BLM employees stretch their wings as UAS/drone operators
Throughout the cloudy June afternoon, BLM radios crackled to life with Oregon voices in Montana’s Bozeman Valley, just as they do on incidents such as wildland fires, where air resources play a critical role and their safe management is one of the BLM’s highest priorities.
There was no actual Harper Fire, though. It was just one part of a series of elaborate hands-on exercises for a national team of advanced BLM remote pilots flying Unmanned Aircraft Systems—known colloquially as drones.
During the first two weeks of June, five BLM Oregon/Washington employees participated alongside employees from other federal bureaus and states in two Department of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management UAS drone training courses in Bozeman, Montana, put on by the National UAS Program.
Tavis Fenske (an engine captain from Prineville District), Matthew Noss (a supervisory range technician from Prineville District), Jesse Morris (a supervisory range technician [fire] from Lakeview District), and Greg Shine (a public affairs specialist from the State Office) all completed the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Basic Remote Pilot Training (A-450) course and the Advanced UAS Workshop over the two-week period. Jason Horstman from Vale District also served as one of the instructors and cadre members for the A-450 course.
“I was really excited at the opportunity to learn more about UAS operations and how it may make the job that we do every day safer and more efficient,” said Morris. “This class and workshop have really been an eye opener for me regarding all the uses for UAS within natural resource work. I look forward to bringing these tools and knowledge back to my district and putting it to work in a variety of areas this season.”
In the basic A-450 course, students learned about UAS policy and how to file a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), how to safely fly the 3DR Solo aircraft, and how to capture images and videos with the GoPro payload. After successfully passing a written final exam and an individual evaluation flight administered by an authorized DOI Office of Aircraft Services inspector, Fenske, Noss, Morris and Shine moved on to the advanced workshop the following week.
Through the advanced workshop—with its focus on UAS for fire operations and complex photography, videography, mapping, and resource projects—the students developed the skills required to capture and pre-process (geotag) data and coordinate with incident personnel and aircraft.
Workshop highlights included resource mapping projects integrating gathered data into PhotoScan software and Gaia and Avenza maps—plus the fire incident scenario, complete with real-time radio traffic and its inherent communications complexities.
“In fire, I think the UAS program will become a new tool that will allow us to gain situational awareness quickly and efficiently, said Noss. “The biggest takeaway I have from the class is that the program is in its infancy and as technology advances, who knows what can become of it.”
Noss's observation seems prescient, as the BLM is poised to continue its leading role in the vanguard of federal UAS programs. This is an additional appeal to the and the newly-minted remote pilots who join the growing ranks of certified staff in Oregon/Washington and nationwide.
"I think it is pretty cool that the BLM is the nation's leading agency in the use of drone technology, " said Fenske, "and I'm excited to be a part of such a forward-thinking program. I'm really looking forward to applying—and developing—my new skills in the field."
Students use art to celebrate the Crooked Wild and Scenic River
For the past five years, the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon has partnered with local elementary schools to produce the Kids Curate artist program. Kids Curate ensures that arts education remains in schools and helps teachers deliver integrated arts projects to their students. Fully funded by grants and supported by various artists in residence, the program allows kids to tackle art projects based on everything from science to music. This year, the fifth graders at Crooked River Elementary School in Prineville, Oregon were selected for the intensive, six-month long arts education program – with the theme of celebrating the history, culture and wildlife of the Crooked Wild and Scenic River.
To truly tell the story of the river, the artists needed a little help – so they brought in some experts from the BLM Prineville District. Using the information provided by the BLM and the Museum staff, each of the kids designed and drew or painted their piece of the river – from the big picture of the river's ecosystem and rich geologic history, to the wildlife and the cultural history of the area. With the artists' instruction, the kids were also able to create large charcoal drawings representing different landscape views of the river.
As with any special exhibit, the program culminated with an opening night for the young artists. Kids and their friends and family joined the BLM and High Desert Museum for a celebration of their accomplishments. Buses brought in kids without rides so everyone could enjoy the night, and the Museum café offered a banquet dinner for everyone. The kids' art will remain on display for all Museum visitors to enjoy over the next month.
