 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 that the National Park Service will distribute $192 million to local communities through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program, which enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved areas. The Department also announced new programmatic changes that will enable more communities and bigger ideas to compete for the grants. Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz made the announcement at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan where she emphasized the importance of improving equitable access to the outdoors.
During a visit to Channel Islands National Park, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland celebrated the Department of the Interior’s commitment of close to $100,000 in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The park’s ecosystem restoration project, which will be carried out in partnership with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, will rehabilitate and improve safety on trails, as well as protect archeological and natural resources on Santa Cruz Island. Supporting Tribally led conservation and restoration priorities reflects a central focus of the America the Beautiful initiative.
The Bureau of Land Management has added 275 acres of land in the Boise Foothills to help increase public access to open space and to protect important wildlife habitat, including crucial winter range for mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk. The property is located a few miles north of Barber Valley, overlooking downtown Boise, and helps connect existing state and federal public lands. The land was purchased from the Alta Harris Family Foundation using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The addition also supports the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative by expanding access to nature in urban areas and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
In ceremony with local officials this month, the community of Annapolis, MD, celebrated the acquisition of a 5-acre parcel known as Elktonia Beach, which is connected to the historically Black beaches, Carr’s Beach and Sparrow’s Beach. At their height in the 30’s and 40’s, many famous music acts performed for the public at the beach, including Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder. The beach was open to all people -despite racial segregation policies in place at the time. The designation of the beach into a heritage park will ensure that the public has access to the area for educational and recreational use. The City of Annapolis, in partnership with the Blacks of the Chesapeake and the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office, will lead the planning and design.
As part of the America the Beautiful initiative, the Biden-Harris administration launched an interagency effort, called the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR), that will work to create more safe, affordable, and equitable opportunities for Americans to get outdoors. The FICOR – which includes leaders from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Defense – will focus on improving access to nature, expanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and providing the public with improved and more affordable experiences on America’s public lands and waters.
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