EARTH DAY THIS WEEKEND

"Celebrate Earth Day 2006" (BLM national website)
A "Garden Party," a trail cleanup, a national monument celebration -- BLM California is participating in six Earth Day events, on April 21 or 22. This national list includes more than 20 events in which BLM will take part. There is also a cleanup day at Knoxville Recreation Area -- see "off-road vehicles" section below.
http://www.blm.gov/education/LearningLandscapes/menu/news/news0604.html

See other events this weekend on our BLM California online calendar:

Friday:
https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_day.php?selectedDate=1145599200

Saturday:
https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_day.php?selectedDate=1145685600

Sunday:
https://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/calendar/view_day.php?selectedDate=1145772000

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
April 23-29 is 2006 National Volunteer Week:

"Volunteer program" (BLM California website)
The BLM in California recruits volunteers to assist with the completion of unfunded conservation work that would otherwise go undone. The program provides individuals and community organizations an opportunity to be actively involved in the administration of public lands. Learn how to volunteer, who is eligible and who to contact for more information.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/caso/volunteers.html

Volunteer opportunities (Volunteer.gov website)
Volunteer opportunities in California with the BLM and other federal agencies.
http://volunteer.gov/gov/ResultsZ.cfm?mySort=Agency&sD=ASC&states=CA

"Volunteer program coordinators" (BLM California website)
Who to contact in BLM California's field offices.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/caso/volunteer_coordinators.html

"National Volunteer Week" (Points of Light Foundation website)
National Volunteer Week has been designated by Presidential Executive Order since 1974.
http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/

WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Pup
What kind of water do Desert Pupfish like?
(a) water with twice the salinity of sea water
(b) fresh water
(c) water that is 113 degrees Fahrenheit
(d) water that is 48 degrees Fahrenheit
(e) oxygen-saturated waters
(f) waters with oxygen as low as 0.1 parts per million
(g) all of the above and anything in between
(h) water with catfish in it
------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes.

SPECIAL STATUS PLANT OF THE WEEK: Munz cholla...
...is a type of cactus that grows about 6-1/2 to just under 13 feet tall, and almost as wide. It grows in some dry, gravelly or sandy places, on public lands managed by BLM's El Centro and Palm Springs-South Coast field offices.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/ssp/plants/opuntia_munzii.html

BLM, GIRL SCOUTS AND LEAVE NO TRACE

"Girl Scouts learn about Leave No Trace and Linking Girls to the Land" (BLM California News.bytes Extra)
Megan, a Senior Girl Scout, finished her Girl Scout Gold Award by coordinating a "Leave No Trace Outdoor Skills Workshop" for Junior and Brownie Troops in Norco, California. BLM's California Desert District Office was one of the program sponsors. A week later, a "train the trainer" workshop taught others to spread the word about Leave No Trace.
Read more.

WILD HORSES AND BURROS

"Lake Perris Adoption and Education Fair to highlight wild horses and burros" (BLM California news release, 4/11/06)
The BLM's wild horse and burro adoption and educational fair at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds will be this weekend, April 21-22. BLM will offer an outstanding selection of 80 wild Mustang yearlings, geldings, and mares and 20 wild burros to qualified adopters through its Adopt-A-Horse or Burro Program. The animals usually arrive at the facility around noon Friday, and the public is welcome to view the animals.
News release.

"Free horse training demonstrations to highlight adoption event" (BLM California news release, 4/12/06)
Northern California horse enthusiasts have the chance to learn about gentle methods of horse training, during the BLM's wild horse and burro adoption event Saturday, April 29, at the Litchfield Corrals, 20 miles east of Susanville on U. S. Highway 395.
News release.

"Wild horses and burros up for adoption in Oakdale" (BLM California news release, 4/18/06)
The adoption event runs Friday through Sunday, May 12-14 at the Oakdale Rodeo Grounds. A preview of the 80 mustangs and 20 burros begins at 3 p.m. Friday. Adoption gates will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/04/nr/NCNews47_oakdaleapdoption_apr06.html

OFF-ROAD VEHICLES

"3rd annual Knoxville OHV cleanup day" (BLM California, Ukiah Field Office website)
Starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 23, sponsored by Napa County Sheriff's Department. RSVP is requested.
PDF file, 185 kilobytes:
http://www.blm.gov/ca/pdfs/ukiah_pdfs/Knoxville_CleanUp_2006.pdf

RELATED: "Knoxville" (BLM California, Ukiah Field Office website)
Because of its close proximity to the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area regions, and because of its varied terrain, Knoxville's 17,700 acres attract many off-highway vehicle enthusiasts each year.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/ukiah/knoxville.html

