News.bytes
A publication of
Bureau of Land Management in California
Issue date: 2/12/2003
This week in News.bytes:
- National News: 2004 budget request
- BLM Advisory Councils to meet -- One for the first time
- Not for Educators Only:
- Wildlife Trivia Question of the Week: bigsnake?
- Bookstore Feature: Precious
- Plant of the Week: Modoc bedstraw
- Desert lands preservation
- Off-Highway vehicle recreation meetings
- Headlines and Highlights, including:
- BLM California's "photo album"
-
Wild horse and burro adoption event
-
Campo Seco decision
-
Volunteers needed
- Selected Upcoming Events
NATIONAL
NEWS: 2004 budget request
"Statement of Gale
A. Norton, Secretary of Interior Before the Senate Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources on the 2004 President's budget request"
(Department of Interior Web site, 2/11/03)
Among other agencies, "Public lands managed by the [BLM] provide
recreational venues for a growing population in the West, hosting over
60 million visitors annually. The 2004 budget requests an increase of
$5.2 million to enable the [BLM] to continue to provide quality recreational
opportunities. BLM will address transportation and access needs and challenges,
expand interpretive and other visitor services, and support greater outreach
and consultation efforts to help resolve user conflicts in the face of
growing visitation."
http://www.doi.gov/secretary/speeches/senatestatement.htm
Related:
"Officials skeptical president's plan would help county"
(Imperial Valley Press, 02/07/2003)
"The president's $2.2 trillion budget proposal released Monday included
a $35 million increase for a federal program to compensate local counties,
including Imperial County, for losses to their property tax base when
the federal government occupies land within their jurisdictions. But county
officials said it might not make much difference because Congress is expected
to provide more this year than the president proposed."
http://ivpressonline.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2003/February/07-1200-news03.txt
BLM
ADVISORY COUNCILS TO MEET - One for the first time
"Carrizo
Plain National Monument Advisory Committee to meet" (BLM California
news release, 02/11/2003)
The newly-formed Carrizo Plain National Monument Advisory Committee will
meet for the first time at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2003.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/CCnews15_CACmeeting/Conv.htm
"BLM Northeast California Advisory Council to meet in Susanville"
(BLM California news release, 02/10/2003)
Development of new land use plans for BLM-managed public lands will be
among the agenda topics, when the BLM's Northeast California Resource
Advisory Council meets Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27 and 28, in Susanville.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/NCnews36_nerac_feb03/Conv.htm
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NOT FOR EDUCATORS ONLY
BOOKSTORE
FEATURE: "Simon & Schuster Guide to Gems & Precious Stones"
From the description: "Entries on all major gems and precious stones
and more than 450 full-color photographs. Provides both connoisseur and
casual collector with a compact, easy-to-use volume describing more than
100 rare varieties of minerals. Additional sections describe the process
of cutting and evaluation of gemstones.
http://store.ca.blm.gov/cgi-bin/webc.exe/st_prod.html?p_prodid=285&p_catid=6
WILDLIFE
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is California's most common
snake?
(See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes)
CORRECTION
to last week's Wildlife Trivia Question -- Red-faced over a red-legged
frog
"The largest frog in California is correctly known as the Red-legged
Frog (Mark Twain's celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County), not the
Red-legged Tree Frog, as you listed it. Tree frogs are much smaller, such
as the Pacific Tree Frog which only reaches a length of about 2 inches
long."
PLANT
OF THE WEEK - Modoc bedstraw
Grayish green perennial herb. Leaves in whorls of four, ovate, on a square
stem. Flowers small, rotate, and greenish yellow. Fruits are small, long,
hairy, round, and twin-lobed.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/surprise/surpgaglm.html
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DESERT LANDS PRESERVATION
"U.S. to Acquire 62,000 Acres of Desert for Conservation"
(Los Angeles Times, 02/10/2003)
"Completing a massive land-buying program, more than 62,000 acres
of former railroad parcels from the Salton Sea to the Colorado River will
be handed over to the public for preservation within a week. The transfer
of title from Catellus Development Corp. to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management
will cap five years of politically arduous bargaining."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-preserve10feb10.story
"Saving the Wild: From
modest beginnings, conservancy blooms" (San Bernardino County
Sun, 02/07/2003)
Wildlands Conservancy -- "one of the biggest conservation agencies
on the West Coast, if not the entire nation" -- plans to add 63,000
more acres to area bought for preservation with BLM. Starting with 1999
purchase of 405,000 acres in the Mojave Desert -- conservancy paid $30
million, federal government $15 million.
http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1165734,00.html
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RECREATION MEETINGS
"BLM Schedules Workshop to Review OHV Grant Proposals"
(BLM California news release, 02/11/2003)
BLM workshop in Hollister to discuss the fiscal year 2004 off-highway
vehicle grant proposal and request. The grant proposal is for California
State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. Workshop will
have three work stations for public comment and recommendations: operations
and maintenance, resource protection/restoration, and law enforcement.
