BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter

7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter

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BLMPhoenixSeptember 2015

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

WWW.BLM.GOV/AZ

On the Cover

SONORAN DESERTNATIONAL MONUMENT

SCHOOLS IN SESSION:A new crop of Field Schoolstudents begin their journey

2% of Sonoran Desert

National Monumentclosed to target shootingby U.S. District Court

Fires burn onthe Agua FriaNational Monument


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PHOENIX DISTRICT OFFICE

District Manager (acting)Patrick Putnam

Associate District ManagerPatrick Putnam

Administrative Officer (acting)Gloria Tibbetts

Hassayampa Field Office Mgr.Rem Hawes

Lower Sonoran Field Office Mgr.Ed Kender

Fire Management OfficerFritz Mueller

Chief Law Enforcement RangerPatrick Brasington

Agua Fria National Monument Mgr.Amanda James

Sonoran Desert National Monument Mgr.David Scarbrough

Public Affairs SpecialistAdam Eggers

From the DMs Office I am pleased to introduceto you the new BLM Phoenix

District Office magazine. Our

goal with this monthly electronic

magazine is to keep our partners,

stakeholders, and the public in

the loop on whats happening

on public lands managed by the

BLM Phoenix District.

Its been a busy summer with a hectic fire season

across the country, the beginning of a new BLM Field School

Semester, and the finishing up of projects before the end of

the fiscal year. While Arizona has had a fairly mild wildland fire

season, other western states have not been so lucky. Phoenix

District firefighters and other PDO staff have been deployed

supporting firefighting efforts in Washington, Montana,

Idaho, Alaska, Utah, Oregon and California. We remain at

wildfire preparedness level 5 the highest level as more

than eight million acres across the U.S. have been burned by

wildfires.

The final week of August marked the beginning of

the 2015 BLM Field Schools 9th Semester. We have five

very diverse students this semester, and I had the pleasureto meet with each one of them individually. Every session

I am amazed by the amount of growth and maturation these

students go through in such a short, 16-week program. Our

field school provides a very unique opportunity for these

students learn about public lands while earning college

credits and earning a bit of money as well..

I hope you find this magazine informative and

helping you keep up to date with all the great work the PDO

staff is doing around the state of Arizona.

Best wishes,

Patrick Putnam

.

gr.

ent gr.


3/6

Staff from the BLM Phoenix District Office will be

manning an informational booth at the upcoming Arizona

Off-Road & Sand Expo, Sept. 25-27, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The BLM staff will be there to interact with the

public, answer questions, and offer safety reminders

Whether on a dirt bike, 4-wheeler, or side-by-side,there are many places you can get off the beaten path and

enjoy Arizonas diverse scenary. Off-Highway Vehicles are

permitted, with restrictions, in many areas under BLM

administration.

The event will be held at WestWorld and will begin

at 5 p.m. on the 25th, running until 9 p.m. Event hours for

Saturday will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to

4 p.m. So come on out and say hello!

BLM Staff to present atArizona Off-Road Expo

Schools in Session: New class of students

begin their BLM Field School experienceThe 9th class of the 16-week Conservation and

Resource Management Field Certification Program, Field

School, fall semester began during the last week of August.

Five youth from different backgrounds began their journey

towards a career in conservation.

Throughout this program, participants will receive

field trainings and certifications for Wild land Firefighting

Certification, Leave No Trace Trainer, U.S. Forest Service

Chainsaw Certification, OHV / 4x4 Driving and Wilderness

First Aid, and have the opportunity to earn up to 12 collegecredits at the local community college.

Since the Bureau of Land Managements Field

School program started in 2011, over 40 students have

graduated. This crop of students mark the beginning of the

9th semester.

Using funding

from the Department of

Labors Workforce

Investment Act, youth

aged 18 to 26 are trained

and hired to work in

natural resource

management and

conservation projects.

The BLMpartners with the

Phoenix and Maricopa

County Workforce

Investment Boards which

hire Arizona Call-a-

Teen-Youth Resources

(ACYR) to recruit and

pay the youth and assist them in obtaining college credits

at Phoenix College. Credits received in this program are

directly applicable to the Environmental Natural Resource

Stewardship (ENRS) Academic Certifi

cate Program atPhoenix College which was developed using funding from

the BLM. These credits directly transfer towards bachelor

degrees at both ASU and NAU.

