Thirteen members from the office and a few volunteers turned the fisheries’ barge into a float.

“We only had about a week’s notice to come up with the theme and only one day to construct it because the boat was in use until Friday morning,” said Leslie Denney, administrative officer.

The parade theme was “Winter Wonderland.” The Lake Havasu team called their float “Campsite on the Lake.”

On the evening of the parade, the LHFO float hit the water. It displayed a camping scene, wildlife, a boat, and saguaro and ocotillo cactuses constructed by LHFO maintenance staff the day before the event. The vessel was identified with a red, lighted rope BLM sign.

The parade had 36 entries and an estimated 4,000 spectators. 

“All boats had an entry number and we formed a line in order and passed through, starting in Thompson Bay through the London Bridge Channel, under the famous bridge where we were judged by a panel of 10, and out to the north basin on Lake Havasu,” Denney said.

The Lake Havasu Fire Department led the parade that looped back to Thompson Bay. The parade entries followed, led by the Chemehuevi Tribe’s’ new 65-foot catamaran called Tecopa, meaning wild cat.

“Weather was superb, about 65 degrees, clear, warm and calm seas,” Denney said.

The crowd, along the eight miles of shoreline where the parade ran, was cheering and waving as the floats passed them.

“There were people on shore that were familiar with the BLM and their activities, shouting and yelling our name,” Denney said.

Field Manager Kim Liebhauser said participating in the parade is an excellent opportunity for the LHFO to participate in the community and showcase the BLM.

Denney said the LHFO will probably use this year’s theme in next year's parade, but will improve upon it.

A volunteer and BLM employee Carolyn Kaleugher (on the right) creating a BLM sign for the Lake Havasu float	Lake Havasu Field Office employee Leslie Denney working on elements of the float
The decorate Lake Havsau Field Office barge on land	Lake Havasu at sunset on the day of the Lake Havasu Boat Parade of Lights
Maintenance Worker and Captain Bill Bryan of the LHFO and volunteer on the BLM float during the Lake Havasu Boat Parade of Lights	The crowd, as seen from the LHFO float, during the Lake Havasu Boat Parade of Lights
The Lake Havasu Field Office barge in the Lake Havasu Boat Parade of Lights

More than 450 students from eight different Phoenix, Arizona, schools have been trained over the past two years through the Initiative in hydrology, riparian area management, biology, and other topics.

Under the Initiative, training begins in high school through the River Pathways Program, a partnership between the BLM and Audubon Arizona. Participants get hands-on experience that can include improving habitat, building trails and picking up trash. The training and experience leads to a Certificate of Conservation and Resource Management.   

Recent participants have restored habitat for the endangered desert pupfish and the Gila topminnow, both native Arizona fish species.  In addition, they removed invasive bufflegrass and picked up trash.

Participants within the last year constructed seven miles of motorized trail and four miles of non-motorized trail along the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail system.  Summer interns added six more miles to meet a 17-mile goal established as part of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative.

In addition to classroom training, participants work at the Audubon Arizona Center and the BLM’s Agua Fria National Monument. The students work with BLM biologists on monitoring riparian habitats and completing stewardship and conservation projects. Three participants get paid summer internships.

BLM Arizona staff members teach at the Franklin Police and Fire High School, whose students can be certified as a Type II firefighters. That certication qualifies them for entry-level employment on a BLM fire crew and they may be hired for seasonal employment or get internships.

Participants in the Conservation and Resource Management program get hands-on work experience in natural resources through a variety of field-based work, including building and repairing trails and campgrounds, managing invasive plant removal programs, and habitat restoration.

An important component of the Phoenix District Youth Initiative is the American Indian youth program. The Agua Fria National Monument partners with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) to provide 10-week, on-the-ground summer internships for college students to to prepare them for the workplace, to explore federal career options, and to develop professional networks.

The BLM also works with county Workforce Investment Boards and colleges to provide additional training, employment and certification opportunities for students seeking careers and education in resource management.

Made possible by federal, county and nonprofit organizations working together, these collaborative programs not only help youth find career pathways, but they encourage stewardship of their public lands.

BLM-Arizona (Hannah Wendel, Natural Resource Youth Coordinator) nominated this program for the Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Awards. The Department will announce those selected for formal recognition October 18. 