The grant request provides funds for costs related to planning, managing,
and coordinating the BLM off-highway vehicle program in the Clear Creek
Management Area in portions of San Benito and Fresno counties.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/CCnews17_Hollister_OHVworkshop/Conv.htm
"BLM seeking comments on off-highway vehicle grant requests for
South Cow Mountain" (BLM California news release, 02/10/2003)
Grant proposals for operation of the South Cow Mountain off-highway vehicle
area will be discussed, and public comments will be accepted, in two upcoming
public meetings.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/NCnews35_ukiahgrant_feb03/Conv.htm
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HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS
"Photo Album: BLM aimed for functionality and ease of use in setting
up its online photo library" (Government Computer News, 02/10/2003)
"BLM's California state office in Sacramento has been delivering
archived photos over the Web for two years. The California photo library
online... saves money and staff time to research, duplicate and send out
photos."
http://www.gcn.com/22_3/tech-report/21060-1.html
Related: "BLM California
photo library" (BLM California Web site)
Visit our photo library/database and try it for yourself!
http://www6.ca.blm.gov/blm/
"Wild
horses and burros up for adoption in Chowchilla" (BLM California
news release, 1/21/03)
The BLM will offer 80 wild horses and 20 wild burros for adoption at the
Madera-Chowchilla Fairgrounds this Saturday and Sunday, February 15 and
16. Adopters will choose from mares, geldings and yearlings. The horses
range in age from under two to about five years, and are in excellent
health.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/01/nr/NCnews29_chochilla_adoption_feb03/Conv.htm
"BLM crews will burn
debris piles near Day" (BLM California news release, 02/10/2003)
Fire crews from the BLM this month will begin burning debris piles created
during the construction of firebreaks near the community of Day.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/NCnews34_pileburning_alturas_feb03/Conv.htm
"Shooting cleared to continue on Campo Seco public land"
(Calaveras Enterprise, 2/12/03)
"The public lands near Campo Seco will remain open to target shooting
and closed to motorized vehicles under a new Bureau of Land Management
decision."
(Please note: this link may soon change, if this newspaper moves the story
into its archives. If this link no longer works, click the newspapers'
"Archives" link and try a search for "Campo" and/or
"Seco."
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/display/inn_news/news02.txt
"Volunteers Needed
for Bonanza Spring Cleanup" (BLM California news release, 02/07/2003)
The BLM's Needles Field Office is hosting a volunteer cleanup project
on February 26 at Bonanza Spring, off the National Trails Highway (Route
66), approximately 65 miles west of Needles.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/02/nr/CDDnews24_Bonanza_campground_cleanup/Conv.htm
"Groups tell PUC to
stick to ruling" (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 02/08/2003)
"TEMECULA VALLEY: They want a previous decision against a new utility
line to stay in place." Some routes for proposed Valley Rainbow power
line project would require BLM rights-of-way permits.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/southwest/stories/PE_NEWS_nlines08.5845f.html
"High noon at the Blair Ranch" (Los Angeles Times, 02/09/2003)
A newspaper feature story: "The last cattle ranchers face pressure
to leave Mojave National Preserve. The endangered desert tortoise may
drive them out." Groups file intent to sue the Preserve, over same
issues that affected cattle grazing on nearby BLM-managed lands.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-ranch9feb09001509.story
"New policy could improve access to federal lands in Kern"
(Desert News, 02/07/2003)
"A Bush administration policy change that may increase public access
to tens of thousands of miles of rights of way on federal land in the
Western United States is being studied by Kern County planning officials
for its potential impact on roads in the county."
(Please note: this is the second story on the Web page, you may need to
scroll down.)
http://www.desertnews.com/headlines_ek.htm
"State parks
feel summer crunch; Campsites already reserved at popular sites through
Labor Day" (San Francisco Chronicle, 2/11/03)
Outdoor writer: With the most popular California State Park campsites
already sold out for the entire summer, "campers are expected to
turn to parks in the distant reaches of Northern California, as well as
800 lesser-known sites operated by national forests, the Bureau of Land
Management, PG&E and regional and county park districts."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/11/MN178605.DTL
Related:
"BLM California Recreation Search" (BLM California
Web site)
Learn about some of those "other" camping areas that may still
be available on public lands managed by BLM California.
(Note: BLM California's recreation database is on a Department
of Interior secure Web server. See note about this server under "Upcoming
Events" below.)
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/recsites.nsf/search?openform
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ANSWER
TO WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
"What is California's most common snake?"
|
Gopher snakes
are the most common snakes in California. Follow this link to our BLM California
Wildlife Database to learn more about this snake -- such as "These
snakes use constriction to kill their prey."
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmcawildlife.nsf/siteurl/11055162?OpenDocument
(Note: see comment on secure Web server under "Selected Upcoming Events"
below.) |
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SELECTED
UPCOMING EVENTS
(Note: the Upcoming Events database is on a secure Web server,
and your browser may state "You are about to view pages over a secure connection"
and ask you to "Trust a Security Certificate" from the Department
of Interior that hosts this site. To view the pages, you must select "Yes"
or "OK" for both questions.)
TONIGHT! 02/12/2003 - Ridgecrest OHV Grant
Proposal Workshop
Ridgecrest
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/76077364?OpenDocument
02/15/2003 - Wild Horse and Burro adoption - Chowchilla
Chowchilla
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/55480431?OpenDocument
02/15/2003 - Fort Ord memorial planting event
Fort Ord
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/29084001?OpenDocument
02/25/2003 - Hollister OHV grant workshop
Hollister
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/54847334?OpenDocument
02/27/2003 and 02/28/2003
- Northeast California Advisory Council
Susanville
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/64704967?OpenDocument
02/25/2003 - Ukiah OHV grant workshop
Clearlake
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/6973679?OpenDocument
02/26/2003 - Ukiah OHV grant workshop
Ukiah
https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmEvents.nsf/siteurl/58812086?OpenDocument
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News.bytes published by
Bureau of Land Management
California State Office
2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1834
Sacramento, Ca 95825
(916) 978-4600
http://www.ca.blm.gov
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