In 2012, the BLM Phoenix District Office Youth

Initiative won the Partners in Conservation Award in

recognition of outstanding contributions creating

partnerships with other federal, tribal and state agencies,

workforce investment programs, conservations corps, and

non-governmental organizations supporting sustainable

youth engagement and career pathways in natural resource

management on Public Lands.


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Court-ordered shooting closure for SonoranDesert National Monument begins Sept. 15

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been

ordered by the U.S. District Court in Arizona to close asmall portion, roughly 2.1%, of the Sonoran Desert National

Monument (SDNM) to recreational target shooting while

court-ordered analysis of the impacts of such shooting on

the Monument in conducted.

A July 17, 2015 ruling also placed an effective date

of Sept. 15, 2015 for the closure to begin.

The BLM, in collaboration with public and private

partnerships, will develop alternatives of how to best

manage target shooting on the SDNM. This collaboration

will take place during the 60-day public scoping period,

where concerned citizens are encouraged to send in their

comments and/or recommendations in writing to the BLM

Phoenix District Office or via email at

[email protected]. Additionally,

four public meetings are scheduled to be held at different

Phoenix-area locations.

We strongly encourage the public to be apart of this

process. Its important and we are really looking forward to

hearing from the public., said Ed Kender, Field Manager of

the BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office.

The various alternatives will be analyzed through an

Environmental Impact Statement, a process that

essentially studies the potential impacts of each alternative

to the Monument. Once the EIS is completed, the BLM wil

make a final decision on how to best proceed forward called

a Record of Decision. This process can take up to two years

Over 98% of the SDNM remains open to

recreational target shooting; thats 475,801 acres.Additionally, the adjacent 930,200 acres of public

lands managed by the BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office

remains open to responsible recreational target shooting.

There is still a large portion of the Monument tha

is open to target shooting and thousands of acres of public

lands nearby that can be used in a safe and responsible

manner for shooting, said Dave Scarbrough, the BLM

Sonoran Desert National Monument

Manager.

BLM Arizonas position is

that responsible recreationalshooting is an activity supported on

public lands in areas where such use

conforms to land use plan decisions

and when it is conducted safely and

responsibly.

The BLM is committed to

meeting the management

challenges surrounding recreationa

target shooting on public lands,

including determining where and

how this activity can be conducted

responsibly.The BLM has been

proactively working with public and

private partnerships to address

issues, including: vandalism, litter

and safety concerns. The BLM

believes a collaborative approach

with stakeholders is key to successful resolution of this issue

in the long-term and is reflective of our multiple-use

mandate under the law.

Recognizing the larger issue of managing

recreational shooting on not just the Monument, but on all

public lands in Arizona, BLM Arizona created the Sonoran

Landscape Initiative pilot project in 2012. This effort joins

the expertise and talents of public and private sector partners

(BLM Arizona, U.S. Forest Service, Arizona Game and Fish

Department, and the non-profit Tread Lightly!) to educate

and engage public land visitors about the need for safe and

responsible recreational shooting behaviors.

Written comments can be sent to the BLM Phoenix

District Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office at 21605 North

7th Ave in Phoenix, Ariz., 85027.

Written by Adam Eggers - Public Affairs Specialist

BLM Phoenix District Office


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NAU grad student collects samples forbat study at Buckeye Copper Mine

Abby Tobin, a Northern Arizona University graduate student,

labels samples of bat guano collected from the Buckeye

Copper Mine as part of a Bat Conservation International study.

Northern Arizona University graduate student Abby

Tobin donned her safety helmet, laced up her boots, and

gathered her empty vials. Her goal: To collect samples from

the residents of the Buckeye Copper Mine.

Tobins objective for the hot Aug. 11 day was to

collect bat guano in association with a Bat Conservation

International (BCI) research project studying the impacts of

installing gates on abandoned mines.

The mine is located on public lands managed by the

BLMs Lower Sonoran Field Office, about nine miles

southwest of Arlington, Ariz. BLM uses a nationwideassistance agreement to support BCIs efforts to research,

inventory and secure abandoned mines throughout the West,

to benefit both the conservation of important bat habitat and

the protection of human health and safety.

