The heart of the Earth News Broadcast Title 5 USCS News.bytes 541 - BLM California

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Subject: News.bytes 541 - BLM California
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News.bytes
A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California

Issue 541 - 7/27/12 - Visit us on Facebook -- follow us on Twitter -
Share us with friends and colleagues!

THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:
- America's Great Outdoors
- Renewable energy
- Traditional energy
- Wildfires and prevention
- Not for educators only: Wildlife trivia question of the week
- Headlines and highlights: Assorted topics from your public lands in California
- Selected upcoming events
- National and Department of the Interior items: California water,
U.S. drought, Mining Law, more
- More wildlife news

If this message does not show up properly in your email, you can see
it online at:
www.blm.gov/ca/news/newsbytes/2012/541.html


AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS

"Moving Outside is easy, healthy, and FUN!" (Let's Move.gov)
"Regular participation in outdoor activities has been shown to boost
children's creativity and focus, in addition to building aerobic
capacity and strength. Hiking, biking, swimming, and other outdoor
games are easy -- and affordable -- ways for families to spend time
together during the summer months. Are you ready for an outdoor
adventure?"
www.letsmove.gov/blog/2012/07/19/moving-outside-easy-healthy-and-fun

RELATED: "Let's Move" (YouTube)
The "Let's Move" video channel on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/letsmove

"Public scoping workshop to seek input for management of two
wilderness areas in Riverside County" (BLM, 7/23/12)
The BLM is seeking public input for its wilderness management plan for
the Mecca Hills and Orocopia Mountains wilderness areas east of the
southern Coachella Valley in Riverside County. The plan will assist
BLM in managing these wilderness areas for public uses including
recreation, scenery, science, education, conservation, and history --
while preserving the wilderness character. A public scoping workshop
is scheduled for Aug. 7 in Palm Springs.
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/july/CDD1263_wildernessscoping.html

"Commercial rafters set sights on the Moke" (Calaveras Enterprise, 7/20/12)
"After years of lobbying for approval of commercial rafting on the
Electra-Middle Bar run of the Mokelumne River by outdoor enthusiasts
and rafting companies, the dream may come true once a feasibility
study is complete. The Bureau of Land Management will hold a public
meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 31."
www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_cb08cc4e-d283-11e1-a79f-0019bb2963f4.html

RELATED: "Moke River rafting idea is being floated" (Sonora Union
Democrat, 7/27/12)
"Trips on the Electra-Middle Bar run have been limited for years to
private whitewater enthusiasts and a couple of fundraising trips each
year .... A three-year trial run of limited commercial excursions
gained the blessing last year of the BLM in conjunction with the East
Bay Municipal Utility District, which collects Mokelumne River water
in the nearby Pardee and Camanche reservoirs for its customers' use,
and Pacific Gas and Electric, which generates hydroelectric power from
dams on the river."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,e202,7nuu,283f,37zd

RELATED: "Mokelumne River" (BLM Mother Lode Field Office)
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/mokelumne.html

"Coastal Monument and Seabird Protection Network at 7th Annual Coastal
Discovery Fair" (News.bytes Extra)
For the seventh year in a row, BLM's California Coastal National
Monument (CCNM) hosted an outdoor booth at the Coastal Discovery Fair,
held Saturday, July 21 at the Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach in
San Simeon. More than a dozen agencies and organizations participated
in this day-long event with activities for kids at each booth.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,e83i,7j9g,283f,37zd

"California's active volcanoes" (San Diego Reader, 7/19/12)
A tour from Mojave to Mono Lake, including 250-foot Amboy Crater: "The
three-mile round trip trail takes visitors into the heart of the cone,
onto the ancient lava lake and down in the center of it. The last
eruption is estimated to have occurred 10,000 years ago." An
international volcano monitoring system includes 60 stations "working
in unison to detect erupting volcanoes. Amboy Volcano, with its tumuli
and pressure ridges (visible on the eastern side of the highway),
isn't on their radar" -- but others in California are.
www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jul/19/travel-california-active-volcanoes/

