4 6 A Note from the Director A CARIBOON BLAZING A NEW TO CARIBOU OREGON TRAIL Welcome to the inaugural issue of My Public Lands, Public lands in Alaska are Get radical! Go wheels down a magazine designed to give readers a glimpse into what home to more than half of the on the BLM’s world-class nation’s caribou. mountain bike trails built BLM-managed public lands have to offer – whether it is with help from local riders. nearby or a thousand miles away. 8 10 Often the public’s perception of the BLM is a refl ection WILD WATER of the most visible work we do in any given community. CONSERVATION HUNTING THE For instance, residents of Wyoming communities may be The Snake River in Idaho is HUNTER well aware of the BLM’s role in oil and gas leasing or being carefully conserved America’s super secret for future generations. spies hunted German coal development. For residents of the Pacifi c Northwest, it might be forestry and WWII U-boats from this in California it could be recreation. But the fact is, our work is extremely diverse 12 vintage lighthouse on the Florida coast. and touches the lives of all Americans. WALKING WITH The purpose of My Public Lands is to cast a light on some of the work of the BLM GIANTS 14 that, together, fulfi lls our mission “to sustain the health, diversity and productivity Follow 167-million-year-old SURF’S UP! of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” dinosaur tracks in Spectacular scenery In this issue, you’ll see a mix of stories about the land’s natural beauty, the the ancient ocean sings the siren’s song to shores of...Wyoming? people who lived here before us, and the historic role public lands played in summer travelers along the California coast. building communities during good times and bad. You’ll read about the role a lone 16 lighthouse on the Florida coast played as a spy station during World War II, and EXPLORE 18 about how the BLM manages forests in Montana and caribou habitat in Alaska. AMERICA AMERICAN You’ll learn how a public-private partnership brought world-class mountain Visit America’s Great HUSTLE biking trails to an area near Portland, Ore., and see what happened when an Outdoors – from Alabama to Alaska! In 1914 near Cripple Creek, unexpected visitor showed up in the campsite of a BLM river guide on a trip down Colorado, a group of miners the Green River in Utah. 22 discovered a hidden chamber – with walls of gold. This issue comes as we prepare to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the WELCOME TO THE Wilderness Act this fall, and so on these pages, we also recognize this landmark BIG HOUSE 24 legislation passed by Congress in 1964 and the legacy that has evolved. For the In the remote high deserts DON’T BUG BLM, that means managing 221 Wilderness Areas – about 8.7 million acres – and of New Mexico, modern-day MONTANA an additional 12.8 million acres of Wilderness Study Area in a natural, undisturbed Indiana Joneses are building a bridge to our past. Big Timber, Montana, is back state. on track after the BLM It is our hope that this edition of My Public Lands helps you to get to know us 26 and its neighbors successfully defend against a mountain and all of your public lands, whatever their current uses, a little better. THE GOOD NEWS pine beetle infestation. ABOUT TOUGH 28 TIMES NEIL KORNZE MIDNIGHT Visit Arizona’s historic DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Sanchez Civilian Conservation MUSTANG Corps Camp that helped A river run down Utah’s the country through Desolation Canyon turns the Great Depression. into a magical meeting with a wild mustang. 30 HOME FOR Your Passport to America’s Great Outdoors 150 YEARS VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 Nevadans mark 150 years of statehood WWW.BLM.GOV with a photo contest and other activities. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Contact Celia Boddington My Public Lands is a publication of DEPUTY EDITOR the Bureau of Land Management Jeff Krauss 1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665 Washington DC 20240 Burning Man EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Phone: 202-208-3801 Bev Winston Fax: 202-208-5242 Tens of thousands of visitors enjoy EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR [email protected] Burning Man on Nevada public Matt Christenson Mission lands managed by the BLM. COPY EDITORS The BLM’s mission is to Michelle Barret, Meredith Black, The 2014 Burn kicks off August 25! and Elizabeth Rieben sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the See more great photos at SOCIAL MEDIA public lands for the Amy Krause use and enjoyment instagram.com/mypubliclands. PRODUCTION MANAGER of present and Stephen Morse future generations. Burning Man Photo by Bob Wick Front Cover Illustration by Matt Christenson