The Interior Department’s Partners in Conservation Awards Program recognizes partnerships that promote conservation, protect natural and cultural resources, use innovative approaches for resource management, and engage youth and diverse entities in accomplishing the Interior Department’s mission. 

This scene describes the BLM’s Ironwood Forest National Monument located in the Sonoran Desert located northwest of Tucson, Arizona. The 129,000-acre Monument is home to 474 species and subspecies of plants, rare desert animals, and archaeological objects of scientific interest.

Maintaining this beautiful landscape would not be possible without the hard work of the Dove Mountain Hiking Club (DMHC), part of the Friends of Ironwood Forest. This group, described as the “silent heroes” of the Monument, has picked up more than four tons of trash in a dangerous and unforgiving environment. The Monument’s lands are sometimes used for illegal entry into the United States and for narcotic smuggling, and become dumping grounds for an immense volume of trash.

The lifeblood of this desert landscape is the ironwood trees that provide a safe haven to the numerous species inhabiting the land – a shady respite for some, nectar for bees and other insects, and forage for larger animals. The Monument contains the densest stands of desert ironwoods anywhere in the world. It is also home to the endangered Nichol Turk’s Head Cactus.

The Dove Mountain Hiking Club has been instrumental in getting rid of invasive buffelgrass, a major threat to native plants of the Monument. In 2010, the Friends group received the BLM’s “Making a Difference” National Volunteer Award for the club’s successful efforts to help eradicate the weed in the Monument.

The Ironwood Forest National Monument was designated by President Bill Clinton in 2000. It extends from the Sawtooth Mountains south of Casa Grande across the Silver Bell, Waterman and Roskruge mountains, and is bordered by the wide Avra and Santa Cruz valleys on the east and the even more extensive plains of the Tohono O’Odham Nation to the west.

• reintroduction of endangered black-tailed prairie dogs in 2012
• wetland restoration, to create habitat for endangered Gila topminnow, desert pupfish, and Huachuca water umbel; threatened Chiricahua leopard frog; and Mexican gartersnake, Sonora mud turtle, waterfowl, shorebirds, and other species in 2012
• reintroduction of endangered Chiricahua leopard frogs in 2011 

Members meet quarterly to discuss completed and upcoming projects at Science on the Sonoita Plain.

Upon his return from North Carolina, on October 22, Thrasher will host scientists from Albuquerque and Florida to spend a few days excavating several fossil tortoises that he has found in the San Simon Valley east of Safford.

The San Simon Valley, especially within the BLM’s 111 Ranch Area of Critical Environmental Concern, is an internationally known fossil site.  Over 50 species have been recorded, representing one of the best Blancan-aged mammal assemblages in North America.  The area is probably best known for its glyptodont specimens; these Ice Age mammals resemble armadillos but are much larger.  Fossils from this area have been collected and displayed by the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.  The Safford Field Office partners with the Arizona Museum of Natural History, Southwest Paleontological Society, Museum of Northern Arizona, International Wildlife Museum in Tucson, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and University of Arizona in Tucson to inventory, collect, and curate the fossils.  Since 1998, more than 300 fossils have been collected, including beaver, tapir, deer, swan, goose, sloth, capybara, bats, rodents, and a mud turtle.  Several trackways have also been found, including those of camel, llama, mastodon, and horse. A recent glyptodont fossil removal from the San Simon Valley was documented by BBC television in July 2012.

In addition to the above activites, Thrasher is celebrating National Fossil Day by helping to disseminate the Junior Explorer “Geology and Fossils” Activity Book at the county fair and in the BLM office.  The Arizona Museum of Natural History also has excellent teacher resources available.

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NPLD Event: Sanchez CCC Camp Work Project

Cleanup to the historic Sanchez Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp was the focus of a group of volunteers participating in the 19^th National Public Lands Day (NPLD), hosted by the Safford Field Office on Sept. 29. The volunteers cleared creosote bushes and other vegetation from the rock-lined pathways. They also posted identifying signs near the buildings. The camp was home to the CCC Company 2867, commanded in 1935-36 by Captain Benjamin Muzzy, U.S. Army Infantry Reserve. As a bonus, the volunteers got a historical tour, guided by BLM archaeologist Dan McGrew.

Dodson was one of 32 officers awarded at the ceremony. Another six awards were given to state and local prosecutors and a legislator.

BLM Navajo Cadastral Survey Project Marks 30 Years

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Bureau of Land Management’s Navajo Cadastral Survey Project Office.

