Your Public Lands, BLM's E-Newsletter Issue 9

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Title: Your Public Lands, BLM's E-Newsletter

ISSUE 9 - JUNE 22, 2017 Facebook Twitter Flickr YouTube tumblr Instagram

- Commercial
- Recreation 
- Conservation
- Headlines and Highlights
- Wildlife Question of the Week
- DOI Highlights

COMMERCIAL

BLM oil and gas lease sales in Colo., Okla., Texas net combined $4.7 million

In keeping with the Administration’s goals of promoting America’s energy independence, the Bureau of Land Management New Mexico and Colorado state offices yesterday sold a combined 87 parcels at their quarterly oil and gas lease sales, totaling approximately 67,499 acres and netting $4,735,508 including rentals and fees. The combined bids from the sales will be distributed between the federal government and the states of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. (BLM News Release)

GCI Delivers First High-Speed Internet to Norton Sound Villages

Alaskans living in Norton Sound villages now have better access to health care as part of an innovative GCI project that brings high-speed internet to thousands in rural Alaska. This month, GCI connected health care clinics in Elim, Golovin and White Mountain to its Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska (TERRA) network, a project that is empowering western Alaska with improved educational opportunities and better access to health care. (Alaska Native News)

Did you know, BLM manages the only federal helium operation?

BLM's Amarillo Field Office in Texas is the only government-run helium operation in the nation. This effort began in 1917 when the War Department wanted to find a non-flammable gas to use in blimps. By the time World War I ended, there was enough helium produced for two or three blimps. The Amarillo Plant was opened in 1927 for research purposes, and during World War II the demand for helium boomed. (BLM website)

BLM Nevada oil and gas lease sale nets $38,000

In keeping with the Administration’s goals of promoting American’s Energy independence, the Bureau of Land Management Nevada quarterly oil and gas lease sale resulted in competitive bids for 5,760 acres of the 195,613.94 acres offered. The combined bids from the sale brought in $38,650 which will be distributed between the Federal government and Nevada. (BLM Nevada News Release)

BLM oil and gas lease auction brings in over $720,000

Bids on oil and gas leases in northern and southeastern Montana brought in $720,843 in an online auction held June 13. The sale included 156 parcels encompassing approximately 69,000 acres of federal minerals in Big Horn, Carter, Custer, Fallon, Garfield, Powder River and Rosebud Counties were offered at auction. Bids were received on 49 parcels totaling nearly 15,611 acres. (BLM Montana/ Dakotas News Release)

Related: BLM oil and gas lease auction brings in over $720,000 (Fairfield Sun Times)

Mining claims increasing in Nevada

Exploration in Nevada is seeing better days, according to the Nevada Division of Minerals and U.S. Bureau of Land Management numbers. “Compared to previous years, exploration expenditures are on the rise as more investment capital is flowing into Nevada to fund these activities,” said Richard Perry, administrator of the minerals division. He also said gold production rose 2.4 percent in 2016 to nearly 5.5 million ounces. (Elko Daily Free Press)

Secretary Zinke Signs Order to Jump-Start Alaskan Energy

Flanked by members of Alaska’s energy sector and elected officials at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association annual conference, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed a secretarial order to jump-start Alaskan energy production in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska and update resource assessments for areas of the North Slope, including the "1002 area" of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (DOI News Release)
RECREATION

2017 Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Tips

On Monday, August 21, 2017, millions of people across the United States will get to see one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights -- a total solar eclipse. With wide-open spaces and low light pollution, public lands managed by Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon are the perfect place for viewing this rare event. (DOI blog)

Related: Watch Solar Eclipse on Your Public Lands (BLM website)

Related: 'Great American Eclipse': A view from the volcanoes (Desert News)

Find Your Way

June marks Great Outdoors Month and the start of the #FindYourWay campaign, an inter-agency and partner effort to celebrate our nation’s many rivers and trails. The BLM, along with our many partners and our fellow U.S. Department of the Interior agencies, invite you to start your own adventure on the thousands of miles of waterways and paths that cross our country. (My Public Lands Tumblr)

Related: #FindYourWay on America’s Scenic and Historic Trails (DOI Blog)

Related: BLM, Partners Launch #FindYourWay to Celebrate America’s National Trails and Wild & Scenic Rivers Systems (BLM News Release)

BLM-Utah Reevaluates Off-Highway Vehicle Use For 6 Million Acres Of Public Land

The Bureau of Land Management is reconsidering travel routes for off-road vehicles on more than  6 million acres of Utah land. BLM-Utah will revisit plans for lands surrounding Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Dinosaur National Monument. (Utah Public Radio)

Collaboration for “a legendary and mystical river” sees vibrant flows, rejuvenation on the Dolores

