BLM Improves Access and Parking for Visitors   

Route 66 travelers visiting the Mojave Trails National Monument will enjoy the asphalt crack repairs, resealing and restriping made at Amboy Crater. (BLM California Facebook)

Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure

In an effort to increase the deployment of broadband infrastructure in rural and undeveloped areas, the BLM permitted a communications facility in a rural part of southeastern California, approximately 100 miles northeast of Victorville. Once construction of the facility is complete, the site will have the capacity to house multiple wireless carriers that would be able to provide cellular and internet service to the popular Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a primary access route to Death Valley National Park. (BLM Facebook)

Improving the Infrastructure of America's Public Lands

Across the nation, the BLM works every day to carry out projects that maintain access to public lands, increase broadband infrastructure in rural and undeveloped areas, improve the recreation experience and ensure the safety of visitors to public lands. If you’ve visited BLM-managed public lands, you’ve likely benefited from these efforts. Improving roads, bridges, dams, trails, OHV areas, communication facilities are just some of the BLM’s goals when it comes to infrastructure improvements. These infrastructure improvements are a lasting and essential part of BLM’s mission to serve the American public for present and future generations. (My Public Lands Tumblr)

Follow #PublicLandsInfrastructure this month as we share projects and interesting facts about the
BLM’s efforts to modernize infrastructure for the next 100 years. 

BLM Bakersfield Field Office Issues Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office is issuing fire restrictions for BLM-managed public lands effective May 20, due to potential wildland fire danger. The BLM-managed public lands affected by these fire restrictions are in eastern Fresno, western Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties. Fire restrictions will also affect BLM-managed recreational areas including the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Chimney Peak, Kennedy Meadows, Keysville, Lake Isabella, San Joaquin River Gorge and Three Rivers. (BLM news release)

BLM Initiates Seasonal Fire and Target Shooting Restrictions in the California Desert District

The Bureau of Land Management will initiate stage II and III fire restrictions as of April 10 for BLM-managed public lands within Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Mono and San Diego counties. These restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. Stage II and III fire restrictions address the use of campfires, controlled flame devices and smoking on public lands. (BLM news release)

All fire restriction information is available on the BLM California fire restrictions website at blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/california/fire-restrictions.

Be #WildfireWeatherAWARE

It’s that time of year again and we need to get ready for wildfire. This includes things like clearing leaves off the roof and out of the gutters, clearing vegetation and combustible materials around your home and preparing or reviewing your evacuation plan. This spring and summer, learn more by following the #WildfireWeatherAWARE campaign with the Bureau of Land Management, CAL FIRE, U.S. National Weather Service, Forest Service and California Fire Safe Council. (BLM California Facebook)

Related: Ready for Wildfire (readyforwildfire.org)

BLM Will Reopen South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area on June 3

The South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area near Ukiah will reopen to the public Monday, June 3, after a closure for repairs related to last summer’s Mendocino Complex wildfire. “Our staff, volunteers and contractors have been working hard to get the area ready for use,” said BLM Ukiah Field Office Manager Amanda James. “Fire damage to trails and facilities was extensive and winter rains were a challenge, but we are happy to again offer off-road riding opportunities to the public. We are grateful for hundreds of hours of volunteer work.” (BLM news release)

Related: BLM to host South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area fire recovery volunteer event (BLM news release)

Top 10 Tips for Fishing with Kids

Fishing can be a fun sport for kids and parents. Besides spending quality time together outdoors, families can get away from their hectic schedules and enjoy a sun-filled day laughing, talking and enjoying the fresh air. But introducing young children to the sport, which may seem daunting for some, is actually easy with a little forethought. “The big thing is patience,” says Greg Schoby, fisheries manager for Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Salmon. “Be positive, make it fun — and remember it’s not just your fishing trip — it’s their fishing trip, too.” (Idaho State Journal) 

Related: Enjoy Public Lands and Rivers Safely this Summer (BLM California Facebook)

High and Fast Water Are All the More Reasons to #WearaLifeJacket

Under California law, every child under 13 years of age on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket in serviceable condition and of a type and size appropriate for the conditions and the activity. (California Division of Boating and Waterways website)

Related: Current river conditions (DBW website)

Related: River safety tips (DBW website)

Piedras Blancas Light Station Welcomes Visitors, Scientists, and Whales Migrating

Just north of San Simeon, in the northwest corner of San Luis Obispo County, is a lighthouse that has been shining its light to warn boaters about the rocky shoreline for more than 100 years. Now, however, the Piedras Blancas Light Station is serving a much bigger purpose. “The light station was built here because we’re on this little peninsula, so we extend about a half mile out into the open sea. There’s a shallow rocky reef directly outside of this point, so it’s a dangerous point of land. This light station was built to kind of tell sailors to stay away,” said Jodie Nelson, Bureau of Land Management Outdoor Recreation Planner... “This is the absolute best location along the US West Coast to conduct a mother-calf survey and that’s because they come within a few hundred meters of shore here. Almost all of the cow-calf pairs pass right by this point,” said Jim Caretta with the Southwest Fishery Science Center. (KSBY News)