RELATED: "Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark" (BLM Needles Field Office)
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/amboy.html

"Youth learn life skills, help improve community through IMACA
program" (Inyo Register, 7/24/12)
The Owens Valley "is seeing community garden improvements,
construction of year-round green houses and wilderness area
revitalization -- all thanks to local teens who are weathering
summer's searing rays and furnace-blast winds." During a six-week
program sponsored by Inyo-Mono Advocates for Community Action, Eastern
Sierra Youth Conservation Corps members worked on several projects,
including one for the BLM.
www.inyoregister.com/node/2891


RENEWABLE ENERGY

"Sun rises on Powerlink Imperial County, San Diego, state officials
celebrate start of Sunrise Powerlink transmission line" (Imperial
Valley Press, 7/26/12)
"With the soft crackling of energy passing through electrical
equipment acting as a backdrop, local, regional and state officials
welcomed the start of renewable energy transmission from Imperial
County to San Diego. On Thursday, San Diego Gas & Electric dedicated
the Sunrise Powerlink project, a 500 kilo-volt, 117-mile transmission
line, at the new Suncrest Substation facility .... Through the
two-hour event, leaders like Gov. Jerry Brown, former Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt praised the
success of the completed project."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,jz79,i8bw,283f,37zd

RELATED: "Brown dedicates controversial San Diego transmission line"
(KCET, 7/26/12)
"California Governor Jerry Brown presided today over the official
opening of the 117-mile high-voltage Sunrise Powerlink transmission
line, which has been carrying electric power from the Imperial Valley
to coastal San Diego since June .... The ceremony marks the end of San
Diego Gas & Electric's (SDGE) several-year campaign to route and build
the Powerlink, which the utility touted as a way to bring renewable
energy from Imperial County's geothermal, solar, and wind
installations to consumers along the coast. Estimated construction
costs for the line approach $1.9 billion."
www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/brown-dedicates-controversial-san-diego-transmission-line.html

RELATED: "BLM California State Director Jim Kenna at Sunrise Powerlink
dedication" (News.bytes Extra)
The Sunrise Powerlink crosses nearly 50 miles of public lands managed
by the Bureau of Land Management. BLM's public lands are a vital
component of this power line, and a big part of the nation's plans to
diversify its energy portfolio and move toward energy independence.
BLM California State Director Jim Kenna joined other officials in
speaking at the dedication ceremony this week.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,jxt3,kr55,283f,37zd

"Government pre-approves Riverside, Imperial County sites for solar
development" (Associated Press at KPBS, 7/24/12)
"The Obama administration moved Tuesday to streamline the development
of large-scale solar projects on public lands by approving 17 vast
tracts across the West it says has the highest power-generating
potential and the fewest environmental impacts. Two of the sites are
in California: one in eastern Riverside County and the other in
eastern Imperial County, covering a combined 153,627 acres."
www.kpbs.org/news/2012/jul/24/government-pre-approves-riverside-imperial-county-/

RELATED: "U.S. solar plan creates energy zones, excludes sensitive
lands" (Los Angeles Times, 7/25/12)
"The Obama administration unveiled plans Tuesday to ramp up solar
energy production, offering incentives for solar developers to cluster
projects on 285,000 acres of federal land in the western U.S. and
opening an additional 19 million acres of the Mojave Desert for new
power plants .... The pending policy rules out a long list of
environmentally sensitive lands where the government .... had allowed
solar development over the objections of environmentalists."
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0725-solar-zones-20120725,0,1957957.story

RELATED: "Obama Administration releases roadmap for solar energy
development on public lands" (Department of the Interior, 7/24/12)
The Solar PEIS will serve as a roadmap for solar energy development by
establishing solar energy zones with access to existing or planned
transmission, the fewest resource conflicts and incentives for
development within those zones. The blueprint's comprehensive analysis
will make for faster, better permitting of large-scale solar projects
on public lands.
www.ca.blm.gov/4lkd

