You can now use your cell or tablet photos to help the Bureau of Land Management improve public lands.
Three new “chronolog” stations have been rolled out within the Applegate field office lands, where you can snap a photo and upload it to the station, where it will become part of a time-lapse video. Chronolog is a tool used by organizations to create crowd-sourced time-lapse videos to monitor the environment and engage communities in science.
Craig Drake, manager of the BLM Applegate Field Office based in Alturas, said “We hope this will be a good way to get people engaged in the everyday science that the BLM and our partners undertake to improve public lands and natural resources.”
The Chronolog stations have been established within sites that are currently involved in research and restoration projects. These sites include Prescribed Fire: a site along the Barrel Springs Backcountry Byway about 10 miles northeast of Fort Bidwell, where The BLM and University of Utah are studying fire effects on an edible plant called yampah, or epos, important to native people. The second near Buckhorn Backcountry Byway near the state line with Nevada, called Spring Restoration: where the BLM is studying the effects of a riparian fence enclosure, native plant seeding, and removing encroaching juniper trees to improve water quality and quantity from the spring. With the final location cataloging Meadow Restoration at Fitzhugh Creek Meadows, about 11 miles south of Alturas, in an area known as the Likely Tablelands. This site will launch on June 14th. Here, the BLM and CalTrout have installed beaver dam analogs that mimic the function of beaver dams to improve the meadow’s hydraulic functions, such as water retention.
The BLM says to check weather conditions before heading to these sites and plan ahead to recreate responsibly. You can learn more by calling the BLM Surprise Field Office.
