BLM Announces $6.8 Million For Nevada Restoration, Conservation, Recreation, And Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects

Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Mike Pool announced Wednesday, Oct. 17, 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: http://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.