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 Mojave Maxine vs Punxsutawney Phil: Who will "Spring" First? The Living Desert, in partnership with the Desert Managers Group, announce the 2012 Mojave Maxine Emergence Contest, (formerly known as the Southern California Mojave Max Emergence Contest). Southern California* students are encouraged to go online to guess the time and date when Mojave Maxine, a large female desert tortoise who lives at The Living Desert, will emerge from her burrow for the first time in 2012; thereby ushering in the new season. Just as the East has Punxsutawney Phil, the West has Mojave Maxine. Each year, Maxine emerges from brumation (the reptilian form of hibernation), at which time, according to legend, spring is said to officially begin in the Mojave Desert. BLM Desert Advisory Council to Meet in Primm The next field trip and meeting of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) California Desert Advisory Council (DAC) will be held Feb. 10-11 in Primm, Nev., just across the California-Nevada border. The council will participate in a field tour of nearby BLM-managed public lands on Friday, Feb. 10 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and meet in formal session on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Primm Valley Resort, 31900 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Primm, NV 89019. BLM Reopens Pacific Crest Trail Damaged by the Canyon Fire The Bureau of Land Management has reopened approximately 30 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in northeastern Kern County that had been damaged during the September 2011 Canyon Fire in the Tehachapi area. Ridgecrest Field Office fire crews performed emergency stabilization operations on the burned portion of the trail, removed approximately 200 hazard trees and widowmakers and also replaced numerous burned signs along the trail. BLM Schedules Meetings to Address West Mojave Desert Routes of Travel Designation The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled eight open-house public scoping meetings to gather public comments and recommendations on the preparation of environmental assessments for eight travel management areas (TMAs) within the West Mojave Planning Area. Area residents and interested members of the public encouraged to attend. The BLM will solicit public input relative to local area knowledge, issues and opportunities, including changes to route access. Furnace Creek Campground to Close February 1, 2012 The Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park will close February 1, 2012 for the replacement of the sewer and water lines. Frequent pipe breakages require that the work be started as soon as possible. The project is scheduled to take several months to complete, requiring the work to be completed before the extreme heat of the summer. BLM to Lift Campfire Restrictions in the California Desert District Effective Oct. 21, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)'s California Desert District will lift its campfire restrictions on all BLM-managed public lands in Southern California within the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA). BLM-managed lands in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, and western Riverside County that are designated as "State Responsibility Areas" remain under Stage II restrictions. Those areas only permit campfires within approved fire pits and grills in developed recreational sites. State Parks Announces Closures California State Parks announced a plan to close up to 70 of its 278 parks due to budget cuts. The closures are necessary to achieve an $11 million reduction in the next fiscal year 2011/12, and $22 million in the following fiscal year 2012/13. These cuts were mandated by AB 95, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in March. Five of the parks listed are within the California desert: Antelope Valley Indian Museum, Picacho SRA, Providence Mountains SRA/Mitchell Caverns, Saddleback Butte SP, and Salton Sea SRA. 
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