September 2003 News Coverage - Laserfiche WebLink

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PICADO Therese M From: WOLD Eric N Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 1:50 PM To: *Eugene Wetheads; *Eugene Wetlands FOG; DUCKETT Scott; MEDLIN Johnny R; PICADO Therese M; JONES Eric R; *Eugene POS NR; MACDONALD Cathy(SMTP); PINTO Russ (SMTP); RINER Andrea G Subject: more West Eugene Wetlands in the news This article on the Cooperative Conservation Initiative (CCI) program was in today's Columbia Basin Bulletin (http://www.cbbulletin.com/). The West Eugene Wetlands Program is highlighted! -- Eric 11. INTERIOR AWARDS $13 MILLION IN PARTNER CONSERVATION GRANTS Interior Secretary Gale Norton on Tuesday announced that the department has awarded $12.9 million in cost-share grants under President Bush's Cooperative Conservation Initiative to complete 256 conservation projects in conjunction with states, local communities, businesses, landowners, and other partners. The grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service will fund a wide range of conservation projects ranging from restoring wetland prairie habitat in Oregon to restoring forested wetlands damaged by a tornado in Maryland to building water catchments for endangered bighorn sheep in New Mexico. The projects involve more than 700 partners in 40 states and Puerto Rico and will conserve or restore more than 50,000 acres. Partners are required at least to match the federal grants, so overall funding for the projects totals more than $35 million. A state-by-state breakout of the grants announced by Norton is available on the Interior LDepartment web site "If conservation is going to be successful in the 21st century, it must be a partnership between the American people and the government, " Norton said. "These Cooperative Conservation Initiative challenge cost-share grants help federal land managers foster partnerships within local communities across America, allowing them to come up with innovative solutions to the complex challenges and leveraging federal dollars with cost- share contributions. " Bush proposed the challenge cost-share grants as a tool for federal land managers to use in creating cooperative conservation projects. Congress included the $12.9 million as part of the existing challenge cost-share budgets of each of the agencies. Oregon gained a huge chunk of the available money -- nearly $1.4 million in federal grants to combine with $2.76 million in matching funds. Those providing matching funds ranged from state and federal agencies, to local governmental entities, conservation groups, the Boy Scouts and others. The Bureau of Land Management's Eugene office will channel federal funds to a project to restore 45 acres of wetlands, and seven acres of upland prairie habitat by regrading an area near that city and replanting it with native vegetation. The total project cost is $2.3 million with $773, 000 to be provided through the federal grant program and more than $1.5 million being provided by the city. The BLM in a related project is providing a $150, 000 grant to restore wetland habitat by removing fill material, and replanting with native seed. The city of Eugene and other partners are contributing $525,000 for the project to provide habitat for the Fender's blue butterfly, migratory birds, and other species of wildlife. trin all, 15 projects will be fueled in Oregon with the federal grant money. They include riparian and other habitat restoration work from Vale, Burns, Umatilla and Malheur regions to the Pacific coast. 1