BLM California News.Bytes Issue 1027

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news bytes - bureau of land management california

Nature's winter wonderland with a blanket of snow accentuated by many trees with bright yellow leaves.

Bodie Hills, Bishop Field Office

ISSUE 1027 - December 2, 2022



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Request your 2023 BLM California planner before they run out!

Enjoy the beauty of California all year long! We manage 15.2 million acres of public lands in California - nearly 15 percent of the state’s land area - and 1.6 million acres in northwestern Nevada. This year’s monthly planner features stunning public lands from across the state with impressive employee photography!
Get your FREE 2023 planner while supplies last!


Conservation on Your Public Lands

Carrizo Plains Goodwin Education Center sign stands with a view in the distance of the building.

Education Center re-opens at Carrizo Plain National Monument

The Bakersfield Field Office celebrated the grand re-opening of the Carrizo Plain National Monument’s Guy L. Goodwin Education Center, showcasing the extensive renovations to the facility, a mainstay of the monument. (BLM CA Facebook)

Graphic image of Carrizo Plain in greens and yellow showing the flats, and hills with a few trees.

Virtually explore Carrizo Plain

Enjoy exploring the Esri Base Camp to discover one of the best-kept secrets in California - the Carrizo Plain National Monument, along with more opportunities to virtually visit other parts of California with the National Park Service and California Natural Resources Agency. (Esri Base Camp)

 

Mountains with clouds and blue skies.

Benefits of wilderness report now available

Wilderness is a culturally constructed concept that evolves over time with changes in socioeconomic, technological, demographic, and political conditions. This report provides up-to-date knowledge on societal benefits and ecosystem service values provided by wilderness and associated wildlands. To view the report visit, USFS web page.


Engage with Your Public Lands

Alabama Hills’ granite rock has been etched by wind and water covered in snow with high clouds.

December - Alabama Hills ranger programs

Check out great events and learn more about the Alabama Hills! Ranger programs meet at the Mobius Arch trailhead parking lot.

For dates, topics and times visit, BLM CA Facebook.

Amboy Crater  with its nearly symmetrical cinder cone geologic feature in a desert landscape with the moon in the background.

California Desert District to host Advisory Council meeting

The Bureau of Land Management will host an in-person public meeting of the BLM California Desert District Advisory Council on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public with a public comment period scheduled at 2:45 p.m. (BLM CA News Release).

A view of the ocean from atop a hill with green grass on hilltop flats and cows grazing.

BLM seeks public comment on proposed rule for Cotoni-Coast Dairies

The Central Coast Field Office is seeking public comment on a proposed supplementary rule to manage recreation at the Cotoni-Coast Dairies unit of the California Coastal National Monument for improved consistency and safety for visitors, and to prevent resource damage and user conflicts. (BLM CA News Release)


Headlines and Highlights

Snow covered mountains in the distance with water pooled in a long valley.

Sherri Lisius named manager of BLM Bishop Field Office

The Bureau of Land Management California announces the selection of Sherri Lisius as the Bishop Field Manager. She has embraced the challenge of overseeing management of public lands in the eastern Sierra with a career in public service and natural resources spanning over 20 years. (BLM CA News Release)

An expanse of Pinyon trees.

Christmas tree permits offered online

The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office is offering personal use Christmas tree cutting permits, now available online, for designated cutting areas on public lands near Benton and Bridgeport in Mono County through Dec. 24. (BLM CA News Release)

A child using binoculars looks toward an adult holding a picture alongside a river with hills covered in conifers.

BLM provides outdoor education 

Our staffers were on hand for the Salmon Gathering Youth Day, an event organized by the Hayfork Watershed Research and Training Center along the south fork of the Wild and Scenic Trinity River. Over 70 students participated in sessions ranging from fish biology (they even dissected a salmon) to orienteering and art. (BLM CA Facebook)


Fire and Fuels Management

A landscape view of tall green grass, standing snags and trees with brush piles on a sunny day with blue skies.