"A long-term game plan for solar energy development on our public
lands" (The White House Blog, 7/27/12)
"Secretary Salazar's Interior Department has made dramatic progress in
siting utility-scale renewable energy projects on our public lands
over the past three years .... At the same time, our Bureau of Land
Management has been laying the foundation for ensuring that solar
development continues to proceed in the right way, and in the right
places, on our public lands - over the long term." -David J. Hayes,
Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/27/long-term-game-plan-solar-energy-development-our-public-lands

"Public meetings set for proposed Alta East Wind Project in Kern
County" (BLM, 7/19/12)
The BLM and Kern County announce two public meetings on Aug. 1, 2012,
regarding the draft environmental review for the Alta East Wind
Project in Kern County. The proposed wind energy project about three
miles northwest of Mojave could generate up to 318 megawatts, on 2,592
acres of mostly BLM land, enough to power up to 94,500 homes. Since
originally proposed, the total acreage was reduced from 3,200 to 2,592
acres by eliminating portions of the project.
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/july/alta_east_pub_mtngs.html

"Mojave Desert: $20 million tortoise habitat deal in the works"
(Riverside Press-Enterprise, 7/20/12)
"State fish and game officials and the BrightSource Energy Co. are
considering a $20 million land deal that would allow the Oakland-based
solar energy developer to make up for desert tortoise habitat losses
from its solar plant now under construction in northeast San
Bernardino County, state officials said. BrightSource would pay into a
state habitat land-bank fund and the company would get credit for
preserving about 7,100 acres of desert tortoise habitat that the state
has preserved since 2010 by funding grants to conservation land
trusts."
www.ca.blm.gov/5lkd

"BOEM and FERC revise guidelines for development of wave energy and
ocean current technologies in U.S. waters" (Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, 7/19/12)
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission announced revised guidelines for potential
marine hydrokinetic energy developers interested in pursuing
technology testing and commercial development activities on the
nation's Outer Continental Shelf. The revisions promote further
clarity for the regulatory process and facilitate a more efficient
process in authorizing marine hydrokinetic (e.g., energy developed
from waves and ocean currents) research and testing activities.
www.boem.gov/BOEM-Newsroom/Press-Releases/2012/Press07192012.aspx


TRADITIONAL ENERGY

"Obama Administration announces 20 million acre oil and gas lease sale
offshore Texas" (Department of the Interior, 7/23/12)
As part of President Obama's all-of-the-above energy strategy to
expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, Secretary of
the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
Director Tommy P. Beaudreau today announced that BOEM will offer more
than 20 million acres offshore Texas for oil and gas exploration and
development in a lease sale that will include all available unleased
areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.
www.ca.blm.gov/cmkd


WILDFIRES AND PREVENTION

"We all have role in fighting fire" (Eureka Times-Standard, 7/20/12)
Editorial: "It took little under one week, hundreds of fire personnel
and about $3.2 million, but fire officials have declared the Flat Fire
100 percent contained .... while we tip our hats to the brave men and
women who put themselves at risk to keep us safe, they're not in this
fight alone. Beyond exercising common sense, and working with county
and municipal authorities on long-term plans to prepare for this
troubling trend, there are several strategies we can all adopt in the
short term to prepare ourselves and our communities in the fight
against fire."
www.times-standard.com/editorials/ci_21118255/we-all-have-role-fighting-fire

RELATED: "Take responsibility..." (California Fire Alliance)
In California, the number of homes and businesses are growing in the
Wildland Urban Interface -- and fire is an increasing threat. Reduce
your home's fire danger and prevent wildfires from spreading by taking
responsibility today.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,116g,55i0,283f,37zd

"Fire restrictions start August 1 on National Forests, BLM public
lands" (BLM, 7/25/12)
Seasonal restrictions on outdoor use of fire and firewood cutting
begin Wednesday, Aug. 1, on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management and the Lassen and Modoc National Forests in northeast
California and far northwest Nevada. The restrictions apply to all
forest lands and to public lands managed by the BLM Alturas, Eagle
Lake and Surprise field offices in Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra,
Shasta, Siskiyou, and Washoe counties.
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/july/nc1279_firerestrictionssusanville.html

