 Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030�
News and Updates
 �
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz visited Minnesota to announce $61 million in grant funding is available to communities in 26 cities across the United States to create new parks and trails, or substantial renovations to existing parks, through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program. The ORLP program, established in 2014 as part of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved communities. Secretary Haaland highlighted how these efforts advance the America the Beautiful initiative�s goals to goals to advance equity, biodiversity, and climate change through collaborative and locally led conservation.
 �
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau visited Idaho, Washington and Oregon on a three-day swing to highlight the historic investments from President Biden�s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for wildfire resilience, conservation and ecosystem restoration. He also visited Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where he toured the Cougar Bay Wetlands Restoration Project and newly acquired lands in Cougar Bay made possible by Land and Water Conservation Fund. In alignment with the America the Beautiful initiative, the 88-acre acquisition is helping secure public access and conserving and connecting diverse wildlife habitats.
 �
The Biden-Harris administration announced that 125 ecosystem restoration projects in over 20 states, Tribes and territories will receive nearly $68.4 million in fiscal year 2022 funding from President Biden�s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With a total of $1.4 billion for Department of the Interior investments in ecosystem restoration efforts over the next five years, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is building on proven projects, programs and partnerships that conserve, wildlife and natural resources critical to supporting local economies, creating jobs and strengthening communities. This comes on the heels of the launch of a new $1 billion America the Beautiful Challenge that leverages federal conservation and restoration investments with private and philanthropic contributions to accelerate locally led land, water and wildlife conservation efforts across the country.
The State of Nevada and officials from Department of the Interior bureaus � including the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service � and the U.S. Forest Service, signed an agreement establishing a new Shared Stewardship partnership focused on outdoor recreation throughout the state. The new Nevada Agreement for Recreation Shared Stewardship will serve as a model for multi-agency collaboration to address the multi-faceted challenges facing Nevada�s communities and natural environment while enhancing sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities and a vibrant outdoor economy.
 �
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that its Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program will provide more than $18 million in much-needed grant funding for 20 states to construct, renovate and maintain marinas and other boating facilities for outdoor recreation. States receiving BIG grants include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, although all states and territories were eligible to apply. Grants made under the BIG program are examples of the Service�s commitment to working with state and local partners to support conservation efforts and expand recreation opportunities, cornerstones of the America the Beautiful initiative.
###
|
