National Public Lands Day 2010 Volunteers “Have a Ball” at

BLM-California’s Dos Palmas Area of Critical Environmental Concern

To celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office hosted a volunteer project at the Dos Palmas Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).  Roughly 14,000 acres in area, Dos Palmas ACEC comprises diverse environments, including wildlife ponds, freshwater marshlands, fan palm oases, native sand dunes, desert sink scrub, and desert wash woodlands.  The ACEC provides habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals, several listed species among them.    Outfitted in NPLD 2010 t-shirts, College of the Desert students stand proudly behind the fruits of their labor:  native plant “seed balls.”   Dos Palmas is a verdant oasis located near the northeast margin of California's Salton Sea. Volunteers participating in this year’s event helped BLM staff form mixed soil, sand, clay, and native seeds into “seed balls” to be planted within areas of the ACEC that had been cleared of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima)—or saltcedar— an invasive plant species.  In all, 25 volunteers, including a California Department of Fish and Game employee and several students from the College of the Desert, rolled up their sleeves for the sake of restoring this unique area.  While most of the participants were local residents, a couple of volunteers even made the two-hour drive from the Los Angeles basin to join the effort!  After the work was complete, volunteers enjoyed a short educational hike, led by Eddy Konno, California Fish and Game, and Tracy Albrecht, BLM interpretive specialist, to a nearby oasis to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area. Coordinated by the non-profit National Environmental Education Foundation, National Public Lands Day is the nation’s premier workday on behalf of the public lands.  Eight Federal agencies countless State and local governments, and several national corporate sponsors participate each year.  More information is available on the official NPLD website. In 2010, the BLM hosted more than 125 National Public Lands Day projects and engaged the services of more than 9,500 volunteers.  Participants were thanked with limited-edition NPLD t-shirts and “fee-free” coupons entitling them to one free entry at any fee site managed by a participating Federal agency. Many of the BLM’s 2010 projects were conducted on units within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.