"BLM implements fire prevention closure in San Diego County" (BLM, 7/25/12)
Effective July 27, 2012, the BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office
will initiate a temporary closure of public lands in and near Sycamore
Canyon and Marron Valley in San Diego County due to hazardous fire
conditions. Approximately 4,568 acres of public lands are affected by
the closure.
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/july/CDD1264_fireclosure.html

"New management team takes over Mill Fire, works on repairs" (Lake
County News, 7/21/12)
"Repairs and assessments are continuing on the area burned this month
by the Mill Fire, which scorched nearly 30,000 acres in the Colusa
County side of the Mendocino National Forest." Mike Vandame, the team
leader for the Burn Area Emergency Rehabilitation, said, "Even after
the last flame has been extinguished on the Mill Fire, potential
threats to life, property and natural resources may remain. These
threats come from winter storms that fall on watersheds stripped of
their protective vegetation. So, as suppression efforts wind down, the
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will begin to assess the
potential threats."
www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26057

"Robbers Fire arson suspect appears in Placer court " (Auburn Journal, 7/24/12)
A Sacramento man "faces a maximum of 14 years if convicted on the
arson charges and the three enhancements are found to be true. A fine
of $70,000 is also possible .... Cal Fire could also find [him] liable
for the multi-million-dollar cost of the fire."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,imp3,jl43,283f,37zd

"Have fire fighting, will travel" (Porterville Recorder, 7/27/12)
One of 42 "hotshot" firefighting crews stationed in California, the
Springville Hotshot crew is stationed in Sequoia National Forest, but
responds to calls from anywhere in the country. "Their most recent
national fire was the Little Bear Fire in New Mexico in early June."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,e0j4,2eof,283f,37zd

"Aerial firefighter a rare breed with demands for highly skilled
flying, fighter pilot's nerves" (Desert News, 7/22/12)
"There is a shortage of pilots who are qualified to fly single-engine
air tankers -- about 100 in all of America, says one expert. The only
thing there is no shortage of these days is wildfire. The West is on
fire, and those fires are being put out by land and air .... In the
last few weeks, firefighting pilots have flown 350 missions and
dropped 250,000 gallons of fire retardant in BLM's West Desert
District, which is everything west of I-15 to Nevada, and then south
to Beaver and north to Idaho." Includes slide show with 18 photos.
www.deseretnews.com/article/765591583/Aerial-firefighter-a-rare-breed-with-demands-for-highly-skilled-flying.html

"Meteorologists go on-site to help crews fight forest fires"
(Sacramento Bee, 7/27/12)
"National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Smith sits at a desk most
of the year. In wildfire season, however, he takes on a new persona:
He wears a fire suit and camps out for days at a time at ground zero
of major forest fires .... Such on-scene weather experts are essential
to building strategies to fight major wildfires." They help fire
chiefs "determine the most effective and safe ways to contain raging
fires" and brief fire crews each morning so they know what to expect
that day.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,6gk4,cjmq,283f,37zd

"How to find out if your hunting area has been hit by wildfire"
(Outdoor Life, 7/24/12)
"This summer, massive heat waves and catastrophic wildfires have
ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres in the West," including some
popular hunting areas. "The Forest Service or BLM will shut down these
popular hunting destinations due to safety concerns. Road damage,
falling trees, contaminated water sources and a host of other safety
concerns mean that until some rehab is done, these areas simply aren't
safe for folks to be in. Luckily, there are some resources that can
help you plan your hunt."
www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/open-country/2012/07/how-find-out-if-your-hunting-area-has-been-hit-wildfire

