WASHINGTON, D.C. - At a ceremony in the nation’s capital today, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recognized the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program as one of 21 recipients nationwide of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award.
The 21 awards recognized the work of more than 700 groups and individuals who achieved excellence in conservation through collaboration and partnerships.
“These outstanding partnerships and cooperative efforts represent a fundamental way in which our Department provides stewardship for America with integrity and excellence,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “They embody a broad spectrum of conservation work from restoring wetlands, rangelands and mine lands to protecting wildlife, conserving water and fighting invasive species to teaching conservation values to the next generation.”
The award to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program recognizes the partnership’s outstanding contributions to addressing the restoration of threatened and endangered species in the Lower Colorado River system. The program covers 26 species, including six endangered species, and provides greater certainty to the Lower Colorado River States, California, Nevada, and Arizona, that the river will provide water and power in the future. Implementation of such a large program requires collaboration among many landowners along the Lower Colorado River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a significant land manager, with four national wildlife refuges in the region: Imperial, Cibola, Havasu, and Bill Williams.
“The dedication and partnering skills of the staff at these refuges have helped move toward the program goal of creating over 8,100 acres of habitat for endangered and threatened species,” the award noted.
The Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award recognizes conservation achievements resulting from the cooperation and participation of individual landowners, citizen groups, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and Federal, State, local, and/or tribal governments.
“This is a fitting start to a week of Earth Day activities,” the Secretary told the crowd at the main Interior auditorium. “If anyone were to ask me why America is the world leader in conservation of natural resources, I would simply point to the people in this auditorium. You are the spirit and you are the hands of cooperative conservation.”
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (California, Nevada, Arizona)
Nominated by the Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of Reclamation
Gregg Garnett
Lorri Gray
Gail Iglitz
Nathan Lenon
Terry Murphy
Barbara Raulston
Bill Singleton
Laura Vecerina
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Stan Culling
John Earle
Tina Lynsky
Bill Seese