News.bytes
A publication of
Bureau of Land Management in California

Issue date: 4/25/02

This week in News.bytes:

- NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
        - Announcing management plans
        - Public invited to shape monument policies
        - Debate begins
        - Dedication of Carrizo Plain National Monument
        - Federal Register Notices
        - National monuments in California
- VISIT US: Central California Coast
- BOOKSTORE FEATURE: Driving the Pacific Coast of California -- 4th Edition
- STORIES FEATURE OTHER BLM-MANAGED LANDS :
        - "River of Return"
        - "Otherworldy Wonders" at Trona Pinnacles
- WILD HORSES AND BURROS: Adoption this weekend
- IMPERIAL DUNES DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLANS, including:
        - BLM catches heat
        - Dune debate continues
        - Dune havoc
- OTHER DUNES, DESERT ISSUES, including:
        - Desert dumping: Volunteers clean up
        - It's back
        - Environmental group draws ire, admiration
        - Marines' desert military exercise
        - Meeting on Western Colorado route of travel
- TRANSIT MIXED GRAVEL MINE REJECTED - NOW IN COURTS
- NOT FOR EDUCATORS ONLY: Species Accounts - Mammals
- WEED OF THE WEEK - Plumeless Thistle
- ENERGY ISSUES:
        - North Baja Pipeline approved
        - BLM Director testifies to Congress
- FIRE FIGHTING
- HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS, including:
        - Supervisors oppose federal land grabs
        - Interior resurfaces from pre-Internet Dark Ages
        - Chairman reelected to BLM citizen advisory council
- SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS

NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

"INTERIOR SECRETARY ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL MONUMENT MANAGEMENT PLANS" (BLM California news release, 04/24/2002)
Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced today her intention to develop plans managing the national monuments established under the Department's jurisdiction in 2000 and 2001. Included in her plans are two Bureau of Land Management National Monuments in California; the California Coastal and Carrizo Plain National Monuments. (Included in news release is basic text of letters sent to local elected officials.)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/WOnews_monument_rollout_042402.html

"NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CALIFORNIA COASTAL NATIONAL MONUMENT ..." (Federal Register Notice, 04/24/2002)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/fr/coastal_monument_rmp_intent_notice.html

"NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CARRIZO PLAIN NATIONAL MONUMENT..." (Federal Register Notice, 04/24/2002)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/fr/carrizo_monument_rmp_intent_notice.html

"NOTICE OF INTENT TO ... CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE CARRIZO PLAIN ADVISORY COMMITTEE..." (Federal Register Notice, 4/24/02)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/fr/carrizo_advisory_comm_Notice.html

"CARRIZO PLAIN NATIONAL MONUMENT DEDICATION" (BLM California news release, 04/18/2002)
BLM, our cooperating agencies, and the local community are holding a dedication ceremony for the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Ceremony will be at Guy L. Goodwin Education & Visitor Center.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/CCnews38_Carrizo_Plain_NM_dedication.html

"COOPERATING AGENCY ARRANGEMENTS DURING NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) DECISIONMAKING AND LAND USE PLANNING"(BLM Instruction Memorandum, 4/19/02)
"I ask that each of you take action to encourage State, local and Tribal government entities in your jurisdiction to become active partners in BLM’s NEPA and planning process."
PDF file, 115 kilobytes: http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/pdfs/WOIM2002-149.pdf

"INTERIOR SECRETARY MAKES PLANS TO MANAGE NATIONAL MONUMENTS" (BLM news release, 04/24/2002)
Links to text of Secretary of Interior's letter to local elected officials about national monuments; BLM land use planning process; and other documents. (Note: most links from this page are to PDF files, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/monuments/

"PUBLIC INVITED TO SHAPE MONUMENT POLICIES" (Palm Springs Desert Sun, 04/22/2002)
BLM and Forest Service holding public hearings to get input on how to manage the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories/local/1019436021.shtml

Related:
"NATIONAL MONUMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO TAKE PLACE IN PALM DESERT" (BLM California news release, 3/15/02) http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/03/nr/SRSJMNMnews01_MAC_meeting_sched.html

"DEBATE BEGINS ON USE OF MONUMENT LANDS" (Washington Post, 04/24/2002)
" The Bush administration today will formally launch what is certain to be a bruising and protracted debate over managing millions of acres of federal lands set aside as national monuments -- pitting western lawmakers, property owners and the recreational-vehicle industry against environmentalists who want to strictly control land use."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37482-2002Apr23.html