"Massive southeastern Oregon wildfires: Did weather, cows or grazing
policies fuel the flames?" (Portland Oregonian, 7/ 21/12)
"The Long Draw fire that devoured an area more than six times the size
of Portland in a week will take years to heal .... as the massive
mop-up begins, some of the people who depend on the wide open spaces
for their livelihoods believe dangerous fuel loads growing out of
federal grazing cutbacks contributed to the devastation. But
conservationists point to livestock as the cause, spreading invasive
grasses and weeds as they roam the range. And the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, which oversees much of the area, attributed the intensity
of the fires to the weather in a region that gets a mere 8 to 10
inches of rain per year."
www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/07/massive_southeastern_oregon_wi.html

"Study challenges views about Western forest fires" (Associated Press
at Fox Reno, 7/24/12)
"Researchers at the University of Wyoming studied historical fire
patterns across millions of acres of dry Western forests" and
concluded that "fuel-reduction programs aimed at removing trees and
shrubs in the name of easing fire threats are creating artificial
conditions that likely make dry forests less resilient." But the
researchers' conclusions "have drawn sharp criticism from other
longtime researchers who believe that decades of fire suppression have
led to more densely tangled forests and more intense fires."
www.foxreno.com/news/news/state-regional/study-challenges-views-about-western-forest-fires/nP27h/

"Fires leave ranchers with more questions than answers" (Capital Ag
Press, 7/25/12)
Ranchers in eastern Oregon are scrambling to feed cattle that would
normally be headed toward BLM grazing allotments in eastern Oregon
right about now. "Ranchers who lost grazing land to the Long Draw fire
have few options for feeding their cattle this summer, and no good
ones. The fire, the biggest in Oregon in 150 years, scorched 582,000
acres of Eastern Oregon rangeland .... More than 90 percent of the
land that was burned is under BLM management." The BLM allotments may
take two years to recover enough to allow grazing.
www.capitalpress.com/oregon/ml-jordan-valley-fires-072512-art

"Fire Information" (National Interagency Fire Center)
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, "is the nation's
support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and
organizations are part of NIFC, including the BLM.
www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm

"California incidents" (InciWeb)
Current and recent wildfires (and prescribed fires).
www.inciweb.org/state/5/


NOT for EDUCATORS ONLY:

WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK:
Brown pelicans prefer to nest on small coastal islands. Here are a few
short accounts of why this is an advantage -- but which one is true?
(a.) The young are able to swim before they are able to fly, but they
can can get injured or even drown if they try to make their way out
past the powerful breaking waves that strike rocky sections of the
California shoreline. By launching from the leeward side of an island,
they have direct access to calmer water, and learn to catch their own
food (fish) at an earlier age.
(b.) Brown pelican chicks are raised communally, rather than by their
parents, but that makes it harder to keep track of missing chicks.
Raising the chicks on an island limits how far the chicks can roam,
and helps keep them all together, without parents keeping track of
their own individual chicks.
(c.) Pelicans are clumsy flyers, and the strong updrafts and
downdrafts of cliffs along the coast make it harder for them to keep
from crashing. Winds a bit offshore are steadier and more predictable,
so pelicans have a better chance of making repeated successful
landings as they return from catching fish.
(d.) Brown pelicans are safer when separated from the mainland by a
stretch of ocean, because it also separates them from mammal
predators, especially raccoons. These mammals are unlikely to swim the
among the turbulent ocean waves to reach these islands. These
predators would otherwise steal eggs and sometimes destroy nests
entirely.
(e.) Despite the best efforts of generations of unpaid wildlife
biologist interns assigned to study this phenomenon, pelicans have
steadfastly refused to answer the brief survey that could settle this
once and for all. Some critics of the survey program insist that the
pelicans are alienated by the color of the clipboards that the interns
carry.
See the answer - and other wildlife stories - near the end of this
issue of News.bytes.


HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS

"Proposed 29 Palms Training Land Acquisition/Airspace Establishment
Project" (U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms,
7/27/12)
The Final Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed base expansion
has been posted online. Comments will be accepted until August 17.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,gtxn,ky6k,283f,37zd

RELATED: "Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area" (BLM Barstow Field Office)
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,7x1t,gzuv,283f,37zd

"Carcinogen in Mojave groundwater could require costly treatment" (Los
Angeles Times, 7/21/12)
"The Mojave Desert groundwater that Cadiz Inc. wants to sell to
Southland suburbs contains hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, in
amounts that are hundreds of times greater than the state's public
health goal for drinking water." Water treatment could "drive up the
cost of the project and ultimately the price of its water." The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which owns and
operates the 242-mile-long Colorado River Aqueduct that Cadiz would
use to transport its supplies to customers, "has also informed Cadiz
that the aqueduct space the company is counting on may not always be
available..."
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cadiz-chromium-20120721,0,2245495.story

RELATED: "Crowds attend Cadiz water meeting" (Riverside
Press-Enterprise, 7/25/12)
"Hundreds of people gathered to support and oppose Cadiz Inc.'s
proposal to pump Mojave Desert groundwater and pipe it to California
cities. Orange County's Santa Margarita Water District, the lead
agency on the project, was considering whether to approve the
project's final Environmental Impact Report and move forward. The
meeting in Mission Viejo on Wednesday, July 25, started at 6:30 p.m.
and was expected to go late into the night. No decision had been made
as of 9 p.m."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,az98,f6gr,283f,37zd

"BLM issues interim final rule regarding placer mining claim
maintenance fees" (BLM, 7/27/12)
The BLM has issued a rule that changes the way maintenance fees for
placer mining claims are assessed. The rule implements the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (the FY 2012 Act) which
requires the BLM to collect maintenance fees for placer mining claims
based on the total acreage contained in the claim, rather than by the
claim.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,79g8,gllg,283f,37zd

"California hikes age for recreational off-highway vehicle drivers"
(Yahoo! News, 7/25/12)
AB 1595 "increases the minimum age for drivers of recreational
off-highway vehicles from 14 (and younger) to 16." The law also
redefines the meaning of off-highway vehicles, as requested by the
Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,lvu1,5qzk,283f,37zd

RELATED: "AB 1595 bill text" (State of California)
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,icip,aldl,283f,37zd

"Upper Ridge trail project stalled" (Paradise Post, 7/20/12)
A man's idea to build a trail on the Upper Ridge -- across 10 miles of
U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Paradise Irrigation
District and private lands "stalled" after the discovery that "part of
the trail was directly underneath a bald eagle's nest."
www.paradisepost.com/news/ci_21124570/upper-ridge-trail-project-stalled

"Marijuana grower sentenced to nearly four years in prison" (Visalia
Times-Delta, 7/23/12)
The grower, from Mexico, "was growing marijuana in the Sentinel Peak
area of the Sequoia National Forest. Law enforcement agents found more
than 16,025 marijuana plants, more than 850 pounds of processed
marijuana and three firearms including an assault rifle." Part of the
sentence was "$3,686 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the
cost of cleanup." The BLM took part in the investigation.
www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20120724/NEWS01/120723006

"Fire, flooding close Yuma-area outdoor spots" (Yuma Sun, 7/23/12)
"Betty's Kitchen at Mittry Lake, which is operated by the Yuma Field
Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, will be closed for the
next two years to allow for the restoration of the area and to avoid
exposing the public to safety hazards caused by the 2011 Laguna Fire."
www.yumasun.com/news/area-80557-yuma-fire.html

JOBS
"Current job openings - BLM California" (USAJOBS website)
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,8qwy,1ci0,283f,37zd



NATIONAL, OTHER STATE AND DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR ITEMS

"State, federal officials reveal Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta plan"
(Sacramento Bee, 7/25/12)
"State and federal leaders ... reaffirmed their commitment to build a
giant pair of tunnels to divert the Sacramento River out of the Delta.
Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at a
news conference in Sacramento they believe the tunnel plan is crucial
to solve conflicting problems that have long divided the state:
protecting the fragile environment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
and also safeguarding freshwater diversions in the estuary from
earthquakes, sea level rise and levee failures."
www.sacbee.com/2012/07/25/4660005/state-federal-officials-reveal.html

