 Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030
News and Updates
Throughout this year, the Department of the Interior is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and its importance in preventing imperiled species' extinction, promoting the recovery of wildlife and conserving the habitats upon which they depend. May 19 marks Endangered Species Day, and Interior leaders hit the road to highlight the Department's work in conserving and restoring precious natural habitat for wildlife. Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz visited Michigan to highlight endangered species and toured several sites funded by the America the Beautiful Challenge for locally led from the Inflation Reduction Act to advance
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced a $125 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to restore the nation’s lands and waters. The funding from the on landscape restoration projects driven by collaborative partnerships. The funding, to be spent over the next four years, will support 240 locally led projects that advance goals laid out in the framework: building resilient communities, restoring healthy lands and waters, advancing restoration and resilience, and enhancing local communities.
At the Corridors, Connectivity and Crossings Conference in Tucson, Arizona, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau announced nearly $4 million in grants along with more than $9 million in matching contributions for 13 projects in nine states that will help secure key migration paths and restore critical wildlife habitats. Together, more than $13 million will be invested to protect pronghorn, elk, mule deer and other iconic species across the American West. The grants are made possible through the America the Beautiful initiative.
With the announcement of the acquisition of 11,332 acres of forestland in southeastern Oklahoma by The Conservation Fund, the state of Oklahoma is poised to get its first state forest. Located east of the Ouachita National Forest and within driving distance of Oklahoma City, the Round Mountain Forest provides potential opportunities for new recreational access and local outdoor economic activities in the region. The forest’s clear streams provide critical habitat for the federally threatened Leopard Darter, which can only be found in the streams of three Oklahoma rivers, including the Little River, which runs through the area.
President Biden issued an executive order further embedding environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on. The new Executive Order, will help ensure that all people—regardless of race, background, income, ability, Tribal affiliation or zip code—can benefit from the vital safeguards enshrined in our nation’s foundational environmental and civil rights laws. This action follows through on President Biden’s promise to modernize and improve how the federal government confronts environmental injustice to address the needs of present and future generations.
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