News Release

For Release:  September 10, 2007                
Contact:  David Christy, (916) 985-4474
CA-CC-07-72

National Public Lands Day Events Near Bishop Need a Few Good Volunteers

The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office is asking eastern Sierra residents to take a few hours on Sept. 29, National Public Lands Day, and give back to the public lands surrounding our communities.

“We have several conservation projects, from the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine to the Bodie Hills near Bridgeport, on the public lands that contribute to the quality of life we all cherish,” said Bill Dunkelberger, BLM Bishop Field Office manager. Conservation organizations including the California Deer Association, Quail Unlimited and the Public Lands Foundation have provided money for project supplies, drinks and t-shirts for the volunteers.

Detailed descriptions of projects are posted on the web at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/res/volunteers.html.

Projects scheduled on Sept. 29 include:

• Mt. Tom Bitterbrush Planting Project:  Plant native desert plant species in habitats destroyed by past wildfires. Contact Anne Halford, BLM Botanist and project coordinator, at (760) 872-5022.
  
• Poleta Canyon Open Off-Highway Vehicle Area Boundary Identification: Mark the south boundary of the Poleta Canyon OHV Area using global positioning satellite technology.  Contact Rich Williams, BLM OHV specialist, at (760) 872-5033.
  
• Bodie Hills Aspen Restoration Project: Construct fences around the edge of small aspen groves to improve aspen regeneration, long-term grove health and overall wildlife habitat quality.  Contact Steve Nelson, BLM wildlife biologist, at (760) 872-5006.
  
• Alabama Hills Community Spirit Day:  The Lone Pine Film Festival Committee, The Lone Pine Film History Museum, and the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce are major sponsors for work on the Alabama Hills entrance station and a pre-Lone Pine Film Festival cleanup of the hills. Please bring gloves, hat, sun screen and rakes.  Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Lone Pine McDonalds for a volunteer orientation breakfast courtesy of McDonalds.  If you skip the breakfast, meet at 9:15 a.m. at the Alabama Hills entrance station on Whitney Portal Road.  For further information, contact Chris Langley, film museum director, at (760) 937-1189 or Jim Jennings, BLM recreation planner, at (760) 872-5027.
  
• A joint BLM and Inyo National Forest project this year is a month-long interpretive display at the White Mountain Public Lands Information Center in Bishop.  The display, designed to solicit additional citizen volunteers, began early this month and portrays past NPLD conservation projects, the significance of the volunteers’ work and the abundance of future opportunities to volunteer.

“This year is especially noteworthy because the Bishop BLM office can expand conservation efforts as more volunteers step forward to take personal responsibility to maintain the scenic landscape that is our backyard,” Dunkelberger said.

National Public Lands Day is the largest annual coast-to-coast, single-day volunteer restoration effort for America's public lands. The purpose of this event is to improve the recreational facilities, preserve the biological and heritage resources, and foster public involvement in the stewardship of public lands.

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Bishop Field Office - 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100 - Bishop, CA 93514