RELATED: "Governor Brown and Obama Administration Outline Path Forward
for Bay Delta Conservation Plan" (Department of the Interior, 7/25/12)
In announcing the path forward for an enhanced Bay Delta Conservation
Plan process, the officials emphasized that California's water system
is unsustainable from an environmental and economic perspective, and
that the BDCP is a key part of a comprehensive solution to achieve the
dual goals of a reliable water supply for California and a healthy
California Bay Delta ecosystem that supports the State's economy.
www.ca.blm.gov/3lkd

RELATED: "$14B water project faces long haul" (San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/25/12)
"Even if approved, the project will not be ready for more than decade.
And there will be plenty of battles along the way." Thirty years ago
during Brown's previous term as governor, voters rejected his proposal
of the Peripheral Canal in the same area.
www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/25/california-embarks-on-massive-water-project/

"Report shows US drought rapidly intensifying" (Associated Press in
Sacramento Bee, 7/26/12)
"The widest drought to grip the United States in decades is getting
worse with no signs of abating, a new report warned Thursday, as ...
officials urged conservation and more ranchers considered selling
cattle."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,fn0u,6vj4,283f,37zd

"Pictures: Drought parches much of the U.S." (National Geographic, July 2012)
"Across much of the western United States ... conditions have caused
cities, farms, and businesses to fear for the future of their water
supply as demand outstrips availability." Includes photo of a
"shrunken" Lake Powell -- part of the Colorado River system which
supplies water to southern California and six other states -- and of a
recent Colorado wildfire which BLM firefighters helped to battle.
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,81rc,ang8,283f,37zd

"Mining claim near Florence spotlights little-known law" (Bend, OR
Bulletin, 7/20/12)
A resident who moved to Florence on the Oregon coast to enjoy the
dunes was surprised when "a series of trucks started rumbling down her
quiet street in the Heceta Beach neighborhood and out onto the sand"
and workers started drilling test bores. A man from Indiana had filed
a mining claim with the BLM, and apparently found silica, which is
used to "make all sorts of high-tech products, from computer chips to
the mixture of materials that are used in the hydraulic fracturing
involved in the search for shale gas."
www.bendbulletin.com/article/20120720/NEWS0107/207200352/

RELATED: "Ugly surprise in the dunes" (Eugene, OR Register Guard,7/17/12)
The General Mining Act, "signed into law by Ulysses S. Grant seven
years before the invention of the electric light bulb … to encourage
settlement of the sparsely populated Western frontier …. gives federal
land to miners for next to nothing, grants mining precedence over
other uses of public lands, requires mining companies to pay no
royalties and provides minimal environmental protections ....
residents were shocked to find that there are several active claims
... in the Heceta Dunes near Florence," raising concerns about "the
possibility of mining in dunes that are regarded as one of Oregon's
coastal treasures."
www.registerguard.com/web/opinion/28397794-47/mining-claims-dunes-law-1872.html.csp

"Weapons stashed, ditched along S. Arizona border" (Arizona Daily Star, 7/22/12)
"When a hiker in Madera Canyon discovered three AK-47-type rifles
wrapped in plastic last month, it may have seemed like a random
occurrence. It wasn't. Across Southern Arizona's borderlands, workers,
residents or visitors occasionally come across weapons that apparently
have been stashed or ditched by criminals. In two cases this year,
people in areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management have found
stashed, plastic-wrapped rifles."
http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=x8pbwi,146a0,3xn3,j1ud,85jw,283f,37zd

"2012 Congressional testimony" (BLM)
- Legislative Hearing: H.R. 6089, Healthy Forests Management Act (7-20-2012)
- Oversight Hearing: "Helium: Supply Shortages Impacting Our Economy,
National Defense and Manufacturing" (7-20-2012)
- Legislative Hearing: H.R. 5960, Depleting Risk from Insect
Infestation, Soil Erosion, and Catastrophic Fire Act (7-20-2012)
- Legislative Hearing: H.R. 5744, Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act
(7-20-2012).
www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/congressional_testimonies/2012.html