“We should do it again,” says Luke Schafer, on the final few minutes of a three-day, 36-mile float along the Dolores River in remote Slickrock Canyon, a stunning gorge in western Colorado’s Montrose County... The Lower Dolores River through Slickrock Canyon — traversing a 30,000-acre Bureau of Land Management wilderness study area — offers geology spanning hundreds of millions of years. (The Denver Post)

American Recreation Coalition Honors BLM Employees with Awards

The national non-profit American Recreation Coalition honored two Bureau of Land Management employees from Oregon and Wisconsin for their outstanding efforts to enhance outdoor recreation on federally managed public lands. A Colorado non-profit organization, nominated by the BLM, also won an award. (BLM News Release)

Video: Recap from Canoemobile 2017 at Cosumnes River Preserve

About 700 elementary and middle school students from the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District participated in Wilderness Inquiry’s third annual Canoemobile. Students paddled in 24-foot Voyageur canoes and participated in environmental education activities at Cosumnes River Preserve. (BLM California YouTube)

BLM lands offer stunning scenes, but know rules before filming

Throughout time, the iconic and scenic landscapes of southern New Mexico’s public lands have been captured through a variety of mediums. The people who create these unforgettable photos, videos and films of the 5.4 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management are taking a lasting impression of what make these public lands unique and very special. (Las Cruces Sun-News)

CONSERVATION

Advancing Science: Research on the Bonneville Salt Flats

The Bonneville Salt Flats are one of Utah’s most iconic landscapes, covering more than 30,000 acres of BLM-managed land in the Salt Lake Field Office. Since 1914, this majestic landscape has served as the racing grounds for generations of land speed racers from around the world... Beyond these seasonal changes, there are additional and complex dynamics that drive this geological system, of which we have only scratched the surface on scientific understanding. Adding to the challenge is the complexity raised by a changing climate in the Great Basin. To help unravel the system, the BLM has partnered with Dr. Brenda Bowen at the University of Utah on a long-term scientific study. (My Public Lands Tumblr)

Citizen Scientists Use GPS to Map Arizona's San Pedro River

More than 100 “citizen scientist” volunteers, using GPS technology and cameras, plan to fan out along the 170-mile-long San Pedro River east of Tucson to map where the river has surface water and where it is dry... “All flow in the river at this time is either from bank storage or ground water. This data is useful to the Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy and the public as it tells us the extent of water in the river and informs us of any changes that can affect aquatic species.” (Government Technology Magazine)

Video: Rx Burning for Wildlife Habitat Conservation

BLM manages public lands to support conservation of rangelands and wildlife habitats. In Montana/ Dakotas North Central District, prescribed burns are one way to conserve healthy habitats for wildlife like mule deer, elk and sage grouse while ensuring the health of the region's rangelands. The prescribed burn featured in this video was a partnership with other federal and state agencies, private landowners, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation. (BLM National Facebook)

Fossil skeleton confirms earliest primates were tree dwellers

Earth's earliest primates dwelled in treetops, not on the ground, according to an analysis of a 62-million-year-old partial skeleton discovered in New Mexico—the oldest-known primate skeleton... The site where the partial skeleton was discovered, known as the Torrejon Fossil Fauna Area, is a remote area in northwestern New Mexico administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management. These public lands are managed to protect the scientific value of the paleontological resources found there. (Phys.org)

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Taking flight: BLM drones go local

61 Federal Aviation Administration-certified, BLM-trained drone pilots are using 3-pound drones to study 245 million acres of public lands. So far in 2017, the BLM represents more than half of all the drone flights for agencies within the Department of Interior, which includes the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. (BLM Oregon Facebook)

Video: Rubicon Wildland Firefighter Training

This Spring, Team Rubicon joined with the National Interagency Fire Center for wildland firefighter training in Bastrop, Texas. For three days veterans from around the state, and a few from other states, went through long days of class time followed by hands on field training. The wildland firefighter training conducted by Fire Center is to train personnel in the needed skills and add to the number of skilled individuals to help during busy fire seasons. (BLM New Mexico YouTube)

BLM Elko Employee Wins National Fire Prevention Award

Elko District employee Clint Mothershead has become the first BLM employee to receive a Smokey Bear Award since the program began in 1957. Mothershead, who was awarded the 2017 Bronze award, has been the Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist on the Elko District for the last three years and is Chairman of the Northeast Nevada Fire Prevention Group. The award is the highest honor given to organizations or individuals for outstanding wildfire prevention service that has had an impact within a state over a two year period. Only 10 Bronze awards are given out annually. (BLM Nevada News Release)

BLM New Mexico’s Fort Craig is Still Relevant 130 Years After Decommissioning

On May 30th the BLM Socorro Field Office hosted officers of the 3rd of the 362nd Armored Battalion from Fort Bliss at Historic Fort Craig. The group came for a “staff ride” or training exercise. During a tour of the Fort led by BLM Archaeologists Brenda Wilkinson and Michael Papirtis the group discussed many details of the nearby Civil War Battle of Valverde, and what lessons could be learned from that history. (BLM New Mexico Facebook)

WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
True or False?

