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Interior Department: 13 states to share $10 million to reduce catastrophic wildfires.

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 02:57:00 +0000

13 states to share $10 million to reduce wildfire risks

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has announced $10 million for land restoration projects in 13 states in a strategy to reduce catastrophic wildfires.

Adam Eschback/ap

Emergency responders dump water onto a wildfire June 6 near Celebration Park, south of Melba, Idaho. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Friday announced $10 million for projects to restore health and fire resilience in 13 states

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Friday that making land more resilient to fire is essential for vulnerable species and for healthy rangelands, forests and watersheds.

“These projects will restore critical landscapes, which is essential for mitigating the impacts of fire and climate change,” Jewell said in a statement. “These projects support our efforts to protect our nation’s landscapes for this and future generations.”

Eight of the states are in the West, with projects in conifer forests and sagebrush rangelands, where wildfires have been especially destructive in the last decade. Sagebrush also is habitat for sage grouse, an imperiled bird under consideration for federal protections.

To the east, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and North and South Carolina are receiving $770,000 to help restore longleaf pine forests, home to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

The projects are part of the Interior Department’s Wildland Fire Resilient Landscapes Program intended to unite federal agencies, tribes, states and other groups to create fire-resilient landscapes. The projects also are in line with Jewell’s secretarial order in January requiring projects include multiple jurisdictions collaborating on a large scale.

Of the $10 million, about $4 million is designated for the Greater Shelton Hart Mountain project located in Oregon, Nevada and California.

The project there aims to restore sagebrush and native perennial grass and forbs by controlling juniper expansion. Among the participants are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, county agencies, private landowners, hunting and conservation groups, and universities.

Four projects on the list benefit greater sage grouse and cost a combined $7.3 million. The wide-ranging bird found in 11 states is under consideration for protection, and another giant habitat-consuming fire could factor into the decision.

John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and a public lands expert, said the list reflects Jewell’s business background and penchant for trying to find ways to get things accomplished despite differences among participants.

“To me, the message is, ‘Sage grouse is the biggest issue right now, but we understand and know that there are issues in other places,” Freemuth said.

Source: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/state_and_regional/states-to-share-million-to-reduce-wildfire-risks/article_75fe2999-7b4c-5817-a834-5e1fb2dcab0a.html

Wildfires Today - United States Wildland Fire News today

Interior Department: 13 states to share $10 million to reduce catastrophic wildfires.

13 states to share $10 million to reduce wildfire risks

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