"BUSH ADMINISTRATION SEEKS LOCAL IDEAS ON MANAGING FEDERAL LANDS" (Associated Press, in San Francisco Chronicle, 04/23/2002)
News story before above announcements: "The Bush administration plans to ask local officials and landowners for advice on putting more Western flavor into federal land managers' oversight of 15 national monuments created by President Clinton."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/04/23/national2002EDT0844.DTL

IMPERIAL SAND DUNES

"PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED IN SAN DIEGO TO REVIEW IMPERIAL DUNES DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLANS" (BLM California news release, 04/24/2002)
The BLM will hold the last of six public meetings in San Diego on Thursday, April 25 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Marriott Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive in San Diego to provide the public additional opportunity to comment on the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/CDDnews47_sandiego_dunes_meeting.html

"DUNES BATTLE IS FAR FROM OVER" (Yuma Sun, 04/23/2002)
Draft management plan for Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area: Center Center for Biological Diversity writes to Yuma officials: "if the BLM draft goes through to reopen all the currently protected areas, we may have no other legal options but to move for complete dunes closure, which is not what we want to do."
http://www.yumasun.com/artman/publish/story_1156.shtml

"BLM CATCHES HEAT OVER DUNES PLAN" (Yuma Sun, 04/24/2002)
Public meeting on Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Plan draws 300 people to Yuma, Arizona. Most speakers are critical of plan, want increased off-road access.
http://www.yumasun.com/artman/publish/story_1175.shtml

"DUNES HAVOC" (UPN 13, Los Angeles, 04/23/2002)
"It only takes a few thugs to create havoc in the dunes." TV news mentions dangerous drinking off-roaders at Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area; Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility spokesperson who says things are out of control; BLM spokesperson who points out new law enforcement measures to curb excesses; and off-roader who does not want limits to off-road use for people who do follow the rules.
http://www.upn13.com/themes/default/news/unit13/story.asp?content_id=1120334

"DUNE DEBATE CONTINUES: Off-roaders spin wheels over land use" (ABC News, 04/19/2002)
Followup to ABC News report on easing off-road restrictions in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. That story "generated a tremendous response from viewers who wrote to say how important the dunes have become to them as a recreational area."
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/dunes_folo020419.html

"DUNES PLAN HURTS BUSINESSES, BLM TOLD" (Imperial Valley Press, 04/19/2002)
Business owners and representatives of cities and chambers of commerce were among members of the public voicing concerns in a meeting on draft management plan for the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.
http://ivpressonline.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2002/April/19-1541-news01.txt


OTHER DUNES, DESERT ISSUES

"EARTH DAY PARTY A SUCCESS" (Barstow Desert Dispatch, 04/22/2002)
Annual Earth Day "Garden Party" co-sponsored by BLM's Barstow Field Office drew so many people this year, organizers say they might have to move the event to a larger site next year.
http://www.desertdispatch.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1019492866,87377,

"IT'S BACK: Long Canyon one week after volunteer cleanup -- and the day after area Earth Day Celebrations" (BLM California Web page, 4/21/02)
It's back. It's still a problem.
On April 13, about 50 volunteers joined BLM and other partners in cleaning up illegal dump sites in Long Canyon, near Joshua Tree National Park. A success? Almost. Here's a followup:
"Already, within a week, folks have started dumping at Long Canyon again!" says one organizer. "On Sunday [one week after the cleanup] there was a mattress, old carpeting, and miscellaneous trash out there." The photos on this Web page were taken the day after many areas celebrated Earth Day. Volunteers are hoping to raise awareness of the "ongoing, overwhelming problem" of illegal dumping in the desert.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/newsbytes/temp_issues/longcanyon_retrash.html

"PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR WESTERN COLORADO ROUTE OF TRAVEL UPDATE" (BLM California news release, 04/19/2002)
The BLM has scheduled two scoping meetings to gather public input regarding the review and designation of routes of travel in the Western Colorado (WECO) Desert planning area.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/CDDnews45_weco_route_of_travel_041902.html

