On the Ground

In 2018, a Category 5 hurricane blasted through Lathrop Bayou in the Florida Panhandle, knocking down trees and leaving a huge path of destruction. A few years later, specialists on a field trip noted that a very small population of red-cockaded woodpeckers, which are on the Endangered Species List, were alive on the Bayou's small peninsula. In February 2024, BLM and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service specialists conducted a prescribed burn on the peninsula with the intent to rejuvenate the landscape and make it more favorable to the woodpeckers and other wildlife species who live there. In this episode, we interview Bart Kicklighter, State Fire Management Officer for BLM's Eastern States State Office. 

BLM manages millions of acres of forested lands in a checkerboard pattern through eighteen counties of western Oregon. Critical to the health of the land are the rivers and streams that snake their way through these mountainous areas. BLM is one of many agencies concerned about providing strong habitat for migrating coho salmon, Chinook, steelhead, and other species. Consequently, BLM works with many partners to maintain and improve watersheds. 

In this episode of "On The Ground," we interview Rose Hanrahan, a fish biologist in Medford, Oregon who works in the BLM's Butte Falls Field Office. The Field Office received more than $700,000 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to improve fish habitat. Hanrahan describes why a river that benefits fish might look very different from a recreational river. 

The Bureau of Land Management works with youth through a variety of programs. Those who come to BLM Visitor Centers and at many public events can quickly find educational programs geared toward young people. BLM also contracts with organizations that hire youth between the ages of 16 and 30 to work on specific public land projects aimed at ecological restoration, noxious weed control, public information, and many other programs. 

In this episode of "On The Ground: A Bureau of Land Management Podcast," we talk with BLM Specialists putting young people to work. In addition to its regular appropriations from Congress, BLM received an infusion of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to help train future public land stewards. We'll visit with Maya Fuller, BLM's National Lead for Youth Initiatives funded by IRA about the goals of youth outreach. We'll also talk with BLM specialists in Arizona, Utah and Montana about work planned this summer. And finally, we'll meet a college freshman in Colorado who hopes to make natural resources a future career. 

It's an extended edition of "On The Ground!" 

Interviews: 

• Maya Fuller, National Youth Coordinator for Inflation Reduction Act Projects
• Rachel Shively, Restoration Landscape Specialist, BLM Arizona Strip Field Office, Arizona
• Dustin Shaible, Wildlife Biologist, BLM Color Country District, Utah
• Cory Manseau, Project Manager, BLM Dillon Field Office, Montana
• Grace Wahl, Intern, BLM Kremmling Field Office, Colorado

ABOVE PHOTO: A construction worker finishes cement work on a mine adit closure. The finished product will allow bats and small creatures through, but keep humans out.

In the southwestern corner of New Mexico, the Bureau of Land Management is closing more than 300 mine features -- adits, shafts and other open spaces. Frequently hidden from view, these sites were abandoned years ago and can be dangerous for humans unfamiliar with the area where they are located. Some of these features also provide a glimpse into the nation's mining history. 

Simply closing mines is not a blanket solution. Some of these are home to animal species like the Mexican long-nosed bat -- also called the greater long-nosed bat -- a small species that was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 1988. While the process of closing the mine features has been ongoing since 2016, BLM received funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022 to restore the abandoned mine lands. For Physical Scientist Chris Teske, this involves improving the bat habitat as well as making the area safer.

The Bureau of Land Management is a partner with many other organizations and landowners -- public, private, and non-profit -- in managing the Cosumnes Watershed. The 46,000-acre Cosumnes River Preserve is an important stopping point for migratory birds, and a beloved recreation area for people living in California's Central Valley near Sacramento. 

Amy Fesnock is the BLM's Cosumnes River Preserve manager in Galt, California. BLM received $76,000 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and more than $7.5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for landscape restoration. BLM and its partners plan a variety of projects at the site, from improving the habitat for the threatened giant garter snake, to providing environmental education and growing native seedlings for replanting with local school children. In this interview, Fesnock speaks to the vital role that partnerships play in the success of improving the river's landscape. 

In 2023, after years of planning between BLM, the Forest Service, and state and local agencies, interagency crews ignited the Animas City Mountain prescribed burn. In this interview, James Savage, a supervisory fire management officer with BLM, talks about how it all came together and how BLM leveraged funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to protect homes and businesses. 

Savage also talks about how the area looks now compared with untreated areas, one year after the fire. BLM and its partners will continue to work on some remaining spots inside the burn perimeter as opportunity allows, and Savage says that there are other places that need treatment as they did with Animas City Mountain to further protect Durango. This fire, said Savage, could be a model for prescribed fires protecting other communities across the West. 

For more information: Watch video from the 2023 Animas City Mountain prescribed fire.