For the Prineville District, the partnership was a positive experience. Staff enjoyed teaching about their subjects and seeing the end result of the art and the kids' pride in their artwork on the opening night. Best of all, the BLM Prineville District will receive four interpretive panels that use the kids' art to tell the story of the Crooked Wild and Scenic River. These panels will be installed this fall along the Chimney Rock segment of the river, south of Prineville, where the kids and future visitors will be able to enjoy them for years to come.
Story by Lisa Clark, Public Affairs Officer. Photos by Lisa Clark; Kirstin Heins, Assistant Field Manager; and Bob Wick, BLM.
Congrats to Linda and Rich Crooks, recipients of the BLM’s volunteer award for their 18 years of service at Yaquina Head!
Since 1999, Rich and Linda Crooks have served as volunteer interpretive hosts at the BLM’s Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) on the central Oregon coast. The Crooks have lived on-site several months each year and together have contributed well over 7,000 hours in their 18 years of service there. Over the years, the Crooks have done it all. They were two of the first guides to provide Yaquina Head Light Station tours to visitors. Rich designed the site’s “host neighborhood,” which now features three trailer pads used for year-round volunteer housing, allowing Yaquina Head’s volunteer cadre to grow. Linda hand-sewed several historically accurate “lighthouse keeper’s wife” costumes and repaired countless others.
Read more about all of the 2017 recipients of the BLM’s “Making a Difference” volunteer award: https://goo.gl/2fw9Qx
During #NationalVolunteerMonth, we celebrate the selfless work of our volunteers. The BLM values the thousands of volunteers who offer their time, skills and service to help care for the nation’s natural and cultural resources. Volunteers contribute to many BLM program areas, including recreation, wild horses and burros, cultural and historical resources and environmental education and interpretation. Our volunteers work with us to be good neighbors in the communities we serve.
Well, sometimes they provide archaeologists with valuable information beyond the human capacity.
Good dog!
In early 2017, archaeologists from the BLM Burns District in Oregon contacted Erin Woodard, BLM Prineville District archaeologist, and Ryan Griffin, archaeologist, regarding some rock cairns.
They thought the cairns might be associated with the Meek Cutoff - the Meek wagon trail of 1845 popularized by the loosely-based eponymous 2010 feature film starring Michelle Williams.
In 1845, a fur trapper and guide named Stephen Meek - the older brother of mountain man and storyteller Joseph Meek - convinced a group of settlers bound for the Willamette Valley that he had found an Oregon Trail shortcut across central Oregon and the Cascade Mountains that would save them both time and trouble.
Section of historic wagon trail in central Oregon. BLM Photo.
Unfortunately for them, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Problems plagued the train from the start, and long before the group reached the Cascades, the lack of food and water took its toll. Records show that dozens perished, and as a result, were buried along the route.
What was the purpose of the rock cairns? Might they possibly mark Meek Cutoff burial sites?
Griffin used a combination of historical research and surficial survey to determine that these rock features could potentially be associated with the trail. Knowing that so many people died along the way led to an idea.
They called in the dogs.
Dogs from the Institute for Canine Forensics working with handlers and BLM archaeologists in the field, August 2017. BLM Photo.
Answering the call were members of the Institute for Canine Forensics, who joined Griffin, Woodard, and other BLM archaeologists in August 2017 to examine the suspect rock cairns in the high desert of central Oregon.
Institute dogs are trained to alert when they detect the scent of human remains. Frequently used for military, law enforcement and search and rescue work, the Historical Human Remains Detection canine is the newest in the evolution of detection dogs.
The dogs come in all breeds and sizes, and with noses ready to work.
Their training and certification make them a unique resource available for the purpose of assisting in the search for historical and prehistoric remains – even those that may be almost 175 years old.
While archaeologists can spot, map, and study the cairns, the dog's nose is a unique tool that can aid in locating unseen historic and prehistoric burials.
Over the course of an August day, handlers worked with BLM archaeologists and led the dogs individually over seven of the suspect rock features.
No remains were located that day, but the exercise was still considered a success.
Why?
The absence of detection provides valuable clues about the cairns – what they may, or may not, represent - and informs the historical record, focusing future research and inquiry.
That’s – ahem – doggone good progress.
