BISHOP, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office is announcing an increased reward of $4,000 for information on the individuals responsible for damaging petroglyph panels at the Volcanic Tableland, north of Bishop. The perpetrators vandalized three locations within the site.
“Those responsible have destroyed an irreplaceable part of our national cultural heritage,” said Bishop Field Manager Sherri Lisius. “We hope the additional information released will help bring the responsible parties to justice.”

The perpetrators accessed the site by climbing over a fenced area, proceeded to climb on the site and break off sections of rock. Where the damage occurred, the vandals carved obscenities that included a Nazi swastika. Rehabbing the site will be extensive.

The site is protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This site is one of the most significant rock art sites in the region and has significant cultural importance to the local Tribes. Violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act can lead to felony charges. First-time offenders can be fined up to $20,000 and face up to two years in prison. Repeat offenders may face fines up to $100,000 and up to five years in prison. The law also allows federal or tribal authorities to impose civil fines. Courts can also seize vehicles and equipment used during the violation as an additional punishment.

If you have any information regarding this vandalism you are encouraged to call WeTip immediately at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463), or report online by scanning the QR code or visiting www.wetip.com. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $4,000 if your tip results in an arrest and conviction.
 

BISHOP, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office is offering a $1,500 reward for information on the individuals responsible for damaging petroglyph panels at the Volcanic Tableland, north of Bishop. The perpetrators vandalized three locations within the site.

“Those responsible have destroyed an irreplaceable part of our national cultural heritage,” said Bishop Field Manager Sherri Lisius. “We have increased surveillance of our sites and are determined to bring the responsible parties to justice.”

The site is protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This site is one of the most significant rock art sites in the region and has significant cultural importance to the local Tribes. Violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act can lead to felony charges. First-time offenders can be fined up to $20,000 and face up to two years in prison. Repeat offenders may face fines up to $100,000 and up to five years in prison. The law also allows federal or tribal authorities to impose civil fines. Courts can also seize vehicles and equipment used during the violation as an additional punishment.

If you have any information regarding this vandalism you are encouraged to call WeTip immediately at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463), or report online by scanning the QR code or visiting www.wetip.com. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,500 if your tip results in an arrest and conviction.

CALIFORNIA – In order to protect the historic and cultural integrity of the Schwartz and Leff Administrative Site along the North Fork of the Salmon River, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has withdrawn approximately 40 acres of National Forest System lands within the Klamath National Forest from location and entry under U.S. mining laws for 20 years. The withdrawal, initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, prevents new mining claims, but allows leasing under the mineral or geothermal leasing laws and disposal under the Materials Act of 1947.

The withdrawal will help preserve the unique historical and cultural significance of the site, which represents mining activities from the late 1800s to the Depression era. The largely unaltered site includes six buildings and two structures, five of which likely originate from the 1930s. Built by members of the U.S. Naval Construction Force, the site stands as a testament to the determination of the early mining community in Siskiyou County, California. The site is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district for its association with placer mining during the Great Depression.

The notice of withdrawal application published in the Federal Register July 27, 2017 (82 FR 34974-75). The notice gave affected users, parties of interest, and the public an opportunity to raise any concerns and to comment on the withdrawal application. The Forest Service consulted Federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies during the development of the environmental assessment. The project was first published to the schedule of proposed actions and the project website on October 1, 2017. All comments were reviewed, and summaries were published in the environmental assessment on the project website.

For further information about this withdrawal, please visit the project website, or contact Melissa Bleier at mbleier@blm.gov (until January 7, 2025), or Shannon Benavides, BLM Realty Specialist, at sbenavides@blm.gov (after January 7, 2025).

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management today announced an investment of nearly $2.4 million from the President’s Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act to develop a cultural landscape study and predictive model for public lands in California and Arizona. The study would identify and provide a better understanding of the impacts of renewable energy development on Tribal ancestral lands and other significant landscapes in the Colorado River Basin, in order to improve responsible siting and processing of right-of-way applications for renewable energy.  

The BLM will partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory for the study. Argonne previously conducted cultural landscape assessments for the BLM in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and developed impact assessments and mitigation strategies for renewable energy development throughout the western U.S. The Laboratory is currently working on a landscape study and predictive model for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California.

“It is important to understand the cultural values of the lands in our care, so we can guide clean energy projects to appropriate places,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “The BLM looks forward to working with Tribal Nations and other partners as we conduct this assessment that will help us ensure that clean energy projects are developed responsibly.” 

The cultural landscape study will incorporate Indigenous Knowledge and a comprehensive inventory of all previously known archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnobotanical information, visual/viewshed studies, and a built environment inventory.  

Earlier this year, BLM surpassed the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects on public lands by 2025. In August, BLM announced its proposed roadmap for solar energy development, building on the Administration’s Investing in America agenda, including its goal to facilitate transitioning the nation to a 100-percent clean electricity grid by 2035.  

As of September 2024, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands (10 solar, 13 geothermal, and 18 gen-ties). In total, the BLM has now permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of approximately 29 gigawatts of power – enough to power over 12 million homes.  

 

Visit BLM.gov for more information on how BLM manages cultural resources and renewable energy programs.  

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management announced today that $2.5 million from the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act will be invested in a cultural landscape study and predictive model to identify and better understand the impacts of renewable energy development on Tribal ancestral lands and other significant landscapes in the California Desert Conservation Area with an aim to better site and process renewable energy development applications in the area.

“These historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will support our ability to deploy clean energy, while protecting vital cultural resources in the California desert,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “The BLM is proud to support locally led and locally designed efforts to better understand the impacts on Tribal and cultural resources.”

The California Desert Conservation Area was designated by Congress in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, recognizing the importance of this area’s resources and the need for a comprehensive long-range plan. The California Desert Conservation Area Plan was amended in 2016 by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. This landscape-level conservation plan for 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties – Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego – is a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Land Management, California Energy Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to effectively manage renewable energy development, preserves unique cultural sites and valuable desert ecosystems, and provides outdoor recreation opportunities.

The cultural landscape study and predictive model is being developed in consultation with California Tribes, Tribal organizations, and the California State Historic Preservation Office to fulfill the requirements outlined in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan – Section 106 Programmatic Agreement. Both efforts will identify resources of religious and cultural significance in a way that enhances renewable energy project siting and avoids resource conflicts. The result will be a more efficient and predictable Section 106 process that will significantly improve project planning and timelines, while minimizing impacts to cultural resources across a broad geographic area.

Since 2009, State and Federal agencies have approved dozens of renewable energy projects in the southern California desert. These projects have established California as a leader in utility-scale energy development and have put California on track to achieve its short-term renewable energy goals.