Sierra Club Celebrates the Lost Coast

Big thanks to the Sierra Club volunteers helping on the Lost Coast Trail, working on trail building and marine debris cleanup. They even moved a refrigerator off the beach and carried a big red kayak 4 miles to Black Sands Beach for removal! (BLM California Facebook)

Elementary Students Celebrate Earth Day on Public Land Near Bishop

The BLM Bishop Field Office partners with Friends of the Inyo every year to host the local Round Valley elementary school's Earth Day celebration. This fun-filled day outdoors at Horton Campground provides an opportunity for elementary school students to learn about their home and the natural world in hands-on activities. For the 2019 Earth Day, specialists from the BLM and Friends of the Inyo worked alongside volunteer instructors from the community to provide short lessons on indigenous history, native plants and animals, archaeology, geology, and fishing and hiking. The next generation of adventurers then finished up with a picnic at the Millpond recreation site. Thanks to everyone for the hard work in putting this event on, and especially to the kids for their great enthusiasm for the outdoors. (BLM California Facebook)

Riparian and Water Enhancements on Public Lands

BLM California's Eagle Lake Field Office has been hard at work with Nevada Department of Wildlife to plan and complete riparian and water enhancements on public lands in northwestern Nevada. (BLM California YouTube video)

California Desert District Burro Population Survey

A wild burro population survey for the Clark Mountain Herd Area and surrounding areas was conducted earlier this month. The project started in Baker California and worked eastward towards the Nevada/California state line, where the helicopter overnighted at Jean, Nevada Airport. A total of 249 burros were observed and data will be evaluated by USGS to estimate the total number of burros in the project area. (BLM California Facebook) 

BLM Hosting Artists in Residence at King Range National Conservation Area

The dramatically beautiful King Range National Conservation Area has become a workshop for artists this spring, when a painter and sculptor set to work as artists in residence, ultimately exhibiting their creations inspired by California’s Lost Coast. Painter Susan R. Mendelsohn of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bureau of Land Management hosted painter Susan R. Mendelsohn of the San Francisco Bay Area from April 29 to May 12, and sculptor Benjamin Funke of Humboldt County from May 18 to June 15.

Art exhibitions will be at the SCARF Gallery at the Inn of the Lost Coast, 205 Wave Dr., Shelter Cove.(BLM California Facebook)

Employee Photo Contest Results 

BLM California is proud to share stunning photos from our employee photo contest to honor the hardworking BLMers on our team! See all submissions on Flickr (links below). Thank you to all of our wonderful employees for helping share great work and unique views from public lands in the Golden State.

2019 Bark Beetle Forecast for California, Oregon and Washington

California experienced extremely high levels of tree mortality from 2015 to 2018 because of the combined effects of drought and bark beetles. Images like the one to the right were common in the southern Sierra Nevada Range, and aerial surveys conducted by the U.S. Forest Service estimated that over 129 million trees have died in California since 2010. To help land managers anticipate the risk of tree loss ahead of these surveys, Haiganoush Preisler from the Pacific Southwest Research Station, Sheri Smith and Zachary Heath from Forest Health Protection, and Nancy Grulke from the Western Threat Assessment Center created a forecast of the intensity and location of bark beetle-caused mortality, by analyzing historical aerial survey data and variables known to influence bark beetle success, such as precipitation and stand density. (USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Story Map)

Secretary Bernhardt Designates the Shelley House into the African American Civil Rights Network

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the designation of the Shelley House into the African American Civil Rights Network. The Shelley House became the subject of the landmark 1948 United States Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, Shelley v. Kraemer, which is one of the defining moments in the civil rights movement and U.S. Constitutional law. The Court ruled that the state’s enforcement of racial discrimination in housing violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. (DOI news release)

BLM’s National Wild and Scenic Rivers System Honored with “Forever” Stamps

Four of the Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild and Scenic Rivers will be featured in a new 12-set series of “forever” stamps being released tomorrow by the U.S. Postal Service. Entitled “Wild and Scenic Rivers,” the series will honor those rivers valued for their fish and wildlife, geology, recreation and their cultural or historical significance. The four Wild and Scenic Rivers managed by the BLM that will be a part of this series include: Deschutes River, Oregon; Owyhee River, Idaho-Oregon; Merced River, California and Upper Missouri River, Montana. (BLM news release)

Multiple Choice 

The U.S. is home to a rich variety of freshwater and sea turtles with ___ species -- that’s approximately 18 percent of the world’s turtles.

a) 57
b) 177
c) 307
d) 7                                                                  Keep scrolling to find out!

