Bureau of Land Management Receives Economic Stimulus Funds For Meadowood Trails
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The Bureau of Land Management will receive $300,000 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for trails at Meadowood Recreation Area on the Mason Neck of VA. Overall, the Department of Interior will invest more than $3 billion through President Obama’s economic recovery plan, $305 million of which is dedicated to BLM projects.In announcing the funding, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said, “Through these economic recovery investments, we are also making a down payment on restoring and protecting the stunning landscapes that BLM manages on behalf of the American people.” He added, “We will conserve habitat, restore watersheds, clean up abandoned mine sites and wells, and build a legacy of stewardship of which we can be proud.”The 800-acre BLM administered Meadowood property in Lorton, VA will use the money for trail reconstruction, relocation, repair and improvements.BLM Eastern States Director Juan Palma said, “This is an exciting time for the BLM. We’ll be helping local economies and, at the same time, be able to undertake projects that we’ve been wanting to do for years. With the Recovery Act funds, we will further enhance the health of our forests and rangelands and upgrade our recreation facilities and other infrastructure, such as doing trail work at Meadowood.”The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery. Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force. Henderson and the Task Force will work closely with the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General to ensure that the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency that President Obama has set.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.