Prescribed burning projects in Swasey Recreation Area

The Redding Field Office will conduct prescribed burning projects in the Swasey Recreation Area through Dec. 9. Smoke may be visible in west Redding as fire crews complete fuels projects to remove piles of brush and other vegetation. (BLM CA News Release)

 Photo of a Yuma Ridgway's rail, a brown bird with tall legs and a long slender beak standing in tall reeds in the water.

BLM to conduct prescribed burn at Dos Palmas Preserve to improve wildlife habitat

Fire crews from the California Desert Interagency Fire Program will treat up to 133 acres of land with prescribed fire in the Dos Palmas Preserve near the North Shore of the Salton Sea to maintain habitat for the endangered Yuma Ridgway's rail. (BLM CA Facebook)

Fire restriction dashboard with a map.

Fire Restrictions & Fire Information

Have you checked out BLM California's Wildfire Dashboard? At a glance you'll be able to get updates on large fires in California, view smoke impacts, check fire restrictions and find other helpful wildfire links. Bookmark it now!

Fireworks are not allowed on BLM-managed public lands.


Careers on Your Public Lands

An off-highway vehicle sits in the foreground of a desert landscape's expansive dunes.

Now hiring for BLM California

Bureau of Land Management California is looking to fill multiple jobs across the state. For all current vacancies, visit USAJOBS.

Featured Job: Assistant Field Manager - Recreation

Two locations - Barstow, CA and El Centro, CA
Pay: $91,254 - $118,635 per year
Position closes Dec. 13th

If you would like an opportunity to manage one of the best OHV programs in Southern California - Apply today!


Question of the Week

The Desert Fan Palms are the only palm species that keep their fronds, forming a "skirt". This is an adaptation for: 

Desert fan palms surround a flowing pool of water.

a) Reflecting hot summer sun 

b) Housing carpenter bees who pollinate palm flowers

c) Enduring a cold winter climate- with some freezing

d) Being ready for stylish square dancing 

 

 

 


DOI & BLM National News

Sunset view of eroding hills that showcase striations of red and white stripes with small brush here and there.

Interior Department strengthens Tribal Consultation policies and procedures

Interior announced new policies to strengthen the federal government’s responsibility to ensure regular consultation with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. (DOI News Release)

The Rio Tinto's Kennecott Mine outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Departments of the Interior, Agriculture advance mining reforms aimed at protecting and empowering Tribal communities

Interior and Agriculture announced that the agencies are implementing new policy recommendations to protect Tribal interests from the impacts of mining. (DOI Press Release

Desert expanse of boulders and mesas at sunset.

Respecting Tribal lands

Native American history is written on the landscape, in part with artifacts that tell stories of ancestors across time, giving insight into traditions and the people who lived those traditions. BLM employees play an important role in the stewardship of these lands. For a National Interagency Fire Center video on this topic, visit BLM CA Facebook!

Clouds meet high mountains shrouding them in fog with conifers standing tall

This Week at Interior - December 2

Interior's leaders announce several new initiatives and policies at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit; the Biden-Harris administration announces several critical agreements on the responsible international trade of wild animals and plants; there's a historic agreement to fight the worsening drought crisis impacting California's Salton Sea. (DOI YouTube)

Question of the Week Answer

If you answered c, you are correct! The Desert Fan Palm keeps their palm frond and adaption that acts like a blanket to help cold winter climate with some freezing temperatures, 

Dark mountains stand, with grasses in foreground with a line of Desert Fan Palms standing between the two distinct areas..

Did you know - the only native California palm can be found on your public lands in the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office? The Desert Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is the only palm whose fronds remain attached and when left alone, hang down like a skirt, modestly shielding the trunk from view. These palms can be found on lands that have seen the footsteps of the Cahuilla, one of the original peoples of Southern California, since time immemorial.

 

For a creation story that shares the importance of this palm to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, visit BLM CA Facebook!

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