"TROOPS WELL-TRAINED IN PROTECTING TORTOISES" (San Diego Union-Tribune, 04/22/2002)
U.S. Marines have list of rules for protecting desert tortoises, during Desert Scimitar training exercise. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20020422-9999_1n22torto.html

Related:
" ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - DESERT SCIMITAR 02" (BLM California Web page)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/palmsprings/desertscimitar02_ea.html

"HOTSHOTS OR HEROES? Environmental group draws ire, admiration" (San Bernardino County Sun, 04/23/2002)
Profile of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, that has filed 220 lawsuits over habitat of endangered species. Settlements with BLM in 2000 and 2001 "shook Southern California's off-road vehicle community, livestock grazers and mining interests like a 7.0 earthquake."
http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,81%257E1295%257E566325,00.html

TRANSIT MIXED GRAVEL MINE REJECTED, NOW IN COURTS

"MORE MONEY GOES TO FUND MINE BATTLE" (The Signal, Santa Clarita, 04/25/2002)
Santa Clarita City Council votes to spend $106,000 to continue opposing sand and gravel project, in addition to about $2 million already spent -- even after county supervisors reject mine.
http://www.the-signal.com/main/0402/042502a.html

"SUPERVISORS REJECT CONTROVERSIAL CEMEX QUARRY" (Antelope Valley Press, 04/24/2002)
Los Angeles County supervisors vote 5-0 to reject Transit Mixed Concrete Co.'s proposed sand and gravel operation in Soledad Canyon, following up on a February vote.
http://www.avpress.com/n/westy6.hts

"COUNTY BLOCKS MINING" (Los Angeles Daily News, Santa Clarita Edition, 04/24/2002)
Los Angeles County supervisors vote against planned Transit Mixed Concrete Co.'s planned sand and gravel operation in Soledad Canyon, "shifting the fight from the boardroom to the courtroom."
http://www.santaclarita.dailynews.com/news/articles/0402/24/sac02.asp

"TMC'S SHIP SUNK, BUT THE WAR ISN'T OVER YET" (The Signal, Santa Clarita, 04/25/2002)
Editorial cheers on City of Santa Clarita's fight against Transit Mixed Concrete Co.'s sand and gravel operation in Soledad Canyon.
http://www.the-signal.com/editorial/signal/0402/042502.html

"CITY TO TURN OVER TMC-RELATED DOCUMENTS AS COURTS ORDERS" (Los Angeles Daily News, Santa Clarita Edition, 04/23/2002)
http://www.santaclarita.dailynews.com/news/articles/0402/23/sac04.asp


NOT FOR EDUCATORS ONLY: Species Accounts - Mammals
A species account has been prepared for each mammal being considered by the West Mojave Plan, a 9.4 million-acre planning area that encompasses most of California's western Mojave Desert. About one third of the planning area is private land, another third is within military bases, and the final third consists of public lands managed by the BLM.
Each account was authored by a biologist recognized by his or her peers as having specialized knowledge of the species in question. The account describes the species' distribution, natural history, habitat requirements, population status, threats to the species, recommended measures to address threats, and a detailed bibliography of relevant literature. To view species accounts of 6 mammals, visit http://www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo_species_mammals.html



WEED OF THE WEEK - Plumeless Thistle
Flowering May through July, this biennial or winter annual grows up to 4 feet, 8 feet under ideal conditions. Flowers are solitary or in clusters of 2 to 5 and are purplish to sometimes white or yellowish in color. Leaves grow 4 to 8 inches long, dark green with a light midrib, deeply divided and sharply-margined.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/eaglelake/plumthis.html



ENERGY ISSUES

"DECISION ISSUED AUTHORIZING NORTH BAJA PIPELINE" (BLM California news release, 04/23/2002)
BLM authorized right of way for portion of 80-mile natural gas pipeline into Mexico to supply customers including two new electric power plants. Portion that crosses federally-managed land is about 50 feet wide, 48 miles long, covering about 300 acres.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/CDDnews46_northbajarod.html

"STATEMENT OF KATHLEEN CLARKE - HOUSE RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OVERSIGHT HEARING ON OIL AND GAS RESOURCE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY" (BLM California news release, 04/18/2002)
BLM Director's testimony to Congressional committee, on oil and gas resources on federally-managed lands, and on Energy Policy and Conservation Act study.
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/legislative/pages/2002/te020418.htm