The office, in Window Rock, Arizona, was established in June 1982 by a joint agreement of the Navajo Nation Land Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Region, and the BLM in Arizona. This partnership was created to help the Navajo train tribal technicians and land surveyors and assist in surveying the interior of the reservation.

Eight members of the survey project attended a small celebration on June 21, 2012, to mark the anniversary.

BLM surveyor Leo Sandoval was at the event along with a U.S. Forest Service surveyor and two current and four retired Navajo Cadastral Survey Project Office (NCSPO) surveyors. Sandoval takes pride in being part of the office. His Navajo heritage was a plus. “From a BLM perspective, I was the first native to utilize my first language as part of the project,” he said. Because he spoke Navajo, he was able to defuse misunderstandings between tribal members and surveyors. His language was also valuable in training tribal technicians.

Sandoval started off as a surveyor on the project in 1986. From 2005 to 2009 he was the project manager. He is now an Indian lands surveyor for BLM.

A cadastral survey is an official government survey that creates a framework to describe real property and create legal land descriptions. Over the past 30 years, the office has surveyed over 4.5 million acres and 196 townships. These surveys help the Navajo Nation plan for development.

The office performs original surveys in uncharted areas and restores original surveys from the 1800s.

Project workers use GPS technology to chart and mark new survey points. When a site is surveyed workers set a 28-inch stainless-steel post, called a monument, which has a specially designed brass cap that shows the seal of the Navajo Nation.

The BLM Cadastral Survey project office has the lowest unit cost for surveys in the country, in part because of the assistance from the Navajo Lands Department technicians.

There are still many original surveys to be conducted on the interior of the reservation, which can be hard to reach because of the area’s rugged terrain. Over half of the lands remain unsurveyed.

The federal government started cadastral surveying in 1785.

Reservations were not generally surveyed because they were trust lands intended for Native Americans.

Until 1785 all land descriptions and surveys were by the indiscriminate method of the metes-and-bounds system. After that the rectangular system came into use.

“The unit of the rectangular survey system is the township,” said BLM Arizona’s Chief Cadastral Surveyor Steve Hansen in describing the system. “A normal township is composed of 36 sections that are each one square-mile. Each section contains about 640 acres.”

The first cadastral surveys were done north of the Ohio River and south of Lake Erie.

The General Land Office (GLO), under the Treasury Department, was created in 1812 to oversee the land surveys and sales of public land. 

The GLO was later placed under the Department of the Interior when it was established in 1849.

In 1946, the GLO, the Grazing Service, the Oregon and California Administration, Alaska Fire Control, and others were joined to form the Bureau of Land Management, making Cadastral Survey the oldest program within the BLM.

The Public Land Survey System forms the basis for all legal land descriptions in the United States except for the original 13 colonies, Texas, Hawaii, and portions of Louisiana. These legal land descriptions are needed to meet the requirement that all federal land, to be sold or otherwise conveyed, must be surveyed and have a legal land description.

Photo: Navajo Cadastral Survey Project members mark the office’s 30th anniversary.  Left to right, Leo Sandoval (BLM), Stephen James (U.S. Forest Service), Fabian Yazzie (NCSPO),  Daniel Bryan (NCSPO), Rueben Mason (retired NCSPO), James Werdel (retired NCSPO), Wilfred Chee (retired NCSPO), Ed Clarke (retired NCSPO).	Photo: The brass cap of a 28-inch stainless steel monument showing the seal of the Navajo Nation.
Photo: Barney Woodie, a now-retired tribal survey technician, sets a monument in the field.	Photo: The Navajo Cadastral Survey Project Office seen through the Window Rock geological formation in Window Rock, Arizona.

A young owl slept near the San Pedro River with a mouse in its talons, as grey hawks, blue heron, vermillion flycatchers, and other birds perched along the water.

A group of volunteers walking next to the water were pleased to see yellow warblers and summer tanagers flying among the trees.

On June 16, 2012, more than 150 volunteers spread across 220 miles of the San Pedro River in southern Arizona and Mexico. Their goal was to document where water is present.

The Bureau of Land Management, the Nature Conservancy Tucson Conservation Center, the Community Watershed Alliance of Benson, the Cascabel Working Group, local residents, and Mexican partners and landowners all worked together on the 14th annual San Pedro Wet/Dry Mapping event.

