WILD HORSES AND BURROS

"Wild horse and burro fans take part in workshop, adoption" (News.bytes Extra, issue 177)
Nearly 50 wild horse and burro enthusiasts participated in Wild Horse Workshop 2004 in Brentwood, from Sept. 20-26. Participants improved their animal gentling and training techniques, and learned new ones from the eight experienced trainers who participated as workshop clinicians. See photos from the workshop and adoption.

"Wild horse and burro adoption program rolls into in Woodside" (News.bytes Extra, issue 177)
See more wild horse and burro event photos - these from an event last week in Woodside.

"Wild burros offered for adoption in Red Bluff" (BLM California news release, 09/29/2004)
Wild burros will be available for public adoption Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, during the annual Longears Cele'bray'tion, set for the Pauline Davis Arena at the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff. Adoption gates open at 9 a.m. both days. The BLM will offer a small number of burros for adoption - the exact number will depend on availability from the BLM corrals.

"BLM brings wild horse and burro adoption program to Beaumont" (BLM California news release, 10/5/2004)
Adoption November 6-7, animal preview and applications accepted starting November 5.

"Wild horses won't be coming back" (San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/6/2004)
Feral horses will not be returning to Anza-Borrego State Park's Coyote Canyon, from which they were removed last year. Park superintendent says BLM had determined that "the herd was not a viable herd of horses."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20041006-9999-1mi6horses.html

WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Chuck, the walla?
Chuckwallas start their day by basking in the sun to warm up. Where are they most likely to bask while warming up?
(a) On sandy beaches - near bunches of beach grass where they live.
(b) In tree branches - outside the hollow tree trunks where they live.
(c) On rocks in the desert - near the rocky cover where they live.
(d) On top of discarded items in dumps where they tend to live.
(e) Inside abandoned automobiles where they tend to set up residence.
(f) Inside tiny greenhouses they build using discarded plastic bags.
(g) On the patios of trendy coffee shops in the Hollywood area.
Take your best guess in our online interactive quiz:
http://www6.ca.blm.gov/forms/polls/issue177/wild/index.php

LAST WEEK'S WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Our online quiz ran into problems tallying votes immediately after News.bytes was sent out. This problem was discovered and corrected within about two hours - but votes before that time were "lost."
See the current results of the "voting" in last week's wildlife trivia question:
http://www6.ca.blm.gov/forms/polls/issue176/wild/index.php?result=true

SPECIAL STATUS PLANT OF THE WEEK: Alkali ivesia
This perennial herb prefers moist, alkaline clay soils. It is found at elevations from 3,840 to 6,816 feet. Heads contain 5 or less flowers. Flowers are 3/8 inches wide, with white, obovate petals, 1/8 - 1/4 inches long. Fruit are smooth, light brown achenes, 1/8 inch long.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/pa/ssp/plants/Alkali_ivesia.html

OUR READERS WRITE
"Thank you for a very informative newsletter."
      - R.H., Arcata

MEET YOUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Doug White
Doug White represents Colusa County District 2 on the Colusa County Board of Supervisors and is the local elected official on BLM's Northwest California Resource Advisory Council.
Read more in our weekly News.bytes feature.

PROFILE: Lori Ann White-Bagnaschi
Lori provides computer system administrator services to the Alturas and Surprise Field Offices, and is the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) coordinator for the Alturas Field Office. She is also a member of Toastmaster International, an organization dedicated to helping people overcome their fear of public speaking.
Read more in our weekly News.bytes Profile.