Tobins plan for collecting guano throughout the

adit was altered when she came upon a Western

Diamondback rattlesnake about 30 feet inside the gate. The

samples she did collect will have its DNA content analyzed

in order to identify the bat species inside the mine. About 30

California Leaf-nosed bats were seen just outside the mine,

leading her to believe the DNA results will likely match. Bat-use can vary with the seasons and years so

researchers wont know for sure until the results are

analyzed.

The purpose of the current research project is to

determine how the installation of gates affects bats

subsequent use of mines. Initial data shows that bat use

declines significantly in the short-term after gates are

installed, but the long-term effects are not well-known or

documented. This project is specifically examining mines

whose gates have been in place for at least four years.

LSFOs Buckeye Copper Mine was included in the

study as its gate was installed in 2008. Several other minesin BLMs Kingman Field Office area will also be sampled as

part of this study.

Editors Note: Always remember that abandoned mines can

be hazardous to your health and safety! Loose rock, rotten

timber, open holes below, and unfriendly biota are some of

the obvious dangers that can be encountered, but perhaps

the most insidious is an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. Entry

into these workings should only be attempted by properly

trained and authorized professionals.

Major flooding causes extensive damage toPainted Rock Campground; Prompts closure Heavy rains and extensive flood damage to the road

network has forced the closure of the Painted Rock

Campground, effective July 27. The camping loop roads

are impassible and are closed to the public until repair and

maintenance work can be completed. Campground sites andinfrastructure have also been damaged.

The day-use area that provides public access to the

Painted Rock site remains open to the public. Painted Rock

is located approximately 15 miles west of Gila Bend, Ariz.

The BLM is currently working to repair the road and

campground facilities.

Written by Matt Plis - Environmental Engineer

BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office


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Public comments sought for HarquahalaMountains Wilderness Management Plan The Hassayampa Field Office has prepared the draft

Harquahala Mountains Wilderness Management Plan and

Environmental Assessment. The plan and environmental

assessment are now available for public review, withcomments being accepted until September 24, 2015.

The plan and environmental assessment may be

viewed or downloaded from the BLM ePlanning Project

Search web page or directly at http://1.usa.gov/1JeZ9ow

The Wilderness Management Plan addresses such

issues as how wilderness character will be preserved with

respect to proposed actions and projects, how outstanding

primitive recreation opportunities and dispersed use will be

provided, and how natural conditions will be maintained in

managing fire, accommodating wildlife needs, and

developing monitoring programs.

Comments can be e-mailed to [email protected] a subject line of Wilderness Comments or in writing

to the Bureau of Land Management, Hassayampa Field

Office at 21605 North 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027.

Before including personal information such as your

address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal

identifying information in your comment, please be aware

that your entire comment may be made public available at

any time.

Twofi

res burn on portions of AFNM The dictionary defines the word fire as, the

destructive burning of a building, town, or forest but

sometimes a fire can be a positive thing. Such was the case

when two fires were ignited by lightning on the Agua Fria

National Monument during the beginning of August.

The fires, known as the Fria Fire and the Silver Fire,

were approximately eight miles apart and burned 157 acres

and 17 acres of the Monument, respectively.

When afi

re is naturally sparked, like in this case bylightning, the BLM can manage for whats known as

multiple resource objectives. Essentially, the fires were

used to help rehabilitate and restore native vegetation in fire

adapted plant communities.

On the Agua Fria National Monument, we look for

every opportunity to use natural fire to manage for multiple

resource objectives, said Fritz Mueller, BLM Phoenix

District Office Fire Management Officer.

By managing under this mindset, the fires helped

in eliminating invasive woody species, from the Agua Fria

Grasslands.

The Fria Fire was called in by a nearby rancher on

July 31, and was located about a half-mile west of Horseshoe

Ranch and south of Bloody Basin Road. While respondingto the Fria Fire the next day, a BLM Phoenix District

Firefighter witnessed the lightning strike that started the

Silver Fire just south of Silver Creek, about a half-mile west

of the Tonto National Forest boundary.

The Fria and Silver fires are perfect examples of

letting natural processes occur and demonstrating the

beneficial effects of a low intensity burn on the landscape

We are very pleased with results, said Amanda James, the

Agua Fria National Monument Manager.

The fires were contained and controlled on Aug. 17

with no injuries or structures damaged.

Written by Adam Eggers - Public Affairs Specialist

BLM Phoenix District Office

BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter

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