This Week at Interior May 12, 2023

Transcript:

Hi, I'm Eddie Owens, the Refuge Manager at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho. And you're watching This Week at Interior. 

This Week at Interior 

In Washington D.C. this week Secretary Haaland visited with high school students as part of an Outdoor Alliance for Kids event. The Secretary spoke about equitable access to nature and its importance in fostering the next generation of public land stewards. She also discussed several Interior programs that are helping young people from all walks of life experience nature, including the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership and the “Every Kid Outdoors” programs. 

Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau this week announced nearly $4 million in grants, along with $9.2 million in matching contributions, to help secure key migration paths and restore critical wildlife habitats. At the Corridors, Connectivity and Crossings Conference in Tucson, Arizona, the Deputy Secretary said the 13 projects in nine states will help protect pronghorn, elk, mule deer and other iconic species across the American West. 

Interior this week convened local, federal and territorial representatives in Hawaii for the Territorial Climate and Infrastructure Workshop. The gathering discussed how the Administration's Investing in America agenda is providing once-in-a-generation climate and infrastructure resources to the U.S. territories. The Department announced a $12 million investment for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation and resilience, while the Bureau of Reclamation announced $5.5 million in funding to expand access to clean, reliable drinking water for communities and households. 

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz and U.S. Geological Survey Director David Applegate joined USGS staff and staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management to celebrate Amphibian Week 2023 on the National Mall. The event featured free family-friendly games and activities, live animals, and amphibian biologists to highlight the importance of amphibians and showcase how Interior's agencies are helping to understand and conserve these fascinating animals. 

Interior and the Department of Agriculture this week announced nearly three billion dollars to improve infrastructure, recreation facilities, public lands access and land and water conservation. The funding comes from the Great American Outdoors Act through the Legacy Restoration Fund and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure and prepare for future needs.   

And our social media Picture of the Week comes to us from Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska, where this statuesque Canada lynx poses among the blooming wildflowers. Ever elusive, the lynx is a magnificent hunter with paw like snowshoes and long dark tufts of fur. When it's not cheesing for the camera, the Canada lynx prefers to dwell in dense northern forests where it can find plenty of its favorite meal, the snowshoe hare. 

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That's This Week at Interior. 

This Week: Secretary Haaland visits with high school students about equitable access to nature; Deputy Secretary Beaudreau announces nearly $13.2 million to help secure key migration paths and restore critical wildlife habitats; the 2023 Territorial Climate and Infrastructure Workshop addresses infrastructure and climate change; Department leaders celebrate Amphibian Week on the National Mall; Interior and USDA team up to support better infrastructure, conservation and increase access to public lands; and a stealthy Canada lynx stops to say cheese for our social media Picture of the Week!