BLM/WO/GI-14/007+83012 MY PUBLIC LANDS SUMMER 2014 3 WILDLIFE CARING FOR CARIBOU Public lands in Alaska are home to more than half of the nation’s caribou. here are a great Tmany things that set Alaska apart from the lower 48. PHOTO BY JACOB W. FRANK, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Chief among them are the unique challenges the All of these factors come into play as the BLM in of Fairbanks, provide crucial calving habitat for the BLM habitats and the caribou they support are treasured by environment offers, the diversity of animals that inhabit Alaska manages habitat for 16 herds of barren-ground Fortymile and White Mountain herds. The Fortymile herd thousands of rural and Native Village residents who depend it, and the sheer size of America’s largest state. These caribou. is internationally signifi cant, as its winter range extends upon caribou for food. The herds are also important to sport diverse lands include majestic mountain ranges, vibrant The largest -- the Western Arctic Herd -- numbers over into Canada. The BLM is working with the Government hunters and other wildlife lovers in Alaska and beyond. wetlands, unique coastal marine environments and vast 300,000 animals and ranges over an area larger than the State of Yukon, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and others They are very important to BLM as well. “As human expanses of tundra. The BLM manages 72 million acres of of New Mexico. This herd is particularly dependent on BLM to conserve this important herd as it rebounds from a activities expand and climate change continues, we are public lands in the state, including the largest contiguous habitats, as more than a third of its range occurs within BLM population decline. more challenged than ever to understand the needs of boundaries in northwestern Alaska. In fact, nearly all of its Caribou must keep moving to fi nd adequate food. caribou and ensure they remain a viable, healthy part of the calving grounds are found within the National Petroleum Large herds often migrate hundreds of miles between their Arctic landscape,” says Cara Staab, wildlife biologist for STORY BY ERIN CURTIS, BLM ALASKA Reserve, and much of the winter range is within another summer and winter ranges, while some smaller herds might BLM-Alaska. To that end, the agency is engaged in several signifi cant block of BLM lands -- the Nulato Hills. not migrate at all. continuing, long-term caribou monitoring and research block of federal land in the United States – the 23 million The BLM’s Steese National Conservation Area and Although caribou herds may intermingle on their winter projects to ensure these majestic animals continue to thrive acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. White Mountains National Recreation Area, both east ranges, they separate into distinct calving areas in the spring. across this “Great Land of Alaska.” 4 MY PUBLIC LANDS SUMMER 2014 5 RECREATION Story by Zach Jarrett & Matt Christenson, BLM Oregon Get Radical! The BLM forces volunteer work parties to create joins and maintain the Sandy Ridge Trail System. It’s even accessible by public with a group of transportation. gnarly mountain In addition to the BLM and the ! Thanks to Trail Alliance, local youths also joined bikers the effort – some of whom were only just getting into riding themselves. an innovative public- Members from the Columbia River Environmental Youth Corps, Northwest private partnership, Youth Corps, Portland Youth Explorers, and the Urban League of Portland these two groups have provided over 10,000 hours to construct built world-class riding more than 15 miles of trails as well as to remove weeds and install visitor signs. trails near Portland, Oregon, Take Off the Training Wheels that are quickly becoming an As these biker-built trails international sensation. have expanded, they’ve received overwhelmingly positive coverage. From the New York Times and the Oregonian to the hippest blogs, And these incredible trails are available to everyone – the secret is out. easily found on America’s public lands. The Sandy Ridge But these trails aren’t just for pros. All ability levels and riding Bike to the Future Trails stand among styles are fi nding their home here. ewis and Clark never imagined the premiere Anna Laxague, a director for the International Mountain Bike Back in 2009, the BLM in Oregon heard an important destinations for message from its neighbors. As more Americans migrate Association, says it’s “a tasty ribbon of dirt fl owing through an old- a trail quite like this. mountain bikers. L to big cities, they’re looking for a wider range of local growth forest. Short climbs can be blasted like on a pump track to maintain your Traveling these hills used to require a 1,300-pound prairie recreation.