BAKERSFIELD, Calif. –  The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Office is lifting the emergency closure of the Creek Campground, a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Canebrake Road in Tulare County.  The closures were in place for public and firefighter safety in relation to the management of the SQF Lightning Complex Fire and are no longer necessary due to the lack of fire progression.  The closures are lifted as of Tues., Aug. 13.  Long Valley Campground and Long Valley Loop road remain closed. 

The SQF Lightning Complex Fire started Tuesday, July 13, and has burned more than 32,000 acres of short grass and brush near the Chimney Peak Recreation Area.  The Trout Fire is 70 percent contained; the Long Fire is 98 percent contained; resources remain on the ground and both fires are being monitored by air.

Public and wildland firefighter safety are the BLM’s highest priority.  Be aware firefighting crews and emergency vehicles remain in the area.  For the latest information on the SQF Lightning Complex Fire, visit InciWeb.

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office is temporarily closing motorized vehicle access to the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road in Mariposa County, where it crosses onto BLM lands, approximately one mile from the junction of Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road with Bear Valley Road. The closure is effective today, Thursday, August 15, and will be in effect until fire restrictions are lifted for the season. The closure of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road is not to be confused with the Hunter Valley Road which remains open. The Hunter Valley Road is located approximately two miles east of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road along Bear Valley Road. The temporary closure order can be found on the BLM website.

“This closure is necessary to protect public health and safety; and prevent wildfire,” said Mother Lode Field Manager Jeff Horn. During the recent Pedro Fire, which burned BLM lands along the northern portion of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road, it was discovered that target shooting was occurring in multiple locations along this road. Target shooting is not permitted during fire restrictions because hot bullet fragments, exploding targets and metal from recreational shooting can spark a wildfire.

The temporary closure on Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road will remain in effect until seasonal fire restrictions are rescinded.

Visit www.wheretoshoot.org for alternative recreational target shooting locations. To learn how you can do your part to prevent wildland fires visit www.readyforwildfire.org. Fire restrictions for all California BLM-managed public lands can be found on online. For more information, please visit the Mother Lode Field Office website or call 916-941-3101.

Updated Sept. 13, 2024.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on the draft environmental assessment and land use plan amendment for the proposed Morongo Canyon Highway 62 Multi-Tenant Wireless Broadband Communications Site project in San Bernardino County. If approved, the project would improve telecommunication and broadband connections for Morongo and Yucca valley communities.

The applicant, InterConnect Towers LLC, proposes to construct, operate, and maintain a broadband communication site with an access road and ancillary facilities on just over two acres of public lands in Morongo Valley in southeastern San Bernardino County.

“The BLM will consider potential site-specific effects the proposed communication site may have on visual resources,” said California Desert District Manager Shelly Lynch. “We want to hear from the community on this project.”

The BLM, as the lead federal agency for National Environmental Policy Act review, drafted an environmental assessment that considers scoping comments, issues, planning criteria, potential effects, alternatives, and mitigation measures.

Implementation of the proposal would require a BLM decision to amend the California Desert Conservation Area Plan, as amended by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Area Plan, to modify the proposed action area visual resource objectives from retaining the existing character of the landscape to partially retaining the existing character of the landscape.

The BLM will hold an in-person public meeting with a virtual option on Thursday, Sept.5 at 5:30 p.m., at the Community Services District Multipurpose Room in Covington Park, located at 11165 Vale Drive in Morongo Valley, CA 92256.  Advance registration is required to attend virtually. The public comment period will close Oct. 7. (updated 09/13/2024)

Public comments may be submitted through the “Participate Now” function on the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred); emailed to blm_ca_ps_morongocommunicationsite@blm.gov; or delivered to “Morongo Communication Site Project EA,” Attn: Matt Toedtli, Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive in Palm Springs, CA 92262.

For additional information, please email: blm_ca_ps_morongocommunicationsite@blm.gov.

The Bureau of Land Management will implement a five-day temporary closure of all public use from Oct. 2 – 6, for all 40,000 acres of public lands within Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area in San Bernardino County. The temporary closure is necessary to provide for competitor and spectator safety during the annual California 300 off-road race and to protect natural and cultural resources. Johnson Valley Off-Highway Recreation Area and nearby trails in limited use areas, will remain open to the public for recreation.  

“The safety of participants and spectators is our top concern,” said BLM Barstow Field Manager Marc Stamer.  “Please cooperate with race officials and local law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of everyone involved in this event.” 

Visitors to the event must access the approved spectator areas through designated access points provided by California 300.  

The BLM has approved a five-year public land closure for up to nine days a year through 2028. The temporary closure complies with the management plan for the area. Additional information and a map of the closure area for the 2024 race event is available online and at the BLM’s California Desert District Office and Barstow Field Office. The BLM encourages the public to Tread Lightly on public lands. 

Many of us still get a chill running down our spines when we hear about bank failures and bailouts. After all, it was less than 15 years ago when we went through one of the worst economic disasters in history, and institutions such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers Inc., American International Group Inc. and others became famous for the wrong reasons. The Great Recession took years to recover from, and some of its effects can still be felt to this day.

So in March, when several banks collapsed in what were the largest bank failures since that financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, you’ll forgive some of us from getting a bad feeling of deja vu.

This time, it’s the tech sector driving things. Silicon Valley Bank, the largest institution to go bust in March, served a large number of tech startups, while other failed banks, such as Silvergate Bank and Signature Bank, were known as go-to institutions for the cryptocurrency industry.

The government moved quickly to intervene, with President Joe Biden reassuring the public that, “Our banking system is safe,” and promising that customers would be made whole, according to CNN. Biden also called for new banking rules and tighter regulations.

In this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast, Nathan E. Seiler, a partner at the Am Law 100 law firm Ballard Spahr, talks to the ABA Journal’s Victor Li about the Silicon Valley Bank failure and what it means for the larger financial sector.

Seiler, who is chair of the firm’s Business and Transactions Department, also talks about how this batch of bank failures is different than what happened in 2007 and 2008 and what, if any, reforms and changes that we might see from the federal government.

See also:

ABAJournal.com: “Law firms have ‘another risk to contemplate’ after failure of bank that catered to their needs”