Check Out What Happened Last Week at the BLM:...

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Check Out What Happened Last Week at the BLM: October 13-17, 2014

News and Events

Last week, the Federal land management agencies that make up the National Wilderness Preservation System signed an agreement that will guide interagency collaboration and vision to ensure the continued preservation of nearly 110 million acres of the most primitive of public lands. The 2020 Vision: Interagency stewardship priorities for America’s National Wilderness Preservation System will guide the BLM, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service. The document outlines interagency work and partnerships with non-government organizations for the management of wilderness. Read the press release.

On Oct. 14, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined BLM Deputy Director Steve Ellis, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and James Risch, local stakeholders and ranchers to see first-hand efforts to conserve the sagebrush habitat that supports wildlife, outdoor recreation and other economic activity throughout the West. Jewell, Ellis and Crapo toured the Browns Bench/China Mountain region of southern Idaho and some areas that were devastated by the 2007 Murphy Complex Fire. Burning more than 600,000 acres, much of it important habitat for the greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush-dependent species, the fire was the largest rangeland fire since 1910. Federal, state and local partners are working to restore the area by reseeding sagebrush, combatting cheatgrass and other invasive species, and altering fire regimes and creating fire breaks to limit the damage from future fires. Read the press release.

Social Media Highlights

On Sept. 3, 1964 President Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, making the United States the first country in the world to define and designate wilderness areas through law. Last week, wilderness partners, stewards, educators, students and researchers gathered in New Mexico for the National Wilderness Conference. The conference capped a month-long observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Check out posts on My Public Lands Tumblr and photos on My Public Lands Instagram and Twitter with hashtag #Wilderness50.

On Oct. 15, the BLM and partners celebrated National Fossil Day at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The group welcomed “Junior Paleontologists” to a day of hands-on scientific activities. Check out posts on My Public Lands Tumblr and photos on Twitter with hashtag #NationalFossilDay.

Internal News Features

In recognition of National Fossil Day on Oct. 15, a part of Earth Sciences Week, the BLM’s internal blog featured a story by BLM Paleo Intern Hannah Cowan about a dinosaur excavation. Read the story, republished externally on the My Public Lands Tumblr.

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