A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California

Issue 234 - 6/6/06

THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:
- Not for educators only:
      - Antiquities Act turns 100: video, stories
      - Wildlife trivia question of the week: What am I?
      - Weed of the week
- Recreation issues: River danger, OHV grant applications
- Headlines and highlights: Coastal donation, bat gates, jobs, more
- Meet your advisory council members
- Profile
- National and/or Department of the Interior items: First days on the job

Also see this issue of News.bytes online at:
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/newsbytes/2006/234.html

NOT FOR EDUCATORS ONLY:

WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I know you are, but what am I?... What on earth is a Spadefoot? (a) a bird (b) a weasel (c) a frog (d) a toad (e) an angler who digs worms to use for bait ------> See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes.

HEADLINES AND HIGHLIGHTS "BLM accepts transfer of Piedras Blancas coastal outcropping"(BLM California news release, 6/1/06) The striking white rocks off the coast of San Simeon that once served as a guidepost for sea-faring vessels were donated by the Hearst Corporation to the Bureau of Land Management last month, furthering the agency’s efforts to protect the unique natural resources and scenic values of California’s coastline through the California Coastal National Monument. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/nr/CCNews46_piedrasrocks.html RELATED: "Piedras Blancas coastal outcropping" (BLM California website) Photos of the rock outcroppings donated to BLM. "Agencies will open fire season Monday, June 12" (BLM California news release, 6/6/06) The onset of summer weather conditions has prompted officials at the Susanville Interagency Fire Center to declare the wildfire season officially open Monday, June 12. The "official" fire season announcement informs people that high fire dangers exist and that caution with outdoor uses of fire is required. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/nr/NCNews61_norcal_fireseason_06.html "Bat gate-building workshop" (News.bytes Extra) Participants in the workshop learned how to build bat-friendly gates to make abandoned mines safer -- while still allowing access to bats. Twenty students took part in the weeklong workshop. "Honey Lake water plan takes shape" (Reno Gazette-Journal, 6/1/06) "Winning approval to cross federal lands...was the last major hurdle in building a water pipeline from Honey Lake Basin to serve up to 16,000 new homes in the North Valleys. Construction of the 28-mile pipeline would bring 8,000 acre-feet of water a year from the Fish Springs Ranch near Susanville to the hills east of Reno-Stead Airport....The pipeline will follow the Tuscarora gas pipeline and the Alturas power line across U.S. Bureau of Land Management land." http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS10/606010344/1002/NEWS "S 2567 IS - Eastern Sierra Rural Heritage and Economic Enhancement Act (Introduced in Senate)" (Library of Congress website) "To maintain the rural heritage of the Eastern Sierra and enhance the region's tourism economy by designating certain public lands as wilderness and certain rivers as wild and scenic rivers in the State of California, and for other purposes." This legislation would designate four sections, covering almost 24 miles of BLM -administered public lands along the Amargosa River, as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.2567.IS: "Horses, burros available for adoption in Auburn" (BLM California news release, 6/6/06) Young, healthy wild horses and burros from public ranges will be looking for new homes, when the Bureau of Land Management offers them for public adoption June 24 and 25 in Auburn. The BLM will offer 65 horses ranging in age from under 2 to about 5 years old along with 10 burros. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/nr/NCNews60_auburn_adoption_june06.html "BLM meeting on Davis Mill tailings clean-up" (BLM California news release, 6/5/06) A BLM-sponsored community meeting to discuss the clean-up of arsenic and mercury-bearing tailings at the site of an old mine and mill about three miles north of Nevada City will be held Monday, June 19, 2006, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm . Persons with an interest in abandoned mines in the Nevada City area are invited to attend. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/nr/CCNews47_Davis_mill_cleanup_meeting.html "BLM plans prescribed burns in Cache Creek Natural Area" (BLM California news release, 6/5/06) Three prescribed fires are planned for the coming days within the Cache Creek Natural Area, near the junction of state highways 16 and 20. Three burns are planned, to help control the spread of yellow starthistle. Burning will occur only on days when weather conditions and other factors allow for safe and successful burning. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/nr/NCNews59_payne_ranch_rxburn.html "Hottest technology deployed in fight against wildfires" (USA Today, 6/4/06) "As firefighters brace for the worst wildfire season in six years, they're hoping satellites and digital technology will keep them ahead of the blazes....One team in Moreno Valley, Calif., has been using handheld personal digital assistants in the field and satellite-linked computers in their fire engines since spring to fight fires for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management." http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-06-04-wildfire-gps_x.htm?POE=TECISVA "Current job openings - BLM California" (USAJOBS website) Current listings include administrative technician, dispatcher, rangeland management specialist and several firefighting jobs. http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9blm-ca.asp "Notice of intent to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for proposed wind energy project in Coachella Valley" (Federal Register notice, 6/5/06) The EIS/EIR will describe and analyze alternatives for a proposed wind energy generating facility on approximately 600 acres in the Whitewater floodplain in the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/2006/06/fr/Coachella%20wind%20energy%20proposal.html "Public comment periods" (BLM California website) Nine comment periods are currently open, with various comment periods ending from June 9 to July 27. http://www.blm.gov/ca/news/publiccom.html

MEET YOUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS: Diane Fairchild Beck... ...represents national and regional environmental interests on BLM's Northwest California Resource Advisory Council. Read more.

EMPLOYEE PROFILE: Larry Vredenburgh In his earliest days working for BLM, Larry "stumbled on an 1880's era ghost town that had not been documented - it was not in any 'Ghost Town' book." He is now a geologist and GIS coordinator with BLM's Bakersfield Field Office. Read more in this week's News.bytes Employee Profile.

NATIONAL AND/OR DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ITEMS "The Interior Department's 'relief pitcher'" (Washington Post, 6/1/06) "On his first day on the job...as secretary of the interior, Dirk Kempthorne found out he is already a defendant in thousands of lawsuits, give or take a few. Interior's deputy solicitor, David L. Bernhardt, tried to break the news gently, noting that Kempthorne's name was simply replacing that of his predecessor, Gale A. Norton. And in some cases he's not formally named, or the Justice Department is taking the lead." (Free registration required.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/31/AR2006053102062.html RELATED: "Kempthorne unveils his agenda" (Idaho Statesman, 5/31/06) "Kempthorne replaces Gale Norton, interior secretary since 2001, with just 21/2 years before President Bush leaves office. He will face big-league hitters on environmental, energy, recreation and Indian policy. 'I've been brought into the seventh inning as a relief pitcher, and I know I have 30 months to get things done,' Kempthorne said in a telephone interview from Washington." http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/NEWS01/605310329/1002 RELATED: "New Interior chief discusses woes, solutions" (Arizona Republic, 6/2/06) "There is a lot on his plate, including uncertainty over Western droughts, national energy concerns and the legal fallout of a lobbying scandal with ties to the Interior Department....Kempthorne, 59, a former U.S. senator, said he'll work to develop priorities. Here are some of the topics he discussed Thursday with reporters...." http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0602kempthorne0602-split.html

WILDLIFE TRIVIA answer (d) a toad RELATED: "Spea hammondii, Western Spadefoot Toad" (US. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center) Information and two photos. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/scha.htm

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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.blm.gov/ca/

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