BLM thanks volunteers who helped to replace bridge near Susanville

Big thanks to a small team of volunteers helped our Eagle Lake Field Office staff replace a recreational trail bridge that was washed out during last month's atmospheric river rainstorm. Prior to the storm, the river had been flowing at a trickle, only about 50 cubic ft. per second. The storm boosted the flow to 1,500 cubic ft. per second, an impressive rate for this small northeast California river. (BLM CA Facebook)

Hello SoCal Explorers! BLM California is ready for you to play!

Take part in the SoCal Explorer 3.0 Campaign by completing missions in the augmented reality game Agents of Discovery and learn about Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in a new way! By using a cell phone or a tablet, kids can get up and be active by using this app to explore in their own backyard. (Agents of Discovery)

Trinidad Head Lighthouse receives some TLC

Volunteers joined the Bureau of Land Management and the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust to plant native plants in the ground and cleared our invasive jubata grass and Engligh ivy. Some of those folks also fixed up the lighthouse in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse, coming up on December 4th. Thanks for all the hard work! (TCLT Facebook)

There's more to Cosumnes River Preserve 

than just sandhill cranes 

This wide-open grassland is scattered with Valley oak (Quercus lobata) trees, making for a valley oak savanna. This important habitat is utilized by grazing animals, nesting birds, and rodents. As you walk along the trail, you may see a northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, or other raptors perched on a tree branch or diving into grasses. (Cosumnes River Preserve)

BLM reopens Trinity County public lands as Monument Fire is fully contained

The Bureau of Land Management has reopened Trinity County public lands to public access now that the 223,000-acre Monument Fire is fully contained. Lifting of the closure order means that public access to the Trinity River on BLM-managed lands is now open. The Junction City, Douglas City and Steel Bridge campgrounds will also be open through November. (BLM CA News Release)

Central California Resource Advisory Council plans virtual November meeting

The Bureau of Land Management Central California Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet virtually on Wednesday, November 17, from 1-5 pm via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public and will have presentations on the development of the San Joaquin Desert Hills SRMA Activity Plan. (BLM CA News Release)

Motorcycle races coming to Fort Sage Area; some trail access will be limited

Up to 400 riders are expected to participate in a series of motorcycle races Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13-14, at the Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area near Doyle. Trail access will be available only to participants, while the races are underway. The pit area and start/finish line will be accessible only to participants and their support teams. (BLM CA News Release)

Sections of Sacramento River Rail Trail to be temporarily closed for project work

Sections of the Sacramento River Rail Trail and Middle Creek Trail near Redding will be temporarily closed this month while Bureau of Land Management crews build fuel breaks and remove potentially hazardous trees along the trail. Each closure will be in place for about 10 days. Trail sections will be closed sequentially as project work is completed. (BLM CA News Release)

Fresno, State and Federal agencies partner to recover endangered lizard

Officials at Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Fresno State University, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announce a joint conservation effort to recover the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard. As part of this effort, Fresno Chaffee Zoo has successfully hatched 19 lizards in a captive breeding program—a first for the species—with the long-term goal of releasing them to their native habitat. (BLM News Release)

WISDOM presentations Nov 12th and 16th

Join us for two upcoming Zoom presentations by the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) program, where interns will share data collected from projects on BLM California public lands with our partner the Mojave Desert Land Trust. The presentations will focus on the birds and bighorn sheep in Afton Canyon and the Dark Night Sky Project which took place at several locations across the eastern side of the Mojave Trails National Monument. (BLM CA Facebook) 

Prescribed fire benefits land health and reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfire

Looking for an exciting and rewarding fire job?

The Bureau of Land Management California's Folsom Lake Veterans Handcrew, based out of Placerville, is taking applications for the position of Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent for fire year 2022. Currency of listed qualifications is not required, you only must have held them in the past. Become part of the BLM fire team and apply today! (USAJOBS)

BLM California fire restrictions

BLM California fire restrictions or temporary public land closures reduce the risk of wildfires and protect the public. Often times, these preventative measures focus on human-related activities, such as campfires, off-road driving, equipment use and recreational target shooting, since human-related activities are the number one cause of a wildfires. Many BLM California offices have issued seasonal fire restrictions. (BLM CA Web)

Which of the following is the largest gamebird in California?

A. Peacock 

B. Emu 

C. Wild Turkey

D. Pheasant 

Keep scrolling to find out!

National military and veteran families month

At Interior, we know that the outdoors can offer a place of solace and healing for servicemembers, veterans, and their families. We've created a map of sites near military installations and VA facilities, so that public lands are just a click away to connect to a national park.

Visit nps.gov/subjects/military to learn more about the map and our Military Pass which helps servicemembers, including Reserve and National Guard members, veterans, their dependents, and Gold Star family members to access parks for free. (DOI Web)

DOI Secretary issues global offshore wind challenge at U.N. Climate Change Conference 

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland highlighted the ongoing work in the United States to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. She also issued a global challenge for every applicable country to join in setting ambitious domestic offshore wind energy commitments. (DOI News Release)

Secretary Haaland visits offshore wind facilities, highlights clean energy progress in Aberdeen

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited several sites related to offshore wind today in Aberdeen, where she met with government, industry and organization representatives from the U.K. and discussed the Biden-Harris administration’s goals to accelerate a robust, sustainable clean energy economy. (DOI News Release)

This Week at Interior November 5, 2021

Secretary Haaland and other top administration leaders join President Biden at the COP26 in Glasgow to address the global climate crisis; the Bureau of Land Management announces auctions for solar energy development leases in Arizona; marking National Native American Heritage Month, Secretary Haaland says the Biden-Harris administration is committed to making sure all Indigenous communities have a seat at the table; the Secretary salutes the service and sacrifice of military and veteran families. (DOI Video)

Question of the Week Answer

Answer is C - Wild Turkey!

The wild turkey is the largest gamebird in California and in North America, the wild turkey has a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck called the caruncle. Don’t confuse that with the snood, the long, red, fleshy growth from the base of the beak that hangs down over the beak.

California’s wild turkey populations are healthy and growing. However, hunting turkeys helps to control their populations and maintain their natural wariness of people. Unless specifically prohibited, public lands managed by BLM are open to hunting under California Department of Fish and Wildlife Hunting Regulations as long as you have the proper hunting license, more info can be obtained here: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

For BLM California hunting information: HTTPS://GO.USA.GOV/XE4CD

Source: Forest Service and CDFW