DESERT LIFE - AND RECREATION

"Kangaroo rats part of local wildlife" (Ridgecrest Daily Independent, 10/01/2004)
BLM steering committee learns more about kangaroo rats: "The presentation is part of a routine overview of local wildlife BLM discusses throughout the year. The presentations help BLM with their management plans for public land." Presentations were also made on grazing permits, and off-highway vehicle recreation.
http://www.ridgecrestca.com/articles/2004/10/01/news/local/news02.txt

"Our opinion: Good for two" (Imperial Valley Press, 09/29/2004)
Editorial: "The fast-growing Imperial Valley needs materials for countless construction projects but Ocotillo residents, who live in the scenic town for its serenity and isolation, need their peace....The pits are on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land....[county officials] deserve kudos for doing what was both good for the mining companies and good for the people of Ocotillo."
http://ivpressonline.com/articles/2004/09/29/opinion/ed02.txt

"Help sought in study of dunes" (Imperial Valley Press, )
"In a few years, Imperial Valley residents and tourists from hundreds of miles away might be able to look at a daily Internet index for the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, receive live updates of visitation numbers, crowds, the amount of money spent and conditions in the 160,000-acre dunes. Volunteers could contribute time to 'adopt' entrances, promote local businesses to out-of-towners and compile information annually on the growing tourism in the area." These ideas were presented to a new dunes tourism group.
http://ivpressonline.com/articles/2004/10/01/news/news01.txt

"Sand dunes threatened with closure" (Yuma Sun, 09/30/2004)
"Environmental and conservation groups on Wednesday vowed to file an injunction that would eliminate all off-road vehicle use at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area if the federal government reopens a 49,000-acre portion temporarily closed as a result of a lawsuit filed by those groups to protect a threatened plant species"
http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_13464.shtml

"Bugs need help from boaters in fighting river weed" (Yuma Sun, 10/04/2004)
"Boaters are joining forces with bugs to tackle an infestation of 'the world's worst weed' threatening to choke the Lower Colorado River. Boaters are being asked to help curb the spread of giant salvinia, say Bureau of Land Management officials who deployed weevils last year to eat the plant. Those officials say the weevils, however, are just starting to feed and human help is still needed....The area hardest hit is Walter's Camp in California."
http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_13528.shtml

"Mojave Desert Science Symposium" (Desert Managers Group website)
BLM is one of many sponsors of this conference, "exploring the interfaces between science and resource management....[emphasizing] where the state-of-the-art is in our knowledge of the Mojave Desert, its ecosystem processes, and what the implications of new and emerging science are to resource management." The conference will be Nov. 16-18 at the University of Redlands. BLM California State Director Mike Pool is an invited keynote speaker.
http://www.dmg.gov/mdss/

PHOTO ALBUM: Land use planning and public outreach
Did you know BLM California is involved in 14 resource management plans or major plan amendments? These include plans for public lands in northwestern California, the Clear Creek Management Area, Eastern San Diego County and areas managed by BLM's Alturas, Eagle Lake, Surprise and Hollister Field Offices. BLM holds many public meetings to conduct outreach and solicit public comments on such plans.

Related: "Meetings set on draft California Coastal National Monument plan" (BLM California news release, 10/4/2004)
One of these management plans is for the California Coastal National Monument. The drafts of a plan and environmental impact statement detail a range of alternatives for managing approximately 20,000 rocks, small islands, pinnacles and exposed reefs off the entire 1,100-mile California coastline. Public meetings will be held in towns and cities along the California coast to provide public comment opportunities.

Related: "California Coastal National Monument" (BLM California website)
Designated by Presidential Proclamation on January 11, 2000, the California Coastal National Monument runs the entire length of the California coast (840-miles) between Oregon and Mexico, extends 12 nautical miles from the shoreline, and encompasses thousands of BLM administered islands, rocks, exposed reefs, and pinnacles above mean high tide.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/pa/coastal_monument/index.html

"Mount Tom Public Lands Day" (Volunteer.gov website)
Saturday, October 9 is "National Public Lands Day" at Mount Tom. Volunteers will perform a bitterbrush planting project at the base of the mountain, located just outside Bishop. Join the Fun!
http://www.volunteer.gov/gov/uidetail.cfm?ID=2256

"Volunteers needed for Cow Mountain cleanup" (BLM California news release, 10/5/2003)
Nov. 6 at South Cow Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area east of Ukiah: Volunteers are needed to help remove brush from trails, clean up trash and complete minor maintenance work.

