WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What is a Yuma Myotis?
(a) a type of rat
(b) a type of bat
(c) a type of wildcat
(d) a fungus found in many desert caves between El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona
(e) a type of short-sightedness that prevents some Arizonans and nearby Californians from understanding anyone else's points of view on urban sprawl and the environment
------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes.

OFF-ROAD THANKSGIVING

"Focusing on dunes safety" (Imperial Valley Press, 11/26/06)
Visitor to the Imperial Sand Dunes "has firsthand experience of the potential insanity of the five-day Thanksgiving weekend....'Anytime you get 100,000 or 200,000 people together, things get crazy.'" However, "Over the last five years we've had a significant effort by the local officials and the (Bureau of Land Management) to get rid of the guys who are out here causing trouble and to make it more for families," he said. "That’s how we want to keep it."
http://ivpressonline.com/articles/2006/11/26/news/news06.txt

"Fatal accidents mark holiday weekend at dunes" (Yuma Sun, 11/26/06
"Four people died in accidents in and around the Imperial San Dunes Recreation Area during the Thanksgiving holiday that saw crowds of about 180,000 people, officials said Sunday....Lines of recreational vehicles could be seen about a mile long Sunday as the mass exodus of revelers left the sand dunes west of Yuma. But for the most part, officials said, it was a routine holiday season at the dunes, a popular spot for dirtbikes, sand rails, bonfires and of course, beer."
http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_28260.php

RELATED: "Off highway vehicles" (BLM California, El Centro Field Office)
Miles of trails and open areas await all types of OHV enthusiasts. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for knowing, understanding, and complying with all OHV regulations. Please obey all signs regarding the management of public lands and routes. Includes links to Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area and other areas open to OHV use and managed by BLM California's El Centro Field Office.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/elcentro/ohvs.html

"Off-roaders hit the trails" (Barstow Desert Dispatch, 11/25/06)
"Thousands of off-roaders roared across the Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area Friday in an annual post-Thanksgiving tradition."
http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/116447124291965.html

RELATED: "Off-highway vehicle riding" (BLM California, Barstow Field Office)
Includes information on upcoming events, and links at the bottom of the page tell more about the Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area plus four other OHV areas managed by BLM California's Barstow Field Office.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/barstow/ohvinfo.html

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS

"Suit filed to open remote road" (San Bernardino County Sun, 11/25/06)
"A long-simmering issue involving an obscure 19th-century law that grants rights of way on federal land is heading for court. A major legal battle looms over...a closed Inyo County road through remote Surprise Canyon to the ghost town of Panamint City in Death Valley National Park....The U.S. Bureau of Land Management installed a gate to close the road in mid-2001, sparking the court challenge by the landowners and off-road- vehicle groups that frequented the canyon."
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_4719696

"Trona kiosk project nearly finished" (Ridgecrest Daily Independent, 11/24/06)
"The new kiosk at the Trona rest area, when completed, will house 16 panels of information, supplied by the Bureau of Land Management, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Searles Valley Minerals, Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society, the Historical Society, and the Naval base at China Lake."
http://www.ridgecrestca.com/articles/2006/11/24/news/local/news02.txt

"Desert world explored" (Daily Sundial, California State University, Northridge - 11/27/06)
"The California State University system has developed a program that allows students to participate in the examination of the desert environment....Students have had the opportunity to study amphibians and reptiles, birds, fish, insects, mammals and plants at the Desert Studies Center, located east of the Mojave Desert just before Bakersfield....The Bureau of Land Management helped create the Desert Studies Center in 1976."
http://sundial.csun.edu/media/storage/paper862/news/2006/11/27/News/Desert.World.Explored-2507070.shtml

RELATED: "About the Desert Studies Center" (Desert Studies Center website)
"Established in 1976 under a cooperative management agreement with the Bureau of Land Management, the Center is operated for the CSU by the California Desert Studies Consortium, an organization of seven southern California CSU campuses: Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona and San Bernardino." Links to information on 2007 classes.
http://biology.fullerton.edu/facilities/dsc/zz_about.html

