 Wildfire Awareness Week 2018 Kick-Off in Sacramento  |
||||||
|
||||||
|
- Wildfire Awareness Week |
||||||
| WILDFIRE AWARENESS WEEK | ||||||
 |
Ready For Wildfire
Each year California highlights the importance of wildfire prevention and preparedness by declaring the first full week of May as “Wildfire Awareness Week”. In 2017, there were 9,368 wildfires
in California, which burned 1,254,929 acres across both private and public lands. This week, in preparation for the 2018 wildfire season, BLM California is participating in Wildfire Awareness Week alongside other federal, state and local partners. This year, BLM California is preparing over 350 fire
personnel, 27 wildland fire engines, two hot shot crews, two helicopter crews and one firefighting crew made up of United States military veterans. |
|||||
 |
California Wildfire Stats on Your Public LandsThe BLM provides direct fire protection for over 16.3 million acres of land through the Cooperative Wildland Fire Management Agreement (CFMA), which includes 1.4 million acres of non-federal lands and 678,000 acres of other federal lands. Under the CFMA, CAL FIRE provides direct fire protection for 2.2 million acres of BLM-managed public land. Collaboration is key to BLM wildfire prevention and preparedness. (BLM California Facebook) |
|||||
 |
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Marked its 5th Anniversary in 2018Communities came together to celebrate the day and work together on wildfire safety projects. The National Fire Protection Association encourages communities to continue this positive momentum and work on wildfire risk reduction projects throughout the year. (NFPA website) |
|||||
 |
Ready, Set, Go!
Devastating wildfires threaten California every year, and to ensure
Californians are ready, California’s Governor proclaims the first full week of May as “Wildfire Awareness Week”. During Wildfire Awareness Week, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE and other partners are reminding Californians that when it comes to wildfires, remember “Ready,
Set, Go!”. Be Ready for a wildfire by maintaining 100 feet of defensible space and hardening your home with fire resistant building materials.
Be Set for a wildfire by having a wildfire action plan in place so you know what to take and where to go if you are evacuated. Lastly, Go early when a wildfire approaches or you are asked to evacuate. |
|||||
| HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS | ||||||
 |
Inmate-Trained Horses Join Yosemite National Park Patrol TeamTwo new horses have joined Yosemite National Park's mountain patrol team after training with inmates for months. "The ranger service contacted us and was interested in getting some horses for patrol, which is pretty historic cause that's never been done that we know of," Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center Ranch Manager Joseph Misner said. Drifter and Sandman arrived in early April. Misner said this is the first national park to become involved in their program. The two mustangs trained for about 2 months in the Sacramento Sheriff's Wild Horse training program. Misner said they get the wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. He then trains them alongside the inmates before they are hopefully sold to law enforcement officers. (ABC 30 News) Related: Keep Horses at the Heart of Yosemite (Yosemite Conservancy) Related: Yosemite National Park Adopts Two Wild Mustangs (Yosemite National Park website) |
|||||
 |
Wildflower Season Comes Late to MontereyAfter a cold, rainy March and a warmer, sunnier April, Monterey County’s abundant diversity of spring wildflowers are finally in full glory. “Right now is the peak bloom of spring, about 10 days to two weeks later than normal,” said Bruce Delgado, a botanist with the Bureau of Land Management. At Fort Ord, he’s been leading tours for school groups and local clubs taking advantage of the good weather. (Monterey Herald) |
|||||
 |
Museum Explores Cultural Significance of Route 66Tens of thousands of people visit the Arizona Route 66 Museum each year, aiming to get a feel for what it was like to take the old highway route that crossed eight states to connect Chicago to the West Coast. Visitors to the Kingman museum spend hours looking at displays, photographs and life-size dioramas of the groups and events that depict the evolution of the highway that came to fame in the mid-20th century, the Kingman Daily Miner reported. (KPCC News) |
|||||
 |
He's Counted Whales at Piedras Blancas for 24 years. This Week He'll Retire.Wayne Perryman will stand his last watch over Point Piedras Blancas on Friday after nearly a quarter century leading the annual springtime tally of gray whales swimming north on their annual migration. Perryman has been working part time most recently in preparation for his Oct. 1 retirement from marine-related occupations that span almost 47 years — 20 with the U.S. Navy and 27 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He founded NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Service’s Cetacean Health and Life History Program in 1986 and has given gray whale lectures many times on the North Coast. (San Luis Obispo Tribune) Related: Piedras Blancas Light Station (BLM website) |
|||||
 |
BLM Reopens Upper Sections of Elk River TrailThe Bureau of Land Management has reopened the upper sections of the Little South Fork Elk River Trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, as muddy conditions have improved. “We are happy to announce that the trail is in great shape for spring and summer outings,” said Molly Brown, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office. “The Elk River Trail is an ideal place where families can use the public lands to connect with the natural and cultural heritage of the North Coast.” (BLM news release) |
|||||
| BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS | ||||||
 |