The volunteers braved extreme temperatures, quicksand, and other challenges to map the San Pedro from its headwater streams in Mexico to the confluence with Gila River near Winkelman, Arizona.

"Some sections of the river were drier than last year and others were wetter,” said Tracy Stone of the Nature Conservancy.

Volunteers said the area south of Highway 92 was drier than in years past and areas north of Hereford Bridge were wetter.

Stone said as the extended drought continues, mapping helps document long-term trends.

“Last year’s mapping revealed water was present in 33 percent of the river overall in late June before the monsoon rains began,” Stone said. The calculations for this year’s event are not yet available.

Determining what areas of the San Pedro no longer flow by the annual mapping event help the partner groups decide where conservation projects need to be focused, she said.

Visit this link to learn more about the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/ncarea/sprnca.html 
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The Bureau of Land Management Arizona State Office and Phoenix District partner to tell a story that links America’s first Surveyor General to Phoenix’s current day Associate District Manager, Patrick Putnam.  

You could say that plotting public lands and caring for them is in the Putnam genes. Patrick’s ancestor uncle, Rufus Putnam, was appointed by George Washington as America’s first Surveyor General from 1796 to 1803. 

Now two hundred years later, the General Land Office (GLO) commemorates its bicentennial, still using methods introduced by Rufus. “I first heard about Rufus when I was in grade school, and only now have I learned the specifics of cadastral surveying,” explained Patrick, who was “GLOing” with this opportunity to be in the field.

Thanks to Geoff Graham and the Arizona Cadastral staff, the modern day Putnam installed ten monuments this May across northern Arizona. The trip was conceived and documented by Graham for a national magazine spread. Putnam kept a daily journal and Public Affairs Specialists Pamela Mathis directed a video diary of his four-day journey. Mathis envisions using an edited video for school presentations and BLM’s You Tube. Graham and Mathis will now work on an article for American Surveyor magazine.  

While his ancestor Rufus traversed the west (at that time consisting of Ohio) on foot, horse, and mule, Patrick’s trek was easier with a mighty RAM truck and ATVs. 

From Rufus' Memoirs I am happy in having my name enrolled with many others who have suffered the like political death for adherence to those correct principles and measures in pursuance of which our country rose from a state of weakness and poverty to strength, honor and credit. In the morning, with some difficulty, we brought the boats to the main land and took the horses ashore. The wind blowing a gale all day, the waves running mountain high, there was no possibility of moving any way, and it was never colder since my remembrance .

Patrick Putnam began Day 1 at the “camp,” where today’s cadastral team uses satellite GPS as a starting point for measuring corners. On this project, the Cadastral crews subdivided a township into sections. A section is one square mile. A marker, called a monument, was set every one-half mile. The monuments are  secured several feet deep. Cadastral personnel take field notes and document the GPS and landmarks to describe the placement of every monument. They then add rocks to highlight the actual placement so it can be readily found later.   Patrick, Graham, and his crew worked throughout the Navajo Nation. The BLM is responsible for providing surveys on tribal lands. The Navajo Nation spans 17 million acres, primarily in Arizona, followed by New Mexico, and Utah. To date, less than 20 percent, or 2 million acres, is surveyed.

Gen. Rufus Putnam at center-rear

Patrick Putnam, May 2012, in center,  surrounded by BLM and Navajo  Cadastral surveyors

Empire Ranch Foundation Receives Governor's Award

On June 14, at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference in Prescott, the Empire Ranch Foundation received an award from the Governor’s Archaeology Advisory Commission for contributions by a non-profit organization to historic preservation.  The award for a private non-profit entity recognized the Empire Ranch Foundation for its impressive accomplishments in preserving and restoring the historic Empire Ranch headquarters. The Foundation also conducts interpretive programs that bring history to life for those who visit this historic ranch in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near Sonoita. Since 1997, the Foundation has supported the Bureau of Land Management by partnering, developing, and funding stabilization and restoration projects; educational events and interpretive exhibits; and archival research including oral histories and photo documentation. It has contributed over $500,000 to restore the ranch house and seven other buildings. The Foundation’s efforts continue to connect its members, local communities, former ranch residents, and youth to an important Arizona heritage site. 