Story by Kurt Hunt, Lisa Clark & Greg Shine. View photos and video clips from the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter archaeology site on Flickr here.
Fall colors year-round: the high desert in Technicolor
Story and photos by Greg Shine, BLM Oregon/Washington Tumblr blogger
Fall is known as the season for nature’s colors, but what if you could see magnificent oranges, bright yellows and fluorescent greens year round? One place you can is on public lands in central and eastern Oregon.
Far from the black and white of old cowboy movies filmed in the area decades ago, a multitude of colors – including autumn’s reds, oranges and yellows – abounds perennially in Oregon’s high desert, compliments of unlikely hosts.
At closer glance, those monstrous, jagged, fault scarps and rocky remnants from ancient volcanoes and shifts of tectonic plates – the outcroppings and rims that give the area its rugged, desolate look – are far from barren of bright color. Same with the dead limbs and decaying trunks of evergreen juniper and pine trees. Even the wooden fence posts studding the range harbor flamboyant life.
What’s the source of this perennial high desert Technicolor? Lichens – some of nature’s most unusual creatures. Part fungus and part alga, or cyanobacteria, lichens are organisms well-suited to the high desert environment. While they can glean moisture and minerals from their stone or wood hosts, they rely upon photosynthesis in the alga to produce necessary food. Tolerant of high desert weather extremes, lichens here can survive freezing and drought conditions..
But why are they so colorful?
“These pigments have several functions: sunscreen (protection against UV), discouraging herbivory (some are toxins), and reducing infections by fungi and bacteria,” explained Dr. Bruce McCune, a professor in Oregon State University’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology who has studied lichens on public lands in the area.
The harsh high desert ecosystem may, in fact, contribute to its broad palette of color. “A generalization for all plants is that the more stressful the environment, the greater the investment in chemical protection,” wrote McCune via email. “Some of the chemicals used for protection are bright pigments, but some are colorless.”
Shades of orange are particularly abundant. Lichen species in the genus Caloplaca bring the high desert’s rock walls their orange and golden yellow hues. A drive along U.S. Route 395, adjacent to both Abert Rim and Lake Abert, brings visitors into the midst of black-and-white Steens Basalt boulders covered in the flat, bright reddish-orange Caloplaca and other colored lichens. Winter snows only accentuate the dark rock and the bright lichen, making drives in December, January, and February an extra-special treat.
Lichens in the genus Xanthoria complement the colors of Caloplaca with shades likened to the orange of sunrise and sunset. It’s easy to see why it’s often called sunburst lichen, and its peculiarly rounded scales – often called fairy cups – give a unique look to its flat body. “It is often abundant on sagebrush twigs, riparian trees, and rocks,” said McCune.
The fluorescent yellow-greens of lichens in the genus Pleopsidium provide some of the high desert’s boldest and brightest colors, even more pronounced when growing on and around the nooks and crannies of the area’s dark basalt. It is so strikingly bright that from a distance Pleopsidium can be mistaken as a painted rock.
A great location for viewing Pleopsidium species up close is Crack in the Ground, a geologic oddity northeast of the community of Christmas Valley, Oregon. It’s one of the world’s only open earthquake faults, and a trail following the crack’s center for more than 2 miles gives a close-up view of these lichens anchored on the fault’s walls.
Lichens in the genus Letharia feature a fluorescent color similar to Pleopsidium, but their shape and host easily differentiate them. Known as fruticose lichen due to their raised, branch-like fingers, they spring out from the junipers, pines, and even fence posts of Oregon’s high desert.
“The Letharia on trees is most conspicuous in areas of older conifers with dead branches,” said McCune. “For example, the old juniper woodlands around Bend and Redmond have thick growths of Letharia Columbiana.”
Hikers in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, the Redmond Caves, the Black Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern, or the Lost Forest Research Natural Area may easily find them – bushy puffs of flamboyance bursting from the bleached limbs and trunks of dead or aging conifers.
Interestingly, the high desert’s rocks and trees don’t have a monopoly on such vibrancy. Here, even the soil can foster eye-catching hues.
That bright yellow might not be a spilled can of fluorescent yellow paint from the highway department – it may be the soil paint lichen.