Now - December 2019: Fueling the Boom, Chinese Woodcutters in the Great Basin 1870-1920 

The Nevada State Museum in Carson City is hosting a new exhibit featuring historical/ archaeological artifacts and photographs about Chinese woodcutting camps from Bodie Hills. The exhibit will highlight the significance of the woodcutting community near Chinese Camp (Aurora), shedding light on the little-known history of the Chinese woodcutters who lived there and felled pinyon pines to supply charcoal and firewood to the mining camps of Bodie and Aurora from 1875 to 1915. (Nevada State Museum website)

Now - May 31: 3rd Annual Redding Mayor's Mountain Bike Challenge

The 3rd annual Mayor's Mountain Bike Challenge is back to highlight backcountry and year-round single track trails near the City of Redding including BLM-managed public lands. This event was inspired by riders for riders. Visit Redding loves trails and wanted to get more people, locals and visitors alike, to fall in love with them. The Mayor's Mountain Bike Challenge is free to participate in and helps people discover some of the most exciting and challenging routes the North State has to offer. For more information, go to MayorsMTBChallenge.org.

June 1 - Summer: Bus Shuttle Service to Begin on Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail

Summer bus shuttle service on the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail begins Saturday, June 1, and will continue every Saturday through the summer season. The service is a partnership of the Bureau of Land Management and Lassen Rural Bus. On Saturdays, the bus picks up passengers at 8:30 a.m. at the Historic Susanville Railroad Depot, 601 Richmond Rd., and makes stops at Devil’s Corral, Fredonyer Summit and Westwood. This allows hikers and mountain bike riders to use the trail for return trips to Susanville. Depending on the stop, the return trips are 7, 18 and 30 miles. The BLM shuttles bicycles in a specially-designed trailer. Participants should arrive early to allow time for bike loading. There are separate fees for the bike shuttle and bus service. (BLM news release)

June 1 and 2: BLM to Host South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area Fire Recovery Volunteer Event

The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office invites volunteers to come help repair fire-damaged recreation facilities and trails in the South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area on Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. The off-highway vehicle area has been closed since July 2018, when it was heavily damaged by the Mendocino Complex fires. The BLM appreciates the significant progress our partners and volunteers have already made in restoring the OHV management area to help us reopen it as soon as possible. (BLM news release)

June 9 and July 21: Writing and Photography Workshops at Headwaters Forest Reserve

Outdoor enthusiasts have the opportunity use the beauty of the Headwaters Forest Reserve to refine their photography and writing skills, in two free workshops to be offered this spring and summer by the Bureau of Land Management and Friends of Headwaters. (BLM news release)

June 28 and 29: BLM Desert District Advisory Council to meet in Barstow

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a field tour and public meeting of the BLM California Desert District Advisory Council, starting with the field tour on Friday, June 28, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and followed by a formal meeting session on Saturday, June 29, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Ramada Inn, 1511 East Main Street, Barstow, California 92311. (BLM news release)

August 2, 3 and 4: 2nd Annual Wild Horse Walkabout 

Save the date! The public is invited to the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area near Susanville, CA. Attendees will spend the two nights out on the range to learn about how the BLM monitors rangeland and herd health from a BLM wild horse and burro specialist. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn more about how BLM manages wild horses and burros. (BLM California Facebook)

First Saturday of Every Month: Living History at Trinidad Head Lighthouse

BLM Park Ranger Julie Clark plays Josephine Harrington for Trinidad School students at Trinidad Head Lighthouse. Josephine lived with her husband, Captain Fred Harrington the lighthouse keeper, at the Trinidad Head Lighthouse for 28 years. Julie has been performing this living history piece to bring the past to life since the BLM acquired the lighthouse in 2014. Now part of the California Coastal National Monument, the Trinidad Head Lighthouse is open to the public the first Saturday of every month (year-round). Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. thanks to docents from the Trinidad Museum Society. 

Contact the Arcata Field Office for details, (707) 825-2300.

Ongoing: Bring Home a Wild Horse or Burro

The BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program is excited to announce nearly 70 events this year as part of BLM's efforts to find good homes for our nation's wild horses and burros. Known for their intelligence, endurance and loyalty, wild horses and burros, with the right training, are outstanding for trail riding, packing, working and have successfully competed for awards in numerous fields from endurance riding to dressage. With more than 81,000 wild horses and burros on BLM-managed public lands, these wild icons of our American history need your help more than ever. Without any natural predators that can control population growth, wild horse and burro herds grow rapidly on the range and can quickly overcome the land's ability to support them. The BLM works to maintain healthy wild herds by gathering excess animals and placing them into good homes. (BLM website)