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Cadiz Dunes Wilderness, Needles Field Office
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ISSUE 912- July 23, 2020
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Comet NEOWISE visible for a few more days
Here’s some tips for catching a glimpse of the comet before it disappears for another 6,800 years:
🌃 Find a spot away from city lights
⭐️ Just after sunset, look below the Big Dipper in the NW sky
🔭 Bring binoculars or a small telescope (BLM CA Facebook)
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Bureau of Land Management proposes camping limits in Alabama Hills
Both proposed management alternatives for the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area would cut the amount of overnight camping by half while adding numerous infrastructure improvements, including toilets, and regulating a number of recreational activities, from climbing to OHV use to flying drones. The more restrictive alternative proposes day-use permits for most activities, banning RVs and trailers from some roads, and moving all camping to a new, single campground. (Inyo Register)
Related: BLM seeks public input on Alabama Hills Management Plan (BLM CA News Release)
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Stay Hydrated, Stay Alive
Drink more water at altitude: Doing any activity at higher altitude can lead to dehydration. You’re less likely to crave water and feel thirsty at higher elevations, so it’s important to drink frequently. (BLM CA Facebook)
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Leave no trace
Respect your public lands and water, as well as Native and local communities. Take all your garbage with you and Leave No Trace! #RecreateResponsibly (BLM CA Facebook)
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Practice social distancing outdoors
Outdoor activities can provide many health benefits when practiced safely. We recommend visiting areas close to home while avoiding very popular or crowded locations where social distancing may be difficult and limiting group activities to members of your household. Do your part when visiting public lands. (BLM CA Website)
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¡Vamos afuera!
It’s officially Latino Conservation Week and the celebration is nationwide! Now, more than ever, we need nature and the benefits it provides! LCW supports the Latino community getting outdoors and taking action in learning about and protecting our natural resources. Get involved and find the event nearest to you. (BLM Facebook)
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Look what the trailcam at CA Coastal National Monument caught!
At CA Coastal National Monument at Piedras Blancas, the most commonly seen snake is a garter snake. Their name, “garter”, is thought to derive from the garment garters that used to be worn by men and women to hold up stockings. There are 35 species of garter snakes, and they range across North and Central America. Because of this, their habitat is also varied to woodlands, meadows, and scrublands. (BLM CA Facebook)
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Public land mining claim fees and waivers are due to the Bureau of Land Management by September 1
Reminder: Claimants who wish to retain their existing mining claims on federal public lands through the 2021 assessment year must pay a maintenance fee or file a Maintenance Fee Waiver Certification (Small Miner’s Waiver) on or before the September 1st deadline to prevent the mining claim from being declared forfeit and void. (BLM CA News Release)
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Bureau of Land Management celebrates 74 years
July 16 marked the 74th anniversary and formation of the Bureau of Land Management. On this day in 1946, the Grazing Service merged with the General Land Office to form the BLM within the Department of the Interior. (BLM CA Facebook)
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Multiple fires burning in Northern California
Currently, 43 large fires have burned 403,946 acres in the U.S. New large fires were reported in CO, MT, NV, and OR. The Hog Fire and Gold Fire in northern CA are burning near communities and evacuation orders are in effect. (NIFC Website)
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If you fly, we can't!
Fire aviation experts believe that if drones continue to be flown over fires, it is only a matter of time until a collision occurs between a drone and a firefighting aircraft. Please don’t take this risk (BLM Fire Facebook)
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Where's that smoke coming from?
This website shows you where the fires are located and which direction the smoke is headed.
How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke:
🔹 Stay indoors and keep your air clean – install a high efficiency filter
🔹 Avoid outdoor activities during smokey conditions
🔹 If driving, keep your windows rolled up and set the A/C to recirculate
(AirNow)
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Fuels treatments, wildfire, and post-fire resiliency - Goose Creek storymap
In 2008, the West Desert District began a series of treatments near Grouse Creek, Utah to mitigate the risk of wildfire and reduce threats to sagebrush habitat. In 2018, these treatments were put to the test when the Goose Creek Fire started. The wildfire presented West Desert District land managers with a unique opportunity to assess whether the treatments were effective at modifying fire behavior, reducing burn severity, and helping promote post-fire resiliency.(DOI Wildland Fire News)
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Wildland fire outlook
Check out the latest #WildlandFireOutlook! Available here. (NIFC Facebook)
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U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt, as chair of President Donald J. Trump’s Interagency Task Force for Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes (Interagency Task Force), announced the designation of Charles “Chuck” Laudner as the Executive Director of the Task Force. As the Executive Director, Mr. Laudner will be responsible for coordinating the day-to-day activities of the Interagency Task Force.(DOI News Release)
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Trump administration advances efforts to improve the visitor experience at National Parks
The Trump Administration announced that for the first time in twenty years, the National Park Service (NPS) is proposing long overdue improvements to the regulations that govern contracts to enhance visitor services at NPS units. If approved, the revisions would reduce administrative burdens for concessioners to promote competition, provide more flexibility to add new services and encourage investment in concession facilities. (DOI News Release)
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ICYMI: Home on the Range
As of March 1, approximately 95,000 federally protected wild horses and burros were estimated to roam on BLM-managed public lands in the West — more than three and a half times what the land can sustainably support and the most ever estimated by the BLM in a given year. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond highlighted the BLM’s challenging mission to preserve and protect these animals in an op-ed published last week in the Las Vegas Review Journal. (BLM News Release)
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Secretary of the Interior transfers jurisdiction of 65.74 acres of Federal land to the Dept. of the Army in Arizona & New Mexico
The Bureau of Land Management announced today that the Secretary of the Interior has transferred a total of 65.74 acres of federal public lands in Arizona and New Mexico to the Department of the Army.The transfers will facilitate installation of power and other utility infrastructure and engineering of the road network to provide access along the southern border with Mexico for border security purposes. (BLM News Release)
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What is the wingspan of the White-lined Sphinx moth?
1. 1 inch
2. 4 - 5 inches
3. 2 - 3 inches
4. Less than 1 inch
Keep scrolling to find the answer.
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Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on Alabama Hills Management Plan
Public Comment Deadline - 7 August 2020
The BLM is seeking public comment on the Alabama Hills Management Plan by August 7. (BLM CA news release)
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Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on new Cahuilla Ranger Station
Deadline is 31 July 2020
The BLM El Centro Field Office is seeking public input on the proposed replacement of the Cahuilla Ranger Station located at 4500 Gecko Road, Brawley in Imperial County. The new facility would better serve the needs of the public as well as BLM emergency medical staff, law enforcement, and park rangers. (BLM CA news release)
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Question of the Week Answer
The answer is 3! The White-lined Sphinx moth has a 2-3 inch wingspan and has swift flight patterns like a bird, which is why it is sometimes called the Hummingbird moth. They are one of the largest flying insects of the desert and can be found throughout the Mojave Desert. The caterpillars feed on desert wildflowers in the spring and are known to be ardent eaters.
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News.Bytes is a publication of the Bureau of Land Management in California.
Bureau of Land Management
California State Office
2800 Cottage Way, Suite W1623
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 978-4600
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