Recognizing Outstanding Interior EmployeesEvery day, the men and women of Interior go to work for the American people. Some are preserving the past and others are planning for the future. They work in the fields of law enforcement, education, science, communication, administration and maintenance. Armed with the tools of their professions and dedicated to the Department’s mission, Interior employees use their minds and hands to accomplish a wide variety of goals. The people in this story represent the public servants you’ll meet when you visit public lands and engage with the Interior Department. They’re regular people doing everyday jobs, living and working in communities all over the country. (DOI blog)Follow #PSRW on social media for more! |
|||||
 |
Hiker Notifies BLM of Prehistoric Archaeological DiscoveryWhile hiking on the Arizona Strip in January of 2018, Colorado resident Randy Langstraat discovered a prehistoric artifact in a popular recreation area. Concerned that the small, intact pot was within casual view in a frequently visited area, Langstraat carefully concealed the pot in place and contacted BLM Arizona Strip archaeologist Sarah Page. Langstraat provided Page with a detailed description of the location of the pot. (My Public Lands Tumblr) |
|||||
 |
Interior Announces $14 Million in Payments to Rural Schools in Western Oregon CountiesU.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that the Bureau of Land Management will issue payments totaling $14 million for Fiscal Year 2018 to 18 counties in western Oregon eligible under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act extension. The BLM manages the Secure Rural Schools program in Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands, known as the O&C Lands, in concert with the U.S. Forest Service. (DOI news release) |
|||||
 |
Celebrating Hard-Working Animal MomsThe bond between mother and child is like no other relationship. Whether it’s human or animals, moms feed, nurture and protect their young. This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating some of the hard-working moms in the animal kingdom. Don’t forget to thank your mom for all she’s done for you! (DOI blog) Happy Mother's Day from all of us at the Bureau of Land Management! We hope you find time this weekend to celebrate in the great outdoors. |
|||||
| WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK | ||||||
 |
Which of the following are hummingbirds?
a) Black-chinned |
|||||
| UPCOMING EVENTS | ||||||
 |
Now - June 1: Mayor's Mountain Bike ChallengeThe Mayor's Mountain Bike Challenge is officially underway in the City of Redding! Shout out to partners from Healthy Shasta, Redding Trail Alliance, Redding Recreation and The McConnell Foundation. (Mayor's MTB Challenge website) |
|||||
 |
May 9-11: BLM Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals Open-House Happening NowThe Bureau of Land Management Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals invites the public to an open-house wild horses and burros’ adoption and sale from May 9-11, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The open house showcases two-year-old wild horses gathered from the Reveille Herd Management Area east of Tonopah, Nevada, and the Sulphur Herd Management Area, west of Minersville, Utah. Animals are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for either the $125 adoption fee or the $25 direct sale fee. (BLM news release) |
|||||
 |
May 11-14: South Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area Temporarily Closed During Endurance EventThe Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office is temporarily closing the South Cow Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area on Friday, May 11 beginning at 8 a.m. until Monday, May 14 at 8 a.m. for the 2018 Sawmill Enduro event. (BLM news release) |
|||||
 |
May 12 and 18: Public Invited to Berryessa Snow Mountain Recreation, Volunteerism and Stewardship WorkshopsThe Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office and the Mendocino National Forest invite the public to two Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Recreation, Volunteerism and Stewardship Workshops on May 12 and 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (BLM news release) |
|||||
 |
May 19: Endangered Species DayOn Saturday, May 19, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center in Palm Desert invites families and all others interested for Endangered Species Day. Visitors will learn about endangered species across the globe and how we can help ensure their survival into the future. Children will have the opportunity to color a cutout of an endangered species and place it on a blow up globe, and play “Operation Survival,” a game introducing them to the threatened and endangered species that call the Coachella Valley home. Throughout the day, the theater will be playing the documentary “Tortoise In Peril, the Struggle to Survive.” Visitors will receive a reusable water bottle especially designed for hiking, featuring a chart showing how much water different ages of hikers should be drinking. The Visitor Center will be open from 8 am to 3:30 pm. It is located at 51500 Highway 74 in Palm Desert. Please call (760) 862-9984 with any questions. |
|||||
 |
May 20 and June 3: BLM, Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve Offer Spring OutingsThe Bureau of Land Management and Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve will offer free public outings ranging from bird watching to traditional uses of native plants, on weekends from late March until June. The events are free. (BLM news release) |
|||||
| WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER | ||||||
|
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we'd like to say thank you to all the teachers who have helped inspire youth to explore the great outdoors and learn about the nature, wildlife and world around them! d) All of the above Since 2009, the Bureau of Land Management has been working with various partners in southern Utah to take on a very big (and in some ways, very small!) project. The BLM, Dixie National Forest, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Hummingbird Monitoring Network have been working together to band and monitor hummingbirds to determine strategies for conserving them and their habitat, as well as to provide a basis for future research needs. The population status of many hummingbirds is unknown and this effort helps collect local and regional information that can be rolled up for large-scale use. (My Public Lands Tumblr) |
||||||
|
||||||
