Our Stories

Oil and gas operators on BLM public lands in Colorado not only have to meet strict reclamation standards from the BLM.

In March 2018, a 100-pound mammoth tusk was stolen from Alaska’s Campbell Creek Science Center. BLM law enforcement is actively investigating and asking the public for any information about the theft.

 

In August 2014, the BLM hosted Fairbanks writer Ned Rozell as its first summer Artist-in- Residence. Rozell, the author of four books, has written a weekly science column for 20 years for the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute. He’s also a contributing writer for Alaska Dispatch News.Rozell spent his residence from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, in the Yukon River community of Eagle. There, he worked on an old writing project that had languished for years.

Late winter is a glorious time in interior Alaska, a welcome relief after the darkness and subzero temperatures of January and February. That’s when winter Artist-in- Residence Deb Horner works in the sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures, interpreting the public lands of the agency’s White Mountains National Recreation Area north of Fairbanks.

The Buffalo Field Office (BFO) rangeland management staff administers over 400 grazing leases. Grazing allotments vary in size from less than 40 acres to over 26,000 acres.

Albuquerque photographer Kirk Gittings, Canyons of the Ancients’ first Artist-in- Residence, focused heavily on the mythological qualities of the dramatic and unique landscape. His primary  tool was a large-format 4x5-inch view camera, which demands a slow and deliberate approach to the craft.

A volunteer patrol is making sure horse-riders and mountain bikers get the most out of trails in the San Joaquin River Gorge. The patrol, called the San Joaquin River Gorge Volunteer Trail Patrol, regularly rides trails in the area and is known for its strong interaction with visitors and for supporting local events. For example, Trail Patrol members have assisted with several competitive races and special events, such as the Big Sandy Pro-Am mountain bike race, the San Joaquin River Gorge Ultra Half-Marathon, the Search for Sasquatch Day and the quarterly Family Fun Days.

Stone flies may again be a natural part of the Upper Gunnison if a research project finds their reintroduction has a high chance of success.Under the project, conducted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Western Colorado University, volunteers are collecting stone fly nymphs from the Gunnison Gorge and moving them to BLM- managed lands in the Upper Gunnison. Historically, stone flies were found in the Upper Gunnison, although they are no longer found there naturally.

Just outside of Grand Junction, Colorado, we work closely with the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range Fertility Control Darting Team to keep the Little Bookcliffs wild horse population at ideal levels. The volunteer advocates began working with the BLM in the early 1980s.

The BLM Fort Ord National Monument provides an excellent outdoor classroom for environmental education and scientific research. Each year hundreds of school students from around the Monterey Peninsula visit BLM lands for science projects or for special field trips focusing on soil erosion, wetland ecology, or habitat restoration.