Lands. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,m0q3,3i5y,1bct,ijo3 Related: Desert Lily Preserve (BLM California Flcikr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,cx3s,sxw,1bct,ijo3 FROM THE FIELD Surveying for legless lizards on Tejon Ranch Legless lizard research is being conducted with the Bakersfield Field Office to clarify the distribution and range of several species of legless lizards, which are more diverse than previously thought. This is a great example of the coexistence of commercial uses and conservation on BLM-managed public lands. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,4l3z,i27o,1bct,ijo3 Related: Dr. James Parham, California State University, Fullerton notes (Tejon Ranch Conservancy Blog) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,3dgu,csxg,1bct,ijo3 Bright Red Vernal Pool at Fort Ord National Monument American Water Fern (a native fern, Azolla filiculoides) floats atop lakes/ ponds and can fix nitrogen from the air. Once every decade or so it lights up a vernal pool at Fort Ord National Monument bright red. This year, likely in the next two weeks this will happen at Boy Scout Lake. For visitors, this location is easily observable from Oil Well Road. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,mrk,d5bf,1bct,ijo3 BLM announces proposed actions for Bighorn Sheep efforts in San Bernardino County The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the BLM, will initiate a capture of Desert Bighorn Sheep within four wilderness areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management in San Bernardino County, the Trilobite, Clipper Mountain, Bristol Mountains and Kelso Dunes Wilderness. This effort is a coordinated response to address the current respiratory disease outbreak and to understand the demographics and movement patterns of Desert Bighorn Sheep within California. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,9o4n,2lz1,1bct,ijo3 YOUTH Camping for the First Time The BLM and a number of partners took a group of kids camping at Afton Canyon Campground in the Mojave Trails National Monument. Some of the kids were camping for the first time! BLM partnered with California State Parks for the first ever federal/state FamCamp, a California State Parks program that provides camping gear and training to get youth outdoors. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,bzl2,b48h,1bct,ijo3 Related: Youth and Veterans Tour Historic WWII Training Center (Banning Patch News) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,9cu1,7v5h,1bct,ijo3 Environmental Enrichment Field Day Fort Ord National Monument hosted the entire student body of El Sausal Middle School in Salinas, California for an environmental enrichment field day. A rainy morning gave way to a beautiful sunshiny day as 500 students and 50 teachers and parents joined staff from El Sausal Middle School, California State University, Monterey Bay's the "Return of the Natives" program, and BLM in a field excursion. Students hiked along the Monument's world class trails and were treated to instruction at 10 field stations teaching students about erosion, native plants and animals, habitat monitoring and leave no trace ethics. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,b6eb,fpg2,1bct,ijo3 Kids Fishing Day 2017 Youth from all over northern California came out to BLM-managed public lands to enjoy the outdoors and fishing. California Department of Fish and Wildlife and our Redding Field Office co-sponsored Kids Fishing Day at the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area just outside of Red Bluff, California. Families came out to enjoy the park like setting of Bass Pond which was stocked with a couple thousand rainbow trout while sponsors provided loaner tackle, lunch and bait. “This is a great opportunity for families to come out and enjoy their public lands.” Jennifer Mata, BLM Redding Field Manager. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,791g,2ls1,1bct,ijo3 HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS Critters caught on camera at the Headwaters Forest Reserve More than 3,000 species of wildlife call Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands home -- that’s a backyard of more than 245 million acres in 23 states, dispersed over ecologically-diverse and essential habitat. (BLM California Facebook video) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,3crv,76w9,1bct,ijo3 Monitoring Black Oystercatchers Once again in 2017, the Bureau of Land Management’s California Coastal National Monument is partnering with Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Audubon California, California State Parks, Environment for the Americas, and a cadre of volunteer citizen scientists to monitor Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) nesting along the Monterey coastline. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,i88u,g5b3,1bct,ijo3 Celebrating National Surveyors Week, March 19-25, 2017 Since colonial days it has been the duty of the surveyor to faithfully determine the boundaries of land. Beginning in 1785, these surveyors were employed by the General Land Office, now the Bureau of Land Management, to facilitate the distribution of land to the new American citizens. Through the establishment and evolution of the rectangular survey system, these early surveyors laid the foundation for reliability and confidence in real property ownership, which is today so important to the development of the United States. