Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030
News and Updates
Interior Department Provides $325 Million to Increase Access to the Outdoors
Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis announced the distribution of $325 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia – the largest annual distribution from the program since 1979. Investments from the LWCF support the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative by funding locally led outdoor recreation and conservation projects that safeguard and enhance access to America’s great outdoors. The landmark law is approaching its 60th birthday on September 3, when Congress passed the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and fulfilled a bipartisan commitment to safeguard natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans. The fund helps strengthen communities, preserve history and conserve the national endowment of lands and waters. Since its inception, the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program has funded more than 46,000 projects in every county in the country.
Secretary Haaland Establishes Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon, Conserving Vital Species Habitat
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams traveled to celebrate the establishment of the Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon as the 572nd unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. This is the fifth new unit established under Secretary Deb Haaland’s leadership, and the 15th conservation area in the Refuge System. The newly acquired 600-acre parcel helps establish the Conservation Area and will provide crucial protected habitat for threatened and endangered species. Conservation Areas are a model of refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife and major migration corridors while helping to keep agricultural lands in production. These efforts are locally supported and showcase the Fish and Wildlife Service’s commitment to a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation as envisioned by the America the Beautiful initiative.
Interior Department Announces Nearly $7 Million for Indian Youth Service Corps Projects, Supported by President’s Investing in America Agenda
The Department of the Interior announced nearly $7 million through the Indian Youth Services Corps (IYSC) for Indigenous-led conservation projects across the nation. The IYSC, launched by Secretary Haaland in 2022, is a partnership-based program helping provide meaningful education, good-paying jobs, and training opportunities to Indigenous youth through conservation projects on public and Tribal lands, and Hawaiian homelands. This latest round of projects will further advance the American Climate Corps, the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to empower a new, diverse generation of Americans to tackle the climate crisis and become part of a growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce. These efforts help advance the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and ongoing efforts to support local and Tribally led conservation and restoration priorities.
Local Spotlight
Spectrum News Massachusetts: Conservation groups, landowners team up to preserve 800 acres in Barre
A group of land conservation partners has conserved more than 800 acres of land in Barre, Massachusetts, that will provide important wildlife habitat, ensure access to clean drinking water, promote climate resilience, support local farms, and connect thousands of acres of adjacent, protected land. The Hawes Hill Conservation Corridor is made up of eight separate properties that are now permanently protected, and the private landowners will continue to sustainably manage the land for forestry, agriculture, and passive recreational purposes.
In Case You Missed It
President Biden Designates Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Illinois
President Joe Biden established the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument as America’s newest national park site — the eighth addition to the national park system during the Biden-Harris administration. The new national monument will help tell a more complete story of America by preserving historic objects associated with a violent, racially motivated riot in President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois, in 1908 that ultimately served as a catalyst for important steps in the civil rights movement, including the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP.
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