STATEMENT OF PETE CULP, (BLM) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MINERALS ... HR 3258; "REASONABLE RIGHT-OF-WAY FEES ACT OF 2001" (Department of Interior Web page, 4/23/02)
Rights of way across public lands include oil and gas pipelines and electric lines. Culp testified about fees for these rights of way.
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/legislative/pages/2002/te020411.htm

"BUSH POLICIES HAVE BEEN GOOD TO ENERGY INDUSTRY" (New York Times, 4/21/02)
(Note: the New York Times requires free registration to view articles.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/politics/21ENER.html

FIREFIGHTING

"TRAINING FOR FIRE"
April 15-16 BLM's Surprise Field Office presented its third annual "fire currency training" -- annual refresher training -- for five volunteer fire departments and dozer and tender operators within Surprise Valley. Eagleville, Cedarville, Lake City, Fort Bidwell and the Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation sent a total of 26 trainees -- the best turnout yet.
Training included: 10 standard fire orders, 18 watchout situations, fire-related weather, fire shelter deployment, anchor points, mobile attack, communications, direct and indirect attack, protection of fire origin and personal protective equipment. Surprise BLM enjoys a very good working relationship on local fires. Wildland fire fighting and safety training is a critical need for these departments.
The training was designed by Alturas Field Office Fuels Module leader Albert Savage, with input from Cedarville Volunteer Fire Chief Dan Ross. Savage is the lead instructor, helped this year by Surprise Field Office Fire Prevention Officer Jorge Cervantes and apprentice lead firefighter Heather DePaolo.

"WESTERN GOVERNORS SEEK FIREFIGHTING FUNDS" (WashingtonTimes, 04/22/2002)
" Facing a severe drought and a potentially devastating wildfire season, 16 western governors Monday urged Congress to fully fund a comprehensive plan that includes fire prevention, restoration and suppression ....[and asked for] continued support for the wild land fire management programs of the Interior and Agriculture departments."
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/22042002-060539-5181r.htm

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS

"INTERIOR RESURFACES FROM THE PRE-INTERNET DARK AGES" (GovExec.com, 04/19/2002)
Magazine says other government agencies can learn from experiences of Department of Interior -- including BLM -- when a court finding of inadequate computer security during a lawsuit, knocked them off the Internet for 2 1/2 months.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0402/041902b2.htm
Note: some Department of Interior Web pages are still offline -- but you can view BLM California Web pages on land use plans, news, wildlife, plants and much more at
http://www.ca.blm.gov/

"SUPERVISORS OPPOSE FEDERAL LAND GRABS" (Barstow Desert Dispatch, 04/24/2002)
San Bernardino County supervisors vote to back Congressional bill that would "require most federal agencies to give up land to get land."
http://www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1019666281,92577,

"NEWS BRIEF: CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL OPPOSES MINE ON SACRED QUECHAN SITE" (Yuma Sun, 4/19/02)
Proposed Glamis Imperial Gold Mine.
http://www.yumasun.com/artman/publish/story_1095.shtml

"LEE CHAUVET NAMED CHAIRMAN OF BLM CITIZEN ADVISORY COUNCIL" (BLM California news release, 04/22/2002)
Members of BLM's Northeast California Resource Advisory Council reelected Placerville resident Lee Chauvet to a new term as chairman, and , Janesville resident Gerry Nordstrom was named to a second term as vice chair.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/nr/NCnews48_nerac_meeting_summary_042202.html

"NOTICE OF INTERIM SUPPLEMENTARY FINAL RULES FOR PUBLIC LAND WITHIN THE PIEDRAS BLANCAS LIGHT STATION PROPERTY, SAN SIMEON, CALIFORNIA" (Federal Register Notice, 4/15/02)
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/04/fr/piedras_blancas_lighthouse_supplementary_rules_04502.html

"WYOMING NATIVE NAMED TO TOP WASHINGTON JOB" (BLM News Release, 4/19/02)
Conrad "Con" Lass is the BLM's new chief of staff.
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2002/pr020419_washington.htm

SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS

April 25 - BLM Steering Committee meeting
Ridgecrest
http://www.ridgecrestca.com/beta_2/index.php3?id=819

May 8 - Oil and gas lease sale
Bakersfield
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2002/03/NR/CCnews34_May_OilGas_sale.html