"Free chipping service for public to get rid of brush" (Oroville Mercury-Register, 11/22/06)
"County residents can now enjoy a free chipping service for the cut brush they have after creating defensible space around their homes, driveways, and access roads," though "''people need to know how to put the brush out in the right way and in rows instead of piles.'" The program is made possible by grants from agencies including the BLM.
http://orovillemr.com/news/ci_4702126

"Wild turkeys right at home" (San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/23/06)
"Fowl thrive locally, popular with hunters looking for challenge....Public lands open for hunting wild turkey in the county include Cleveland National Forest, federal Bureau of Land Management territory, and some state Department of Fish and Game lands. In addition to having a hunting license, turkey hunters are required to buy an upland bird game stamp."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20061123-9999-7m23turkey.html

RELATED: "Hunting and target shooting" (BLM California website)
State of California hunting regulations must be followed on Federal lands. Safe and prudent actions should be followed at all times. Be aware of the other public land visitors who may be utilizing the same areas for other recreational uses, i.e., camping, hiking, biking, and rock-hounding. If you have specific questions on areas that may be appropriate for hunting or shooting, you are encouraged to contact the BLM Field Office having jurisdiction over the area.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/caso/hunting.html

"Sudden oak death remains problem" (The Eureka Reporter, 11/25/06)
"Sudden Oak Death was first found in the Redway area of Humboldt County in 2002. There are 14 California counties with P. ramorum-infested forests, as well as one county in southwest Oregon. To date, more than a million oaks and tanoaks have been killed by SOD in California, and at least another million are currently infected." BLM has joined other agencies in funding projects to research and reduce the problem.
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=17875

"Current job openings - BLM California" (USAJOBS website)
Current listings include firefighting positions and internships in archaeology.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9blm-ca.asp

EMPLOYEE PROFILE: David Christy...
...is BLM's public affairs officer for Central California.  His official office location is Folsom, but he works for the four field office managers of Folsom, Hollister, Bishop and Bakersfield -- so his unofficial office is his car. Read more in this week's News.bytes Employee Profile.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/newsbytes/profiles/David_Christy-Folsom.html

NATIONAL AND/OR DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ITEMS

"Nature programs' goal: No child left inside" (USA Today, 11/22/06)
"A back-to-nature movement to reconnect children with the outdoors is burgeoning nationwide. Programs, public and private, are starting or expanding as research shows kids suffer health problems, including obesity, from too much sedentary time indoors with TV and computers....Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne agrees and has been giving speeches on the topic."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-21-no-child-left-inside_x.htm

RELATED: "Groups aim to 'plant seeds' with kids" (USA Today, 11/21/06)
"Third-grader...didn't spend last Saturday morning watching her usual cartoons on Nickelodeon. She tried something new: horseback riding....'The power of the outdoors is strong,' says Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, whose daughter Heather went camping with her folks at 5 or 6 and later became a whitewater rafter and backpacker."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-21-outdoor-youth_x.htm

"Klamath Summit delayed to allow parties to negotiate" (Associated Press in San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/22/06)
"A summit meeting to consider removing four dams and help restore struggling salmon runs in the Klamath River will be put off a month to give farmers, fishermen, Indian tribes and conservation groups time to bargain. The groups contacted the governors of Oregon and California this week, saying they were making good progress on a settlement for re-licensing four hydroelectric dams widely seen as a major factor in the salmon collapse....Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne wants to see solutions on the table before committing to attend the summit and to return to Washington, D.C., to seek funding...."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20061122-1416-wst-klamathsummit.html

WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer
(b) a type of bat

SOURCE: "Yuma Myotis, Myotis yumanenesis" (BLM California wildlife database)
Yuma myotis are closely associated with water, and they tend to feed on insects that are found near water. Common prey species are moths, diptera, and termites.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/wildlife/details.php?metode=serial_number&search=3132

RELATED: "Animal Field Guide: Yuma myotis" (Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)
Some information, plus two photos.
http://fwp.mt.gov/fieldguide/detail_AMACC01020.aspx

"Yuma Myotis, Myotis yumanenesis" (California Department of Fish and Game, California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System)
More information, and a number of references. (PDF file, 15 kilobytes)
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/bdb/cwhr/lha/lha_M023.pdf