“Acarospora schleicheri is another bright yellow-green lichen,” Dr. McCune said. “[It’s] a relative of Pleopsidium but grows as part of the biological soil crust.” Since it is most often found in areas where the soil has not yet been invaded by weeds, it is an indicator of ecosystem health, too.
To marvel at landscapes painted with vivid hues of orange, yellow, and fluorescent green, one need not wait until the calendar’s waning months. These and more await further viewing in the public lands of central and eastern Oregon’s high desert country year-round – spring, summer, winter, and fall!
On Aug, 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse crossed over BLM-managed public lands in Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. Thousands of people flocked to the path of totality to view the eclipse.
Public lands outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming; and across Oregon were the perfect place to watch the the moon’s shadow sweep over the horizon before crossing in front of the sun, creating a 360-degree sunset.
Did you get to watch the Great American Eclipse? We want to see your photos! Share your photos with us by using these Flickr groups:
Each spring, remote areas in Oregon’s sagebrush steppe attract scores of Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) for elaborate mating rituals. These areas - called leks - provide Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wildlife biologists a golden opportunity for census taking, as they host the largest annual gathering of male and female sage-grouse.
Since the males are in full display - strutting their uniquely shaped pin-like tail feathers, inflating and deflating distinctive golden throat sacs, and cooing and clucking a range of sounds - they standout in the landscape and are more easily identified and counted.
This counting is critical. The BLM and its partners are taking steps to protect the Greater Sage-grouse and more than 350 other species that rely upon the sagebrush landscape for their survival, and these annual censuses, called lek counts, provide vital information about Sage-grouse population health.
At one of many lek counts in the spring of 2016, wildlife biologists from the Bureau of Land Management-Oregon/ Washington and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife teamed up near Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon to count and record the population of Greater Sage-Grouse in two nearby leks. The biologists traveled several hours to the lek site, arriving to begin their count at first light - a time when the birds are most active. Using spotting scopes, the biologists meticulously counted sage grouse and recorded them for later study.
The biologists also noted the presence of forbs favored by the birds, including some of the 17 species of buckwheat found near Steens Mountain. In addition to sagebrush, Greater Sage-grouse rely upon many plants within the sagebrush steppe environment for food. Forbs - herbaceous plants (excluding grasses) with flowers and nutritious leaves - provide important seasonal alternatives to the sage grouse’s year-round sagebrush fare.
Oregon is home to 6.3 percent of the nation’s sage grouse population, but the effect of rangeland fire and invasive plants on sagebrush habitat continue to threaten the bird’s survival. In 2015, following concerted efforts by the BLM and partners to address these and other threats, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that protection for the Greater Sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act was no longer warranted, and they withdrew it from the candidate species list.
This decision was not an end to conservation measures, though. Within the next five years, the USFWS will conduct a status review to evaluate the Greater Sage-grouse conservation efforts. That’s where the importance of lek counts factors in. It is critical that the BLM has the capacity to document how Greater Sage-grouse plans are being implemented and can demonstrate that they’re effective at conserving the bird’s habitat by reducing threats, minimizing new surface disturbances, and improving habitat integrity.
Lek counts are like a blood pressure monitor for the Greater Sage-grouse and the sagebrush ecosystem - they provide important data that indicate health, and also inform prescriptive paths toward recovery.
#TravelTuesday: Mountain of the Rogue Trail System in Oregon
The Mountain of the Rogue Trail System provides a range of trail opportunities that are optimized for mountain bikes. The system is designed so that the further you climb the more technically challenging the trails become. Expert level riders who ascend to the top of the system will be rewarded with hand built single-track trails that careen through steep and rocky hillsides, characterized by ample amounts of exposure.
The lower elevation trails within the system provide the perfect opportunity for beginner and intermediate riders to play on mountain bike features such as rollers, table tops and large bermed turns. The system currently offers 7 miles of trails, incorporating various trail construction techniques that produce a broad range of riding experiences.
May marks National Bike Month. Each week throughout the month of May, the BLM will showcase public lands with premier biking opportunities.
Photos by Leslie Kehmeier, Mapping Manager, International Mountain Bicycling Association.
