Your Public Lands in California 

Public lands in the Golden State offer a sense of adventure for the outdoor enthusiast, offering rivers, trails, campgrounds, off-road open areas and more. The experiences are as varied as the landscapes. Spectacular scenery can be found among scenic vistas, such as the foggy bluffs of the King Range National Conservation Area, in the ancient redwood forest of the Headwaters Forest Reserve, in the geological formations of the Alabama Hills, the valley of golden flowers in the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the wind sculpted sand dunes in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. You will also find wilderness areas, national scenic and historic trails, national wild and scenic rivers, wildlife viewing areas, off-road opportunities and even a lighthouse or two to explore and learn about California's history. Your BLM adventure starts here! (BLM California Facebook video)

Be sure to follow #MyPublicLandsSummer on social media! 
Over the summer, follow along as we highlight opportunities for #BLMAdventures
on your public lands across the nation.

River Safety Matters, #JustWearItKern

With the warm weather arriving you may take to the Kern River to cool off, but the river can be unpredictable and dangerous. Thank you to community partners, the USFS, BLM, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, 23ABC, Kern Valley Search and Rescue, Kern County Fire Department and the Kern River Conservancy for helping with this important river safety message. (BLM California Facebook)

Related: Outfitters offer free PFD rentals (Kern Valley Sun)

14 Amazing Things To Do In Sacramento, California

Sacramento isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of California. Despite being the capital of the Californian state, Sacramento is often overshadowed by the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles. With that being said, it definitely offers a different type of charm than its sister city of Los Angeles. Sacramento sits at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River. You’ll find trees lined in every corner of the streets. With the presence of lush greenery contrasted against the city’s buildings, nature and the urban co-exist harmoniously in Sacramento. There are tons of things to do in Sacramento so don’t overlook this charming city. We’ve compiled a list of the best places to visit in the capital of California just for you! (Tourist Secrets)

Public Land Mining Claim Fees and Waivers are Due to BLM by September 3

The Bureau of Land Management reminds claimants who wish to retain their existing mining claims on federal public lands through the 2020 assessment year to pay a maintenance fee or file a Maintenance Fee Waiver Certification (Small Miner’s Waiver) on or before Tuesday, September 3, to prevent the mining claim from being declared forfeit and void. (BLM news release)

BLM California Desert District Announces Five Appointments to Desert Advisory Council

The Bureau of Land Management has appointed five members to the California Desert District citizen-based Desert Advisory Council, which advises the agency on over 10 million acres of southern California desert public land management issues. The DAC is composed of members with diverse interests and backgrounds. (BLM news release) 

Campfire Permit

Campfire permits are required for open fires, such as campfire, barbecues and portable stoves on federally managed lands and private lands that are the property of another person. On private lands, written permission from the landowner is also required for campfire use. Get your California Campfire Permit quickly and easily online! (readyforwildfire.org)

Visit the BLM California fire restrictions website for more information about current fire restrictions on BLM-managed public lands. 

Follow wildland fire incident information and updates
via InciWeb and CAL FIRE.

Firefighters Heading North, Answering Calls For Help

One hundred federal firefighters boarded aircraft in Redding Tuesday, bound for Alaska and northern Canada where massive blazes are under way. Despite the temporary redeployment, officials said they’re prepared for fire season here in California. The firefighters—sixty with the U.S. Forest Service and 40 with the Bureau of Land Management—departed from Redding to battle blazes in western Canada and Alaska. (North State Public Radio)

BLM Bishop Field Office Issues Seasonal Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office issued seasonal fire restrictions for BLM-managed public lands in the Eastern Sierra effective Monday, July 1, due to increased wildland fire danger in the region. The restrictions will remain in effect until November 1, or until wildland fire conditions on public lands in the region improve. (BLM news release)

BLM Bakersfield Field Office Increases Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office increased fire restrictions for BLM-managed public lands effective Monday, July 1, due to high wildland fire danger. The additional restriction includes no campfires, barbeques, or open fires, regardless if you are in a developed campground, other than portable stoves with gas, jelled petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel with a valid California campfire permit, available free at all BLM, Forest Service and Cal Fire offices or at www.preventwildfireca.org/Permits. 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; as well as the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Keysville Special Recreation Management Area, Lake Isabella and San Joaquin River Gorge. (BLM news release)