"34 cited for illegal off-roading" (Victorville Daily Press, 4/17/06)
"Thirty-four people were cited Saturday for riding off-highway vehicles in the area east of Interstate 15 near Stoddard Wells Road. The crackdown on illegal offroad vehicle riders was made at the behest of residents in the area who have long complained about the noise and the dust produced by the activity. The site has been posted since March as a non-OHV riding area."
http://www.vvdailypress.com/2006/114528081847710.html

RELATED: "Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area" (BLM California website)
The triangular-shaped riding area is formed by Interstate 15 and California Highway 247 (Barstow Road), immediately south of Barstow. One access point is via Stoddard Wells Road.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/barstow/stoddard.html

"Coalition sounds off over noise restrictions" (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 4/14/06)
"A coalition of off-road industry organizations has filed a lawsuit challenging Riverside County's new restrictions on noise and off-road-vehicle use on private property." A county attorney "said the county would begin enforcing the noise limits early next month unless a judge grants the request."
(Free registration required.)
http://www.pe.com/localnews/morenovalley/stories/PE_News_Local_P_offroad14.1d64f9ea.html

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS

"Yuba Goldfields Training Center proposal open for comment" (BLM California news release,
The BLM is seeking public comment on a proposal from the Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 Apprentice Training Committee to establish a heavy equipment operator training center in the Yuba Goldfields on 57 acres of public land eight miles east of Marysville on Hammonton Road.
News release.

"High water postpones Pit River Campground opening" (BLM California news release, 4/17/06)
Wet weather and high river flows have forced a delay in the opening of the Bureau of Land Management's Pit River Campground near Fall River Mills. The BLM's Alturas Field Office said the tentative opening date is now Saturday, May 20, two weeks later than the traditional opening date. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/04/nr/NCNews46_pitriver_opening_delayed.html

"Current job openings - BLM California" (USAJOBS website)
Current listings include administrative officer, interpretive natural resource specialist, interpretive outdoor recreation planner, criminal investigator and firefighting positions.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9blm-ca.asp

"Free chipper program helps residents stay safe from fire" (Chico Enterprise-Record, 4/16/06)
"A free chipper program is in place to aid residents who want to create defensible space around their homes, making them easier to save in case of wildfire. Any Butte County resident who has cut brush around their homes, along their driveways and access roads can participate." The program is made possible by grants from partners including BLM.
http://www.chicoer.com/fastsearchresults/ci_3716130

"Man rescued from mine shaft" (San Bernardino County Sun, 4/16/06)
"A Riverside County man who fell down a 60- to 80-foot-deep mine shaft Friday afternoon was rescued early Saturday with multiple fractures to his legs and feet...." Sheriff's Sgt. Doug Hubbard, who helped supervise the rescue, said the mine on private property was not sealed, and there were no warning signs: "Part of the problem is there are so many mines in California, 15,000 of them....Some are on private property, some are on BLM (U.S. Bureau of Land Management) land. Signs end up getting stolen or vandalized."
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3715487

"Brothers split on borders" (Associated Press in San Luis Obispo Tribune, 4/15/06)
Rep. Duncan Hunter's legislative effort includes reinforcing the U.S. border with Mexico. His brother John works to provide "water in the California desert to illegal border crossers." BLM manages significant amounts of land along the U.S.-Mexico border.
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/state/14350116.htm

MEET YOUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS: Don Robinson...
...has lived in California for 36 years and has hiked and worked throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He represents energy and mineral development interests on BLM's Central California Resource Advisory Council. Read more.

EMPLOYEE PROFILE: Richard Grabowski...
...still remembers those summer camping vacations that brought him into geology -- and eventually to the Bureau of Land Management.  He has been with the BLM for 8 years.
Read more in this week's News.bytes Employee Profile.

WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer
(g) all of the above and anything in between. Pupfish can withstand conditions that would kill most other fishes. They typically live in desert areas, where in summer months the average temperature of the water is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit -- but at times it can get as hot as 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Pupfish, along with only a few species of desert lizards, are the only vertebrates that can survive such extreme heat. Pupfish are also able to survive temperatures as cold as 32 degrees Fahrenheit. These small fishes can also tolerate water with a salt content that is more than four times the salt content of ocean water, and they can survive in water with very little oxygen.

RELATED: "Pupfish, desert - Cyprinodon macularius" (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website)
Includes links to its life history and to "NatureServe Explorer Species Reports" -- both of which also include lists of references.
http://ecos.fws.gov/species_profile/SpeciesProfile?spcode=E044

RELATED: "A field study of environmental variables influencing abundance and distribution of desert pupfish in the Salton Sea Basin" (U.S. Geological Survey website)
Research from 1999-2000: "Populations of the desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) have declined dramatically over the past few decades, culminating in its current status as an endangered species."
http://wfrc.usgs.gov/research/aquatic%20ecology/STSaiki6.htm