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National Get Outdoors Day in St. George

Approximately 750 members of the public attended the June 16, 2012 Get Outdoors Day an event geared to help families and children build a closer connection to the outdoors. Interagency partners hosted 18 interactive and educational stations. The BLM Arizona Strip District featured BLM’s mascot Seymour Antelope who introduced children and families to the new BLM Arizona children’s book “Tori the Tortoise” and helped attendees cool off from the 100 degree heat offering BLM fans with a reminder that, “BLM is your biggest fan!”

The Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument featured an interactive caving challenge complete with a hand crafted, custom indoor cave replica which enables children to experience spelunking in a climate controlled, safe environment with adult supervision and expert assistance. The BLM Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument lead children through its famous Dinosaur Murder Mystery—a game and exhibit complete with life size dinosaur replicas which challenge children to research multiple scenarios to discover the cause of the deaths of various dinosaurs. BLM’s St. George Field Office staff conducted demonstrations of rock climbing gear and knot tying  and the Paiute Tribal Youth performed various songs and traditional dances on the stage and the Forest Service mascot Smokey Bear and BLM Red Rock Canyon’s Mohave Max mascot (a desert tortoise) were also available with Seymour Antelope for group photo opportunities throughout the morning. Amateur emergency radio demos, OHV safety, and information on primitive camping tools and fire safety will also be available. The event was hosted from 9am to 1pm in conjunction with the Saturday Market at Tuacahn High School/Amphitheater with vendor booths with everything from local artistry, to homegrown fruits and vegetables, quilts, homemade jams and jellies and other sundry items.

As part of the fifth annual Get Outdoors Day (Go Day) celebration, Go Day activities encourage children and families to participate in fun traditional and non-traditional outdoor activities. National Get Outdoors Day, now in its fifth year, encourages Americans, especially youth, to participate in outdoor activities that connect Americans, especially children, with nature and active lifestyles. In support of Go Day, booths encouraged the public to “seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges, and other public lands and water. As the event coordinator, the Dixie/Arizona Strip Interpretive Association (D/ASIA) aimed to bring diverse partners together to offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities, reaching currently underserved populations and first time visitors to public lands, and reconnecting youth to the great outdoors. 

Additional Go Day Partners included:  AZ BLM: Dixie National Forest: City of St. George; Dixie College Community Education; Snow Canyon State Park; Southern Nevada Agency Partnership; Red Rocks Audubon; Second Nature-Entrada; Washington County Amateur Emergency Radio Service; Dixie Regional Health & Performance Center; Bill Hoy and his bug museum; and Susannah Nilsson. Southern Utah Get Outdoors Day Family Expo was one of 137 Get Outdoor Day sites across the nation, including 3 in Utah.
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Dr. Connie Stone has earned the 2012 Arizona Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award. Stone, is an archaeologist for the Arizona Bureau of Land Management’s Renewable Energy Coordination Office. This award recognizes her lifelong achievements and contributions to Arizona archaeology and historic preservation.

Stone has spent her career in the state. She started off in the private sector, but then joined the BLM.  “Connie’s lifelong contributions to federal and public archaeology and historic preservation are many and varied,” said Supervisory Project Manager for Renewable Energy Coordination Office Eddie Arreola, “but all are characterized by her thorough professionalism, intimate knowledge of the prehistory and history of Arizona, and dedication to doing the best science possible.”

Stone’s award will be presented on June 14 at the 10^th annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference in Prescott, Arizona.      
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In the hours before sunset on May 20, more than 1,000 spectators joined the BLM Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument staff to celebrate the spectacular “ring of fire” solar eclipse in St. George, Utah.  The weather was absolutely perfect for viewing from the balconies of the Washington County Water Conservation District building, as the Earth’s moon crossed in front of the sun, creating a relatively uncommon annular solar eclipse last seen in the U.S. in 1994.

The Monument distributed 1,000 pairs of solar safety viewing shades and partnered with Dixie State College and the Virgin River Program to provide astronomer and ranger-assisted viewing opportunities and programs during the eclipse. The same glasses can be used again to see the rare transit of Venus across the sun on June 5. The transit will be visible from anywhere in North America and will not occur again until 2117.