BLM Ukiah Field Office Initiates Seasonal Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office initiated fire restrictions, effective July 1, for BLM-managed public lands in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties, due to wildland fire danger. (BLM news release)

BLM Initiates Whitewater Canyon Closure Due to Increased Wildfire Risk

The Bureau of Land Management is temporarily closing public lands in and near Whitewater Canyon, Riverside County, due to the potential threat of wildfire. This public safety closure started Monday, July 1, and will remain in effect until further notice. (BLM news release)

BLM Announces Seasonal Fire Restrictions for Public Lands Managed by Redding Field Office

The Bureau of Land Management implemented fire restrictions for public lands managed by the Redding Field Office in Shasta, Siskiyou, Butte, Trinity and Tehama counties, beginning Monday, July 1. The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. (BLM news release)

BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Lands Managed by Arcata Field Office

The Bureau of Land Management implemented fire restrictions for public lands managed by its Arcata Field Office in Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino counties, beginning Monday, July 1. The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. (BLM news release)

BLM Mother Lode Field Office Initiates Seasonal Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Mother Lode Field Office initiated fire restrictions on BLM-managed public lands in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne and Yuba counties, effective June 14, due to wildland fire danger. (BLM news release)

BLM Central Coast Field Office Initiates Seasonal Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Central Coast Field Office is initiated fire restrictions, effective June 10, for BLM-managed public lands in Fresno, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, due to wildland fire danger. The National Interagency Fire Center predicts the likelihood for large wildland fires will be above normal this summer. An unusually wet winter has produced an abundant grass crop, which has already cured or dried out. These heavy fuel loads have a high potential for creating extreme wildland fire behavior. (BLM news release)

BLM Bakersfield Field Office Issues Fire Restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office issued 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 initiated 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)

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)

Related: 4th of July reminder from the Susanville Interagency Fire Center partners, CAL FIRE Lassen-Modoc Unit, Lassen National Forest, BLM and Lassen Volcanic National Park (BLM California Facebook)

Secretary Bernhardt Announces Events for 2019 Independence Day Celebration in the Nation's Capital

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced details of the annual Independence Day celebration on the National Mall, including Salute to America, which will feature remarks by President Donald J. Trump to honor America’s armed forces. (DOI news release)

Related: Relive the Spirit of the American Revolution (DOI blog)

Related: Interior Announces Additional Details about Salute to America, Annual Fourth of July Celebration (DOI news release)

Visitor Spending at National Wildlife Refuges Boosts Local Economies by $3.2 Billion

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced that 53.6 million people visited national wildlife refuges in 2017, which had an economic impact of $3.2 billion on local communities and supported more than 41,000 jobs. The figures come from a new economic report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service titled Banking on Nature 2017: The Economic Contributions of National Wildlife Refuge Recreational Visitation to Local Communities. The report is the sixth in a series of studies since 1997 that measure the economic contributions of national wildlife refuge recreational visits to local economies. (DOI news release)

Interior’s BLM analyzes 11,000 miles of Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin to Combat Wildfires

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management released the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin for a 45-day public comment period. This Draft Programmatic EIS analyzes a system of up to 11,000 miles of strategically placed fuel breaks to control wildfires within a 223 million-acre area that includes portions of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah. (DOI news release)

This Week at Interior, June 28, 2019

This Week: The Medal of Honor for an Iraq War hero; honoring the troops on the Fourth Of July; expanding hunting and fishing on wildlife refuges, where a new reports shows their huge economic impact; saluting Interior's Opioid Reduction Task Force; testing USGS' "ShakeAlert" earthquake early warning system; remembering Stonewall, 50 years later; and our social media Picture of the Week! (DOI video)

What is this?

Can you name this translucent, slender crustaceans, a relative of lobsters, crabs and barnacles?

