Upcoming travel plans? Please remember to check road conditions and closures. Travelers can also download the QuickMap app, quickmap.dot.ca.gov, or call 1-800-427-7623 for constantly updated highway information. (California Department of Transportation)
BLM offering bike shuttle for fall color bike ride on Bizz Johnson Trail
Mountain bike riders can enjoy fall colors on the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail, when the Bureau of Land Management and Lassen Rural Bus offer a special shuttle service, Saturday, Oct. 26.
Riders should call the BLM at 530-257-0456 to reserve space. (BLM news release)
“Discover the Coast” event was great success!
More than 200 visitors came out to enjoy the coast and learn about the area including a nature walk about sea caves and native plants along the Discovery Trail in Point Arena. Participants learned how to test streams for water quality and used spotting scopes to view coastal wildlife. The free community celebration was sponsored by the BLM, Mendocino College, Friends of Point Arena-Stornetta Lands, Point Arena Lighthouse, the City of Point Arena and California State Parks. (BLM Facebook)
HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS
Wildfire in Sonoma County forces thousands to evacuate
In California, 25 million people are under fire alerts as hot, dry and windy weather whips up dangerous conditions. A new fire broke out in a canyon Thursday evening, threatening around 200 homes about an hour north of Los Angeles. A number of structures have already burned. Another explosive fire, the Kincade Fire, is burning in Sonoma County's wine country, north of San Francisco. (CBS News)
Related: Kincade Fire Incident Information (CalFire)
Seeds, weeds and straw throwing at Fort Ord National Monument
Come pick native seeds, pitch straw into the air and pull weeds during a National Public Lands Day event at the Fort Ord National Monument this Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (BLM news release)
Reward for information in California burro killings now over $100,000
Thanks to the generous new pledges made by Roy Dunlap Spay & Neuter Foundation ($32,000), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ($5,000), and the National Mustang Association ($5,000), the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the deaths of 46 wild burros from the Clark Mountain Herd Area in California has now risen to more than $100,000. (BLM news release)
Seasonal campground closures along Trinity River
BLM Trinity River Campgrounds, the Douglas City, Junction City and Steel Bridge sites, will be closed for the winter. The BLM will reopen the campgrounds when conditions allow next spring.
The Shasta and Steiner Flat campgrounds will remain open through winter. (BLM news release)
Bakersfield Fire Hire Open House Nov. 2
Interested in becoming a wildland firefighter? On November 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Bakersfield Field Office will offer tours of the fire station and engines. In addition, BLM staff will offer resume tips and explain the USAJobs application process as well as give the public a feel for what it’s like to work on a fire crew and engines. Job openings will begin Dec. 2 - Dec. 17, 2019. (BLM Facebook)
WILDLAND FIRE
California 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)
Follow wildland fire incident information and updates via InciWeb and CAL FIRE.
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)
BLM plans fall prescribed burning projects in northwest California, Humboldt and Mendocino counties.
Crews will ignite the pile burns and broadcast burns only when weather and fuel conditions allow for safe and successful burning and smoke dispersion. Smoke may be visible from nearby communities during the projects. (BLM news release)
BLM AND DOI HIGHLIGHTS
Department of the Interior Pushes to Increase Access and Recreational Opportunities for Electric Bicycle Use on Public Lands
Secretary’s Order 3376, signed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt on August 29, directs DOI bureaus to create a clear and consistent e-bike policy for the lands they manage. The policy also supports Secretary’s Order 3366 to increase recreational opportunities on public lands. (DOI news release)
Bureau of Land Management announces Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Award winners for 2019
Awards recognize companies for leadership in sustainable mining practices on public lands. (BLM news release)
BLM announces banner year for wild horse and burro adoptions and sales
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today that it reached a significant milestone by placing 7,104 wild horses and burros into private homes nationwide during Fiscal Year 2019 (which ended September 30). This is the highest number of adoptions and sales the agency has seen over the last 15 years and represents a 54 percent increase (nearly 2,500 animals) over the previous year’s total of 4,609 animals. (BLM news release)
The Vehicles of Interior: What Employees Use to Get the Job Done
Taking care of our nation’s public lands requires navigating all kinds of terrain. Like the wildlife that inhabit these lands, people who work at our parks, refuges and recreation areas must adapt to the conditions of their environment in order to manage their responsibilities. (DOI news release)
This Week at Interior October 25, 2019
This Week: Secretary Bernhardt joins President Trump in Pittsburgh to highlight American energy development; Interior pushes to increase access and recreational opportunities for electric bicycle use on public lands; the National Congress of American Indians holds its 76th Annual Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Rob Wallace joins a veterans group for a python hunt in the Everglades; OSMRE recognizes winners of its 2019 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award; folks around the world are celebrating Bat Week, our social media Picture of the Week and more! (DOI website)
BLM to host National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board and America’s Mustang Experience in Washington, D.C.
The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet 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. (BLM new release)
WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Multiple Choice
What butterfly, often called the "king," makes it's return to California in the Fall?
(a) Blue Butterfly (b) Painted ladies (c) Monarch
Keep scrolling to find out!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wildhorse Adoption Oct. 26
You can adopt your very own #LivingLegend Oct. 26 at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center. Five saddle trained wildhorses will be available at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility, 12500 Bruceville Rd., in Elk Grove. The event begins at 9 a.m.Click to edit this placeholder text. (BLM news release)
Celebrate Bat Week in the Coachella Valley
The Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, invites the public to celebrate National Bat Week, Oct. 24-31.
Bat Week in the Coachella Valley is an annual celebration of bats, and this year marks the sixth year of this bat-tastic educational outreach program with fun activities scheduled throughout the valley. (BLM Facebook)
Halloween at Headwaters Preserve
Halloween at Headwaters, an annual evening guided walk through the “ghost town” of Falk, is set for Saturday, Oct. 26, with five guided tours by reservation only between 4:30 and 6 p.m. This free, family friendly event features historical characters telling stories of the once-bustling lumber town of Falk and storytelling at the Headwaters Education Center. (BLM Facebook)
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)
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)
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)
During the fall migration, monarchs cover thousands of miles, with a corresponding multi-generational return north. The western North American population of monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains often migrates to sites in southern California but has been found in overwintering Mexican sites as well. (Wikipedia)