More than 100,000 different animal species - and perhaps as many as 200,000 - play roles in pollinating the 250,000 kinds of flowering plants on this planet.

Happy National Pollinator Week! Keep reading for answer below.
DOI HIGHLIGHTS

This Juneteenth, Celebrate Freedom Day at an Interior site

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Why June 19? On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were then free -- two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. (DOI blog)

Secretary Zinke Announces Distribution of $1.1 Billion to State Wildlife Agencies

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced $1.1 billion in annual funding for state wildlife agencies from revenues generated by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration acts. The announcement was made during day one of a four-day trip across the Northeast where Secretary Zinke met with New Hampshire Fish and Game Executive Director Glenn Normandeau, whose state will receive $8,146,960 through the acts.

Related: State-by-state listings of the final Fiscal year 2017 apportionments of Wildlife Restoration Program fund (USFWS website)

Related: Sport Fish Restoration Program fund (USFWS website)

Secretary Zinke's Visit to New England

On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke started a four-day visit to New England. The itinerary included stops in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. Secretary Zinke will tour Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which is under review via President Trump's Executive Order 13792, issued April 26, 2017. (DOI Media Advisory)

Related:

Readout of Day-1 of Secretary Zinke's Trip To New England

Readout of Day-2 of Secretary Zinke’s Visit to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Readout of Day- 3 of Secretary Zinke’s Trip to New England

Readout of Day- 4 of Secretary Zinke’s Trip to New England

Interior Expands Information Sharing Initiative to Prevent Drone Incursions over Wildland Fires

Building on recent initiatives to prevent privately operated Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) from interfering with Federal, state, and local wildland firefighting activity, the Department of the Interior announced today that it is expanding and enhancing its wildfire location data-sharing program for 2017. The new service being offered is called “Current Wildland Fires” and is accessible through the Geoplatform ArcGIS Online Organization. (DOI News Release)

Secretary Zinke Signs Order to Improve Sage-Grouse Conservation, Strengthen Communication and Collaboration Between States and Feds

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, signed a Secretarial Order 3353 to improve sage-grouse conservation and strengthen communication and collaboration between state and federal governments. Together, the Federal government and states will work to conserve and protect sage-grouse and its habitat while also ensuring conservation efforts do not impede local economic opportunities. (DOI News Release)

6 Interior Infrastructure Projects that Benefit the Public

While the Interior Department might not immediately come to mind when talking about the nation’s infrastructure, the Department maintains a vast number of roads, bridges, dams, transmission lines and canals across the country. As the steward for America’s public lands, Interior’s infrastructure projects help millions of visitors experience our national treasures, provide water to the West and support American jobs. (DOI News Release)

Video: Teaming Up to Fight Wildfires

Secretary Ryan Zinke and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue join forces in Boise, Idaho, at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) for a tour and briefing on the upcoming wildfire season. The secretaries also sent a memorandum to wildland fire leadership highlighting the importance of inter-departmental collaboration in protecting communities and managing public lands. (DOI blog)

Related: Secretaries Zinke and Perdue Stress Inter-Departmental Collaboration as Wildfire Season Approaches (DOI News Release)

Secretary Zinke Applauds President Trump's Action to Restore America's Energy Destiny

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke applauded President Donald J. Trump's decision to eject the United States from the Obama-era, multi-national Paris Accord. The Department of the Interior is in charge of most energy development on federal lands, including oil, gas, coal, wind, geothermal, and other sources, as well as oil, gas and wind on the Outer Continental Shelf. (DOI News Release)
WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER

True. More than 100,000 different animal species - and perhaps as many as 200,000 - play roles in pollinating the 250,000 kinds of flowering plants on this planet. Insects (bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, flies, beetles) are the most common pollinators, but as many as 1,500 species of vertebrates such as birds and mammals serve as pollinators, including hummingbirds, perching birds, flying foxes, fruit bats, possums, lemurs and even a lizard. (USFWS website)

Related: 7 Things You Can Do for Pollinators (Pollinator Partnership website)


Your Public Lands is a publication of the Bureau of Land Management.

Bureau of Land Management

1849 C Street NW, Room 5665
Washington DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-3801
Fax: (202) 208-5242
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