"Cotati man appeals Burning Man expansion" (Associated Press in Santa
Rosa Press Democrat, 7/23/12)
The "appeal of the agency's increase in the maximum crowd size from
50,000 to 60,900 will be considered by the Interior Board of Land
Appeals in the Department of the Interior .... a land sailor from
Cotati suggests the event is to blame for dunes that have kept him and
others such as land-speed racers from using the sprawling desert for
their activities."
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120723/WIRE/207231056

"Rain washes out roads to AZ monument" (KPHO Arizona, 7/25/12)
"Heavy rains have washed out roads leading to the Grand
Canyon-Parashant National Monument in far northwestern Arizona. The
U.S. Bureau of Land Management is asking visitors to stay away for at
least a few days while crews remove debris."
www.kpho.com/story/19112628/rain-washes-out-roads-to-az-monument


SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS

More information on the following events at the Santa Rosa and San
Jacinto Mountains National Monument can be found at:
www.desertmountains.org/

July 25 - What's Up There? (Plants of the forest)

July 28 - Devil's Slide hike

BLM California has a new events calendar on Facebook. You can view it
by signing in to your Facebook account.


WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer and related websites
(d.) Brown pelicans are safer when separated from the mainland by a
stretch of ocean, because it also separates them from mammal
predators, especially raccoons. These mammals are unlikely to swim the
among the turbulent ocean waves to reach these islands. These
predators would otherwise steal eggs and sometimes destroy nests
entirely.

SOURCE: "Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis" (BLM California
wildlife database)
www.blm.gov/ca/forms/wildlife/details.php?metode=serial_number&search=2435

More wildlife news from your public lands (and elsewhere):

"Bacterium used to target frog epidemic" (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/19/12)
"In a push to save thousands of mountain frogs threatened by a deadly
fungal epidemic, biologists are treating hundreds of High Sierra
tadpoles with an experimental bacterium they hope will preserve the
species. The scientists this week backpacked over Bishop Pass into
famed Dusy Basin, 11,300 feet high in Kings Canyon National Park,
carrying plastic bottles filled with a purple soup of microbes."
www.sfgate.com/science/article/Bacterium-used-to-target-frog-epidemic-3721469.php

"Underfed pelicans flood coastal areas" (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/21/12)
Thousands of brown pelicans "are barely making land or washing ashore
this summer along the California coast .... flooding into rescue
centers. High mortality rates are typical for brown pelicans - fewer
than half survive their first year - but experts don't know whether
the apparent increase in deaths is due to a higher birth rate, lower
food availability or something else."
www.sfgate.com/science/article/Underfed-pelicans-flood-coastal-areas-3724336.php

RELATED: "Brown pelicans becoming more prolific in Delta, inland
areas" (Contra Costa Times, 7/24/12)
"Known for hanging out along the Pacific Coast, a growing number of
the young long-billed birds are finding their way to inland cities
such as Stockton, Davis and Antioch -- one even ventured to Yosemite
National Park. Changes in the Pacific Ocean's environment have likely
caused a ripple effect by pushing schools of sardines and anchovies
away from the coastline, forcing the fledglings ... to look elsewhere
for food...."
www.contracostatimes.com/science/ci_21138504/brown-pelicans-becoming-more-prolific-delta-inland-areas

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after publication. If you plan to keep a story, you should print a
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products or advertisements on those sites.

News.bytes published by
Bureau of Land Management
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www.blm.gov/ca/

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Ambassador Chevy Chase; Kevin Corcran; Jack Nickolas; Cher; Shirley Temple
Black; Liza Minnille; Ansari; Ernest Tascoe; Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
Agent Jodie Foster; Department of Veterans Affairs Director George H.W. Bush
Title 22 USCS section 1928 (b) The e-mail
transmission may contain legally privileged information that
is intended only for the individual or entity recipient, you are hereby,
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance upon the
contents of this E-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
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can be made for proper delivery. Title 42
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