“It was wonderful to educate and share this event with our local community, as well as visitors from around the country and across the world, and to witness this truly amazing astronomical display,” said Rosie Pepito, National Park Service superintendent.  “Logistical challenges often make travel into the monument difficult, especially for large numbers of people, and we are grateful to our partners for assisting us with hosting this event in St. George.”
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The first of two fossil Glyptodonts was hoisted onto a truck for delivery to its new depository at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa on March 29. This was the final step in a weeklong excavation project that brought more than 20 volunteers to the San Simon Valley east of Safford. The fossils had been discovered by BLM Safford Field Office geologist Larry Thrasher, who has done extensive research into the Ice Aged fossils found in that area. 

The excitement of excavation was shared with a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) film crew who had traveled to Safford especially for this project. The BBC is currently producing a three-part series on the Ice Age that will be narrated by Dr. Alice Roberts, who was onsite during the filming this week. She said that they had already filmed at the La Brea Tar Pits in California and that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this Glyptodont excavation. These distant relatives of present-day armadillos lived in the San Simon Valley during the Pleistocene, about two million years ago.

Leading the excavation project were Robert McCord from the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa, Dave Gillette from Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, and Rich White from International Wildlife Museum in Tucson in Tucson. Local contractors with proven expertise were recruited to assist with the arduous task of moving the fossil into a truck for transport to Mesa, Arizona.

Researchers in Mesa will soon begin the slow process of recovering the fossil from its protective plaster case. Meanwhile, filming will continue on the BBC’s Ice Age series, which is expected to be completed in 2013.  
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SOME LIKE IT LOUD!

The 41st annual Parker 425 Desert Race is scheduled for February 4, 2012. Over 200 vehicles are expected to participate in this off-road race on BLM land south of Parker, Arizona. Upwards of 5,000 spectators are expected to attend this exciting race. 

It is a grueling species of racing: trucks or other vehicles with oversize tires and pliable suspensions race through the desert at speeds up to 80 miles an hour, vaulting over rock piles and sailing off natural dirt ramps, with drivers sometimes blinded by clouds of dust kicked up by the vehicles in front of them. Yet it is so captivating and entertaining that thousands of families and other fans turn out for these off-road races and make them into weekend campouts. The participants will race around the course three times totaling approximately 143 miles.

The Parker 425 Race started in 1972, known then as the Big River “400,” on to the Dam “400,” then Parker “400,” and has grown to become a legend in off-road desert racing.
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RESTORATION PROJECT WAS GREAT SUCCESS

Volunteers from several conservation organizations joined the BLM Tucson Field Office for a morning of habitat restoration, collaboration, and healthy outdoor exercise on December 3, 2011, at the Waterman Mountains Restoration Project. Participants in the project included the Arizona Native Plant Society, Arizona Chapter of the Sierra Club, Tucson Chapter of the Audubon Society, Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, and University of Arizona Soil, Water, and Environment Club.

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Birding Festival Features San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area 

The 20^th annual Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival, Arizona’s longest running nature festival, began on August 3 and will continue through Saturday in Sierra Vista. As always, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and its amazing natural and cultural resources are a focus of the festival.

Thursday:  

• San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area outdoor recreation planner Jim Mahoney will provide an overview of the significant wildlife, botanical, hydrologic, cultural, and paleontological resources values of the San Pedro. 

The festival also includes guided tours to the San Pedro RNCA. San Pedro River Specialties will focus on focus will be on a variety of riparian specialties, such as Gray Hawk, Vermilion Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, and Abert’s Towhee at the RNCA. The San Pedro RNCA includes 400 avian species and is known as a critical migration corridor. For more information about the San Pedro, visit http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/ncarea/sprnca.html 

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BLM Arizona Accepts Thanks

The Bureau of Land Management was presented with certificates in appreciation of its support providing crews, engines, firefighters and equipment. The Phoenix Interagency Dispatch Center, jointly staffed by the Arizona State Division of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management, has been busy assisting the state of Arizona in the biggest deployment of firefighting resources in history. Arizona firefighters have responded to major wildfires, including the Wallow, Horseshoe 2 and Monument fires. The Phoenix Interagency Dispatch Center has processed resource orders to get firefighters and equipment to where it is most urgently needed.

