 Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030
News and Updates
The Department of the Interior announced the establishment of the Lost Trail Conservation Area in Northwest Montana as the 568th and newest unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This expansion – the first unit for the Refuge System under Secretary Deb Haaland’s leadership – is the culmination of a 20-year locally-led effort to conserve important big game corridors and recreational areas in the region and a model for the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing efforts to conserve and restore our nation’s lands and waters.
The Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission formalized and celebrated their partnership for co-management of the Bears Ears National Monument. The BLM and the U.S. Forest Service jointly manage the monument and will prepare a management plan for federal lands, working cooperatively with the Tribal members of the Bears Ears Commission to conserve and restore the monument objects and values. Honoring Tribal sovereignty and supporting the priorities of Tribal Nations is one of the key principles of the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative.
Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz visited Florida to highlight investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will facilitate the removal of barriers to fish passage and reopen access to miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals. Enhancing habitat connectivity, including fish passage, as well as supporting restoration projects to strengthen our economy are key focus areas of the America the Beautiful initiative.
The North Pulaski Park, an urban park in Passaic, New Jersey, is receiving a $3.3 million through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program to install a new, larger playground area, picnic groves, updated tree-lined entrances, fitness stations, native plantings, updated walking paths, and a Riverwalk. The ORLP program, established in 2014, enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved communities. With approximately 13,000 people within a half mile of this park, this project will help significantly improve access to open space and recreation.
Visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2021 resulted in a $42.5 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 322,600 jobs. According to the National Park Service report, 2021 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, approximately 297 million visitors spent $20.5 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park. Of the 322,600 jobs supported by visitor spending, 268,900 jobs were local to park gateway communities. Strengthening local economies through conservation and outdoor recreation work directly reflects the goals and principles of the America the Beautiful initiative.
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