7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
1/6
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
7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
2/6
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.
7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
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.
7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
4/6
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
7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
5/6
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
7/25/2019 BLM Phoenix District Office - Sept 2015 newsletter
6/6
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
Top Related