"National Public Lands Day, a call for action" (The Inyo Register, 10/01/2004)
Not exactly on the designated National Public Lands Day - but "here in the Eastern Sierra, the NPLD projects have been scheduled for Oct. 9 and Nov. 20. 'We usually postpone our projects here,' said [the BLM ranger] in charge of rehabilitation projects with outdoor enthusiasts. 'September is usually too hot in the areas we work in like this year's projects near Mt. Tom and in the Volcanic Tablelands.'" The projects will help restore winter forage for mule deer herds in one area damaged by fire, and help maintain trails and access for climbers in another area.
http://www.inyoregister.com/articles/2004/10/01/features/313mtn02.txt

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS

"BLM releases management plan for Swasey Drive area" (BLM California news release, 10/4/2004)
The plan will guide activities on the 1,250-acres of public land west of Redding.

"Pot plants pulled" (Union Democrat, 09/30/2004)
Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Forest Service and BLM law enforcement confiscate marijuana plants in Stanislaus National Forest - an estimated two days before they were ready for harvest: "Two men arrested, 1,133 marijuana plants worth $7 million-plus uprooted and no one got hurt - or shot at."
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=15334

"Current job openings - BLM California" (USAJOBS Web site)
Current openings include several types of firefighting positions and civil engineer technician.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9blm-ca.asp

"BLM considers trading off Shasta land" (Redding Record Searchlight, 10/6/2004)
"Scenery meets civilization at the dead end of Victoria Drive west of Redding, where the Bureau of Land Management is considering giving up a little-known swath of public land in exchange for a larger parcel of watershed property in Trinity County."
http://www.redding.com/redd/nw_local/article/0,2232,REDD_17533_3233625,00.html

"BLM extends emergency temporary closure of public lands near San Diego" (BLM California news release, 10/5/2004)
The emergency extension will allow a seed treatment of native species to germinate and establish during one growing season without the threat of trampling from vehicle and human activities. The seed treatment was recommended by the Burned Area Emergency Stabilization and Restoration (BAER) Plan for the Otay, Cedar and Paradise fires.

"Shrimp given new lease on life" (Redding Record Searchlight, 09/30/2004)
"For a million years, vernal pool tadpole shrimp have skittered about on 35 tiny pairs of legs, little noticed in the seasonal wetlands of California's Central Valley. The shelled crustaceans haven't changed much over time, experts say. It's the world around them that's different." Officials hope a linked "preserve system" will help insure their survival - "more than 40 acres are already protected by the Bureau of Land Management...."
http://www.redding.com/redd/nw_local/article/0,2232,REDD_17533_3219541,00.html

"Statement ... before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ... hearing on Riverside County...land conveyance." (BLM national website, 10/1/2004)
"H.R. 3874 would transfer approximately 44 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the City of Palm Springs...for the purposes of providing a homeless shelter, training center, and affordable housing on the lands. The Department supports the goals of this legislation, but recommends some modifications."
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/legislative/pages/2004/te040929b.htm

"Mariposa in arms over gun proposal" (Modesto Bee, 10/02/2004)
"A proposed firearms ordinance got shot dead this week even before the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors brought it up for discussion. ....The law's language...would have prohibited the transportation of loaded firearms in 'a public place,' and prohibited hunting in 'a public place'....it did not specify whether 'public place' included territory in the Stanislaus and Sierra national forests, or territory governed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management."
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/9230059p-10130410c.html

NATIONAL AND/OR DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR ITEMS

"BLM and states develop comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies" (BLM national news release, 10/5/2004)
The Bureau of Land Management is collaborating with state wildlife management agencies to create the first nationwide approach to wildlife management.
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2004/pr041005_wildlife.htm

"BLM launches two new web-based tools for accessing land records" (BLM California news release, 10/01/2004)
On the GeoCommunicator website: The Land and Mineral Use Records tool allows users to search, locate, access, and display records of the use authorizations that the BLM issues to the public for commodities and uses such as oil and gas, coal, sand, gravel, grazing, communication sites, and right-of-ways. The Federal Land Stewardship tool allows users to search, locate, and display the federal land management boundaries for federal lands in the United States. (Instructions on using the new tools are also available via a link from this news release, in a one-megabyte PDF file.)
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2004/pr041001_geocommunicator.htm