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- Travel Thursday: The Salmon River habitat restoration does improve habitat for fish and other species but it also retains as much of the riverbed sediment as possible and minimizes erosion as well as impacts to soil productivity. It even he...lps stop the expansion of invasive and nonnative weed populations. This makes it a more natural and beautiful place to visit and recreate. For more on the project, peep the video at the link below. Peep it I say! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd_NbCZBqjI&list=UUqNPQV287B9CXG8XZo7URag&index=1&feature=plcpSee More
- Today is National Fossil Day! The National Park Service partners with the Prineville BLM in this fossil-rich area to collect, protect, and research hundreds of locations with many plant and animal species covering 50 million years of time....These fossils help everyone understand the history of Oregon and provide a holistic view to show how our public lands have changed over time.See More
Researchers from the National Park Service, Prineville BLM, and universities such as the University of Oregon have discovered a variety of fossils – and some species are so new they are still being described! Some of these brand new species include the earliest squirrel known to the area, Mioscuirus covensis, and a very small mouse from a now extinct family, Neoadjidaumo arctozophus.
Scientists have also exposed parts of fossils from animals like Archaeotherium caninus, a giant pig with teeth that could crush the bones of other animals, Eusmilus cerebralis, a sabertooth tiger the size of a bobcat, and the earliest "modern" beaver, Castor californicus. They've even found an almost complete skeleton of Mesocyon coryphaeus, a primitive fox-like dog.
Their findings show that, over the past millions of years, central Oregon's climate was very different – and even tropical at times, with crocodiles and bananas! As the climate changed, so did the animals and plants that lived there – with the story revealed in the fossil record.
Want to see for yourself? Check out the website for the John Day Fossil Beds at http://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm or come out for a visit. The Park has three units for visitors to learn about plant and animal fossils, as well as some unique geology. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is the best place to see fossils from all of the units, and visitors can enjoy several hiking trails and wayside exhibits, two picnic areas, and two interpretive facilities. - Check out this cool snap from Utah!
- Wild Wednesday: What Oregon Wild and Scenic River was designated on October 28, 1988? The Salmon River, of course!
The Salmon River was designate from its headwaters to its confluence with the Sandy River. The Salmon River contains: 1...5.0 miles (Wild); 4.8 miles (Scenic); 13.7 miles (Recreational) -- for a grand total of 33.5 miles!See More
The Salmon River descends from the forested slopes of Mount Hood, harboring a rich diversity of animal and plant populations, within secluded riparian and wetland areas. Lower Columbia chinook and coho salmon and steelhead use these turbulent waters for spawning.
Find out more about this cool Oregon spot at:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/salem/plans/sandy_river_corridor.php - Trivia Tues: Do the names Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and Oncorhynchus kisutch sound familiar? How about the names Chinook and Coho? These common names for salmon also have other "nicknames". What are they? This week’s YouTube video tells the story of the mighty king.
Bureau of Land Management - Oregon shared a link.
Movie Monday: Two years ago we popped in on the restoration work on the Salmon River in Oregon. Since we're in the middle of the salmon spawning season, we thought we revisit this super-cool river restoration project. Head (...or swim) on over to YouTube to learn a little bit more about the efforts being made to help out our aquatic pals on the Salmon River.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd_NbCZBqjI&feature=youtu.be- Lime Wind Energy (12 photos)The first-ever wind project on BLM land in Oregon is now officially online and operational!
Lime Wind is a three-megawatt wind project developed and owned by the Joseph family. It is one of two locally-owned wind projects built in Oregon.
The abandoned community of Lime is located halfway between Baker City and Ontario, Oregon, adjacent to I-84.
To check out a video of Lime Wind, please visit http://bit.ly/RifxVr Bureau of Land Management - Oregon updated their cover photo.