“This is the largest deployment of local fire department resources in Arizona history,” explains David Geyer, the State Fire Management Officer. “We felt fortunate to watch well-equipped, well-trained firefighters answer the call to duty, at times putting their own lives on the line.” There’s been an unprecedented sense of teamwork this season, with more than 200 fire engines/water tenders deployed on behalf of local fire departments and private organizations throughout the state, protecting lives and property. "

Resources from 250 rural Arizona fire departments and state resources from Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were brought to Arizona to be dispatched to fires. Firefighting resources from federal agencies, including the Bureaus of Land Management and Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service, also strategically staged crews for dispatch to new fire starts. 
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BLM wildlife biologists Codey Carter and Paul Sitzmann, range technician Andrew Cordery, and Agua Fria National Monument Manager Rem Hawes partnered with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Audubon Society to conduct fish and riparian surveys in Larry and Lousy Canyons on June 9-10. 

Both canyons are in the southern portion of the Agua Fria National Monument.  

BLM staff members donned wetsuits and snorkels to evaluate the condition and the number of endangered Gila chub and Gila topminnow fish in the cold pools. One pool was estimated to be 40 feet deep. Fin clips were also collected for genetic analysis at a later date. 

While populations of Gila chub and Gila topminnow are thriving in the remote canyons, the survey team traversed boulders, thick and thorny vines, cactuses, cliff faces, waterfalls, and 15-foot-tall grass, to accomplish the day’s work!

Wildlife Biologist Paul Sitzmann uses a rope to descend into the steep confines of Lousy Canyon.

Wildlife Biologist Codey Carter dons a wet suit, mask, and snorkel to assess a riparian.

Arizona Resource Advisory Council members touring grazing allotments on the BLM Phoenix District’s Agua Fria National Monument during Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Administration Training June 2, 2011. Council members on the tour included Bill Brake, Elizabeth Buchroeder, Glen Collins, Richard Lunt, Larry Snead and Carl Taylor. BLM employees included Dorothea Boothe, Steve Byrd, Andrew Cordery, Bill Coulloudon, James Holden and Talisa Timms 

Read more about the RAC ...

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Phoenix Youth Get Physical as They Gather Data for BLM

Students in the Rivers Pathways program get hands-on training while getting their feet wet in the Agua Fria River.

On two consecutive Saturdays in May, students from an inner-city Phoenix high school were up their waists in water, surveying animal and plant life in the riparian areas of the Agua Fria National Monument.

The students – from South Pointe High School – are participants in the River Pathways Program, which is intended to get young people familiar with the outdoors and give them a taste of what it takes to manage public lands. The program is also intended to stimulate career interest in resource management and provide a path to higher education in that field.  

River Pathways is a partnership involving the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona, the Rio Salado Audubon Center, and the Phoenix Union High School District.

The students from South Pointe are among 218 young people who participated in the Rivers Pathway in the past school year. They completed a one-week course in riparian ecology and natural resource management in the classroom and got one-day additional training at the Audubon Center. From there the focus was on field work. High school science teachers, Audubon staff, and BLM professionals directed the students in methods of data collection.

The students used BLM technical manuals and procedures to monitor and evaluate three miles of the Agua Fria River riparian area. The collected data will serve as a baseline for future studies as the program continues. The information will help track trends and areas of concern.

The students in the program’s first year monitored nesting sites and breeding territories in the Agua Fria National Monument for the seldom-seen yellow-billed cuckoo.

Participants in Rivers Pathways are encouraged to consider pursuing a two-year certificate at Phoenix College in environmental and natural resource stewardship. Those in the certificate program are eligible for jobs under the BLM’s student temporary employment program. 
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Recently, the Border Patrol in Arizona introduced several wild horses to their team and joined the ranks of other mounted patrols using mustangs while patrolling sectors in New Mexico, California, and Washington State. The mustangs were gathered from western public lands in the normal course of herd management. They were trained by inmates in a rehabilitation program at a Colorado correctional facility in Cañon City, and then adopted by the Border Patrol. For more on this story, go to: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/features/blm_and_border_patrol.html.

Seymour debuted at Arizona Game and Fish Expo, March 26 and 27 at the Ben Avery Shooting Range in Phoenix, Arizona, on a perfect Arizona spring day.

Seymour put in his first Arizona appearance on Saturday and attracted many children of all ages for photo opportunities. He appeared at the Bureau of Land Management booth, which was conveniently located across the aisle from the Arizona Antelope Foundation!  On Sunday he arrived for more photos, high threes, and hugs. Kids received, “I Met Seymour Antelope,” bookmarks.

Megan and Hunter with Seymour

Seymour in “the wild”

Mark your calendar for next March’s Expo.