U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Southern Nevada District Office
Southern Nevada District Office
| Contacts: | Hillerie C. Patton | , 702-515-5046 | , hpatton@blm.gov |
BLM Announces $6.8 Million for Nevada Restoration, Conservation, Recreation, and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects
Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Mike Pool today announced that the BLM will commit more than $6.8 million for a variety of conservation and recreation improvement projects throughout Nevada and Lake Tahoe.
The funding is a result of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), which uses proceeds from sales of Federal land in Clark County, Nevada, to fund conservation initiatives, capital improvements, hazardous fuels reduction, environmentally sensitive land acquisitions, and improvements to local parks throughout the state.
“These funds will help ensure that our public lands continue to enhance and support economic growth and development throughout Nevada,” said Acting Director Pool. “The BLM remains a strategic partner with the State of Nevada, including through this program that provides vital resources for key conservation and recreation projects.”
Funding approved in Round 13 expenditures under the Act includes more than $6.8 million for projects throughout Nevada and in Lake Tahoe in the following categories:
• Parks, Trails & Natural Areas - $1,966,278• Capital Improvements - $1,395,560• Conservation Initiatives - $858,274• Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisitions - $322,800• Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Prevention - $1,688,650• Eastern Nevada Landscape Restoration Project - $661,690
The Round 13 approval also includes $1 million in a special account reserve for emergency or unexpected project expenditures.
The Round 13 projects will support a mix of up to 41 full- and part-time jobs during the seven years of project activity. Additional information on the Round 13 approved project funding is posted online at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/snplma.html.
The Department of Interior, of which the BLM is part, has contributed more than $2.9 billion to key restoration projects throughout Nevada, including more than $300 million for Lake Tahoe Basin restoration since passage of the Act in 1998, which completes the Federal share of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. These funds are going to protect life and property; increase the quality of life for residents and visitors to Nevada and California; provide recreation opportunities for Nevada’s rural and underserved communities; and restore environmental health and ecosystem function for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Southern Nevada District Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, Nevada 89130