- Lake Abert & Abert Rim (5 photos)Bird Watchers, this is your Super Bowl. Birders of southern Oregon have long known the secret. This time of year is the perfect opportunity to watch birds as they migrate. And there are few better spots than Lake Abert and Abert Rim near Lakeview, Oregon. More info online: http://on.doi.gov/I2KwR3
- It's hard to believe that it was 50 years ago that the Columbus Day Storm rumbled, stumbled, and bumbled through Oregon. By all accounts it was a doozy. Following the storm, the BLM Roseburg District began intensive work to harvest and then...replant the areas that had sustained damage.See More
On the BLM Roseburg District alone the timber sale offerings went from 163 million board feet (MMBF) in 1962 before the storm to 259 and 243 MMBF in 1963 and 1964 respectively. In that same time frame came the 1964 flood which caused serious damage to the infrastructure needed to extract the salvage and reforest the harvest areas.
Seeding and tree planting on the BLM Roseburg District went from an average of 6,000 acres per year prior to the storm to 9,500 acres per year in the two years afterwards. In 1960 the BLM Roseburg District had 62 employees. In 1964 it had 70. This suggests that there was some heavy duty work going on by BLM folks to accomplish the necessary timber sale prep, surveying, engineering, administration and reforestation associated with this one storm.
See more historic photos here: http://www.facebook.com/TheColumbusDayStorm/photos_stream - Travel Thursday: You might think a wind farm would prevent you from accessing public lands, but not only can you access Lime Wind, you can recreate there! Our video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxuKVY6xX0 mentions one activity specifically that still occurs at the site. Know what it is?
- DIG IT! Archaeology Dig in Oregon (20 photos)As part of a three-month-long semester program, between 20 and 30 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Oregon's School of Archaeology are achieving their educational aspirations while helping to protect and enhance the cultural resources of a prehistoric people who lived in Oregon’s Great Basin.
- Did you know that we’re on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Columbus Day Storm? It’s true…On Oct 12, 1962, a typhoon that became known as the Columbus Day Storm started out in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Striking the California, Oregon and Washington coast, the damage sustained to infrastructure was vast.
For the Bureau of Land Management, O&C land throughout Oregon experienced severe blow down of timber and damage to roads. Winds in excess of 110 miles per hour (yo...u read that right…110 MPH) were recorded in the Willamette Valley. More than 10 billion board feet (yes…billion) of timber was blown down throughout the Pacific Northwest and more than 30 people lost their lives.See More
The Oregonian has put together a great photo exposition on their facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151063642341973.429363.6321831972&type=1 - If you're down in Arizona this weekend....stop on by!
- It's not Oregon, but it's Organ....check out this cool New Mexico photo!
- The first ever wind project on BLM land in Oregon is now officially online and operational! Lime Wind is a three megawatt wind project developed and owned by the Joseph family. It is one of two locally owned wind projects built in Oregon.
...See More
The abandoned community of Lime is located halfway between Baker City and Ontario, Oregon, adjacent to I-84 and was the previous site of a cement plant. Above Lime, in Township 13 South, Range 44 East, Section 36, on land administered by the BLM is the location of Lime Wind.
Check out this short video that tells the Lime Wind story....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxuKVY6xX0&list=UUqNPQV287B9CXG8XZo7URag&index=1&feature=plcp - It's that time of year again...
- Here's your chance to meet Thor -- without having to travel to Asgard!
- Check out this cool snap from Nevada...
- Photo Friday: This week we've been taking a look at the socioeconomic contributions of the BLM. And one of the best ways to support local economies is through youth employment!
In the BLM's Burns District in eastern Oregon, these awesome ...youths found summer jobs in their own backyard.See More
Working as part of the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, a band of high schoolers improved America's Great Outdoors while obtaining crucial skills for future employment.
More photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmoregon/sets/72157630735244514/ - Travel Thursday: Another recreation site here that pumps money into the local economy and National Treasury is the John Day River. For more information on socioeconomic impacts visit
http://www.blm.gov/or/socioeconomic/files/socioeconomic-2012.pdf - Wild Wednesday: Each year millions of visitors enjoy the unique experiences offered by Oregon and Washington's BLM National Landscape Conservation Systems areas. Of the 7,962,017 million recreation visits to BLM lands, nearly 400,000 folks popped on over to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
The direct impact of these 7.9 million visitors is $363 million to the local economies of Oregon/Washington! Very cool, indeed...
http://www.blm.gov/or/socioeconomic/files/socioeconomic-2012.pdf - National Public Lands Day at an Oregon Lighthouse!
Last Saturday's blustery weather didn't deter NPLD participants from gathering at Yaquina Head. Visitors of all ages spent the day learning about the history of Oregon's Coast.
Three lea...rning stations taught about:See More
- the role and signals of a coastal lighthouse
- marine bird adaptations with regards to their role in the food chain
- the loss of a key stone species – the sea otter, urchin, and sea kelp
Special thanks to Friends of the Yaquina Lighthouses who awarded everyone who completed all three learning stations with marine bird magnets, stickers, and lighthouse patches.
And big thanks to everyone who came out to participate in their National Public Lands Day!
Bureau of Land Management - Movie Monday: Talk of the economy seems to dominate the news especially in light of the pending Presidential debates and election. Whats less visible yet as noteworthy is the BLM's contribution to the economy. This past fiscal year (2011), ...the BLM contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy while supporting more than 600,000 American jobs.See More
This week’s movie highlights some of the ways we contribute. Watch it NOW!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-uPo0_nRBA&feature=plcp
Want to know the stats? http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/socioeconomic.html - Way to Go NPLD Volunteers! Thanks for everything you did over the last couple weeks.
On Saturday, September 22nd, the BLM joined the local community for National Public Lands Day at the Cow Creek Back Country Byway. Around 60 volunteers...had a terrific day keeping America beautiful. Check out this video to see how they helped improve their public lands.See More
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgIgE1RnjEk&list=UUqNPQV287B9CXG8XZo7URag&index=2&feature=plcp - Greetings from National Public Lands Day at the San Juan Islands!
Located next to Canada on the northwest corner of Washington state, the San Juans are one of the most beautiful and remote locations in America’s Great Outdoors.
Today we’ve been fixing up trails, cleaning beaches, and hauling away trash and other debris. Cheered by the perfect weather, everyone in the community had a wonderful experience.
A big thank you to all volunteers and everyone who came out for a terrific day! See ya next year! And thanks to photographer Tom Snowden!
Bureau of Land Management - Hey, how’s your National Public Lands Day going? Here at the Oregon Trail, we’re cleaning up weeds and invasive plants at this historic site.
Families, friends, scout groups, and more are having a great day keeping the Oregon Trail beautiful!
Thank you to all the awesome volunteers!
Bureau of Land Management - The BLM today announced its tentative fall-winter schedule for gathering wild horses and burros from overpopulated herds on drought-stricken Western public rangelands. The gathers and removals are needed to bring herd sizes into balance wi...th other rangeland resources and uses, as required by Federal law. Changes to this gather schedule may occur if range conditions deteriorate more quickly than expected in certain Herd Management Areas.See More
The Oregon gather scheduled during this period is the Murderers Creek gather. The tentative fall-winter gather schedule can be accessed at:
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/tentative_gather_schedule.html - Let’s go! It’s finally here! National Public Lands Day is tomorrow!
Here at Facebook and http://explorenorthwest.tumblr.com/, we’ll be blogging the event and highlighting all our awesome volunteers throughout the day.
And hey, why not b...ecome one of those awesome volunteers? Grab some friends and join us out there!See More
NPLD is a great day in the community. You’ll be outside. In nature. Making your local public lands beautiful. You know how great you’ll feel to be part of it.
NPLD. Let’s go.
For the NPLD nearest you: http://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites - ActivityOctoberPeople Who Like This32