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)

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)

July 6: Free Fishing Day in California

Mark your calendars for the first of two 2019 Free Fishing Days in California, when anyone can try their hand at angling – no fishing license required. If you would like to fish the rest of the year, you can purchase a license online through CDFW’s website. A basic annual resident sport fishing license in California currently costs $49.94, while a one-day sport fishing license costs $16.20. CDFW offers two Free Fishing Days each year – usually around the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekend – when it’s legal to fish without either an annual or one-day license. This year, the first of the two Free Fishing Days falls on the Saturday of Independence Day weekend. The second will be on Saturday, August 31. (CDFW news release)

July 9: The BLM Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Invites the Public to Summer Family Nights 2019 Scorpion Hunt

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument invites families and desert adventure seekers of all ages to come out for a free scorpion hunt Tuesday, July 9, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., as part of Summer Family Nights 2019. Participants who arrive early will receive a free souvenir water bottle, while supplies last. (BLM news release)

July 9: BLM to Hold Public Meeting for Proposed Walker Ridge Wind Energy Project

The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office will hold a public meeting on July 9 to provide information and to seek input on the proposed Walker Ridge Wind Energy Project, in Lake and Colusa counties. The open-house meeting will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Moose Lodge, 15900 State Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423. The 30-day public comment period for Walker Ridge wind energy project will end July 24. The BLM will accept written public comments during the open-house meeting. Public input will help the BLM determine the size and scope of analysis needed, additional issues to study and a range of alternatives. (BLM news release) 

Related: BLM seeks public input on proposed Walker Ridge wind energy project (BLM news release)

July 9-11 and October 29-31: National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board to Meet in Boise and Washington, D.C.

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet July 9-11 in Boise, Idaho, and October 29-31 in Washington, D.C. The Board will discuss the pressing challenges of wild horse and burro management, including the number of unadopted and unsold animals in BLM facilities and the effects of overpopulation on public lands. Both meetings will be live-streamed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time July 10-11 and October 30-31 at www.blm.gov/live. The BLM will host a site visit for the Advisory Board to a local wild horse herd management area on July 9. (BLM news release)

July 10: Public Meeting in Susanville on Proposal to Build Fuel Breaks on Public Land

The Bureau of Land Management will share information and accept written comments about a proposal to construct a system of fuel breaks to enhance the ability of wildland firefighters to control rangeland wildfires, at a public meeting on Wednesday, July 10, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office, 2550 Riverside Dr. in Susanville. (BLM news release)

July 17 and 18: Public Meetings Set on Access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies Public Lands 

The Bureau of Land Management will provide information and accept written comments on a proposal to expand public access to the Cotoni-Coast Dairies public lands, in public scoping meetings to be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the following locations:

• Wednesday, July 17, Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz
• Thursday, July 18, Pacific Elementary School, 50 Ocean St., Davenport (space is limited)

During the meetings, members of the BLM staff will be present to explain the public access proposals to be analyzed in an environmental assessment. Participants will have the opportunity to leave written comments. The BLM will be accepting written public comments during a scoping period that ends Aug. 2. (BLM news release) 

Related: BLM Seeks Public Input on Proposal to Expand Public Access and Recreation on Cotoni-Coast Dairies, Along Santa Cruz County’s North Coast (BLM news release)

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)

August 2 and 3: Celebrating Dark Skies

Free public events celebrating the dark skies of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada will be held August 2-3 in a partnership involving the Bureau of Land Management, Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Cedarville businesses. (BLM California Facebook)

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)

September 28 and November 11: BLM Announces Upcoming Fee-Free Days on Public Lands in 2019

The summer travel season gets under way in June with Great Outdoors Month. To encourage visitation to America’s public lands, the Bureau of Land Management will waive recreation-related fees for visitors to agency-managed public lands on three additional dates through the remainder of 2019: September 28 (National Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day). BLM-managed public lands offer a wide array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, boating, whitewater rafting, off-highway vehicle driving, rock climbing, and more. Americans make approximately 67 million visits annually to BLM-managed lands, supporting approximately 48,000 jobs nationwide and contributing almost $7 billion to the U.S. economy. (BLM news release)

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)

Related: Adoption Incentive Program (BLM website)