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,g3gs,4cgn,1bct,ijo3 RECREATION 2017 Cruise the Keys SoCal High School Mountain Bike Race Wildflowers, beautiful spring weather, and outstanding high school mountain bike teams from across southern California all came together last weekend for a perfect 2017 Cruise the Keys SoCal High School Mountain Bike Race in BLM’s Keysville Special Recreation Management Area. The event is the “junior” version of the popular Keyesville Classic Mountain Bike Race, but often draws in even larger numbers of participants. Over 700 middle and high school age mountain bikers came out to camp and participate in the event over the weekend. They were joined by more than a thousand cheering coaches, volunteers, friends, family, and other spectators. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,3ko4,hvmu,1bct,ijo3 29th annual Keyesville Classic Mountain Bike Race The 29th annual Keyesville Classic Mountain Bike Race was held in Keysville Special Recreation Management Area. Nearly 400 riders came out to camp and participate in one of the longest standing mountain bike races in the country. The Keyesville Classic is one of the few events nationwide that offers a Vintage Category for “old school” style mountain bikes, as well as professional and various amateur categories. The event spans two days and includes a downhill event on the challenging BLM Snake Pit Trail and a cross country race on the Keyesville Classic, BLM Bakersfield’s premier multiple use singletrack trail and the namesake of the event. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,7efj,jrff,1bct,ijo3 OH YEAH! Fort Ord National Monument was voted "BEST Place to Bike/ Mountain Bike" by the readers of the Monterey County Weekly! Make plans to See Monterey and your nearby public lands today. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,6hgt,59if,1bct,ijo3 Related: Best Place to Bike/ Mountain Bike (Monterey County Weekly) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,de81,2bi9,1bct,ijo3 BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS Secretary Zinke Statement in Support of President Trump’s American Energy Executive Order President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scott Pruitt, and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced a bold American energy Executive Order that will put our nation on track to full and dominant American energy independence. The Executive Order calls on the Secretary of the Interior to review the Bureau of Land Management’s 2016 moratorium on new coal leases on federal land and also review three final rules from the Department regarding oil and gas production on both federal and private land and the outer continental shelf. (Department of Interior News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,hd2a,5kyy,1bct,ijo3 Related: Secretary Zinke Takes Immediate Action to Advance American Energy Independence (Department of Interior News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,b4br,a3jp,1bct,ijo3 Manatee Reclassified from Endangered to Threatened as Habitat Improves and Population Expands – Existing Federal Protections Remain in Place On the heels of Manatee Appreciation Day, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the downlisting of the West Indian manatee from endangered to threatened. Notable increases in manatee populations and improvements in its habitat allowed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to change the species’ status under the Endangered Species Act. (Department of Interior News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,3yj8,gtex,1bct,ijo3 Celebrating Women’s History Month In case you missed it, our partners, Women Who Hike, wrapped up their weekly takeover of the My Public Lands Instagram account. Each week, the group shared their favorite photos as part of #WomenWednesdays. We would like to thank Women Who Hike for sharing their public lands stories and photos with our followers. Women Who Hike seeks to empower women through hiking and adventure culture. (My Public Lands Tumblr) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,49a2,iyvz,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK Which of the following are true about sage-grouse? a) Largest native grouse species in North America. b) Love to dance. c) Habitat is sagebrush dependent. d) Uses communal mating grounds called leks. e) Sage-grouse are prey animals. f) All of the above. Keep reading for answer below. UPCOMING EVENTS Now - May 19: Redding Mayor's Mountain Bike Challenge Don't miss Redding's first local Mountain Bike Challenge uniting current and new bicyclists in a friendly self-competition highlighting a diverse trail system. (Healthy Shasta website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,ggoy,gu53,1bct,ijo3 Related: Mountain Bike Challenge promo video http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,cj9h,a3eu,1bct,ijo3 April 1: Sheehy fitness park dedication set for April 1 A physical fitness park dedicated to the memory of U.S. Forest Service fallen smokejumper Luke Sheehy will be officially opened to the public in a ceremony set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, at the Bureau of Land Management Swasey Recreation Area, west of Redding. