 Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030
News and Updates
The Department of the Interior published a proposal to guide the balanced management of America’s public lands for the benefit of current and future generations. The proposal provides tools for the Bureau of Land Management to improve the resilience of public lands and lays the groundwork for conserving migration corridors and wildlife habitat, restoring places impacted by wildfire and drought, expanding outdoor recreation, and promoting thoughtful development. The BLM is seeking public comment proposed rule through June 20, 2023, or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
Secretary Haaland visited Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada where she celebrated President Biden’s recent designation Located at the confluence of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, the new national monument will protect innumerable objects of historic and scientific interest, including its namesake Avi Kwa Ame – or Spirit Mountain – and the surrounding arid valleys and mountain ranges that are historically important and sacred places for a number of Tribal Nations, including the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. Consistent with the principles, the designation builds upon decades of efforts from Tribal Nations, elected leaders, as well as a broad coalition of local businesses, outdoor recreationists, and conservation organizations.
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau announced that the Department will invest more than $16 million over the next four years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to enhance the resilience of ecosystems and salmon in Alaska’s Yukon, Kuskokwim and Norton Sound region, including through co-stewardship with Alaska Native Tribes. The funding advances the Department’s new “gravel to gravel” initiative a mountains to the sea restoration approach unveiled as part of a restoration and resilience framework that will guide $2 billion in investments from the President’s Investing in America agenda to restore lands and waters and advance climate resilience.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently returned six Sonoran pronghorn to Mexico as part of a binational effort to prevent the species from becoming extinct. In the early 2000s, severe drought conditions almost decimated the population. As a result, the Arizona Game and Fish Department partnered with other agencies to implement measures to halt the decline of the species. Nearly 20 years later, the program and other actions taken and by the state have led to a Sonoran pronghorn population increase estimated at approximately 450, a significant leap from the 80-90 animals in 2010.
At the White House Conservation in Action Summit, President Biden announced major new actions to conserve and restore lands and waters across the nation, including establishing Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in Texas and directing the Secretary of Commerce to consider exercising her authority to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. Other announcements included the release of the and a that includes $80 million in investments to preserve land around military installations and improve access to outdoor recreation for millions of Americans.
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