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,m5ee,jl57,1bct,ijo3 April 1: Leave No Trace Horse Camping Clinic Set for April 1 in the Sacramento River Bend Area The Shasta Trinity Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen and the Bureau of Land Management Redding Field Office will co-sponsor a Leave No Trace horse camping clinic at 9 a.m., Saturday, April 1, next to the Bass Pond Trailhead in the Sacramento River Bend Area north of Red Bluff. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,20fd,ez5e,1bct,ijo3 April 1: Photography Tour at Piedras Blancas Light Station Don't miss your chance to join a photography tour on April 1 from 5 - 7:30 p.m. at Piedras Blanca Light Station, part of the California Coastal National Monument. Email piedrasblancastours@xxxxxxxxx for more information. April 3: USFS and BLM 2017 Off-Highway Vehicle Grant Applications are Available for Public Comment The Inyo National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office have submitted to the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) preliminary applications for grant funds to enhance and manage motorized recreation. The agencies invite public comments on the preliminary grant applications. Comments should be submitted directly through the division website and sent to the responsible agency anytime from March 7 toApril 3, 2017. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,9pfa,kyrc,1bct,ijo3 Related: Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Proposals (BLM website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,abi8,5isn,1bct,ijo3 April 8 and 9: Public Riding and Driving Limitations are in Place for Motorcycle Races at Fort Sage OHV Area The Bureau of Land Management will restrict public riding and driving during the 50th annual Diamond Back Hare Scrambles motorcycle races, from Saturday to Sunday, April 8 to 9, at the Fort Sage Off Highway Vehicle area near Doyle. Race course trails will only be open to those participating in the race. The BLM expects approximately 200 competitors. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,4f0l,fdd6,1bct,ijo3 April 9: Young Explorers program launched at Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Two programs are combined to make this new Young Explorer program. Story hour and a map and compass class. RSVPs are required as space is limited to 14 in each class, please call (760) 862-9984. Participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. (BLM California Facebook) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,5bbw,kybb,1bct,ijo3 April 16 and May 6, 13 and 27: Bureau of Land Management Guided Hikes Planned for April/May in Pine Hill Preserve The Bureau of Land Management’s Pine Hill Preserve, located in the Cameron Park area, El Dorado County, will offer three guided-plant tours and a bird tour in April/May in different areas of the preserve. The tours, led by volunteer naturalists, are free and open to the public. There is a limit of 25 participants per plant tour and 20 participants for the bird tour. Each plant tour will focus on the diverse and rare plants growing within the chaparral and oak woodland ecosystems. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,j8s8,k9jp,1bct,ijo3 April 22: BLM Reopens its Desert Discovery Center The BLM has scheduled activities associated with the reopening of its Desert Discovery Center upon completion of renovations that began last fall. While finishing touches are taking place inside, the Center school programs have already started and the center will reopen to the public on Tuesday, February 28. The public is encouraged to visit the center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. A grand reopening celebration will take place on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. (BLM News Release) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,m00h,9yyi,1bct,ijo3 WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER Which of the following are true about sage-grouse? f) All of the above. California represents the westernmost extension of the greater sage-grouse’s range. California is also home to a portion of the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment of greater sage-grouse, which has been separated from the larger greater sage-grouse population for thousands of years. In April, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) withdrew the Bi-State DPS from the Candidate Species list after a multi-partner collaborative effort addressed the main threats to the population along the Nevada border. After evaluating the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the greater sage-grouse, the USFWS determined that protection for the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act is no longer warranted and is withdrawing the species from the candidate species list. (USFWS website) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,6if1,9w48,1bct,ijo3 Related: Top 5 Things You Should Know About the Sage Grouse (Department of Interior blog) http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=0&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,2sagd,3xn3,k5pk,gri8,1bct,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/ Send Comments to the News.Bytes Team | Subscribe to News.Bytes | View our Privacy Policy
