Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Biden administration offers $116M for local conservation projects
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Thursday, March 2, 2023
Bald eagles in Pinedale, Wyoming. Photo: Mark Thonhoff, BLM Wyoming ([link removed])
The Department of the Interior (DOI) and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced ([link removed]) the 2023 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge ([link removed]) , which offers grants to local conservation projects that align with the America the Beautiful initiative ([link removed]) . The program, initially launched in 2022 ([link removed]) , is dedicated to funding locally-led landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects that implement existing conservation plans across the nation. The 2023
program will award up to $116 million, an increase from the $91 million awarded in 2022. It will prioritize Indigenous-led projects by setting aside funding specifically to support Tribal Nations’ and territories' efforts.
The Challenge is a partnership between the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Defense, NFWF, and Native Americans in Philanthropy which consolidates funding into a single resource. This makes securing funding more accessible and efficient, as applicants can apply for multiple grant programs through a single application.
“The America the Beautiful Challenge created a one-stop shop to help communities access funding for conservation and restoration initiatives,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory ([link removed]) . “This collaborative effort has and will continue to advance locally-led projects aligned with the President’s ambitious America the Beautiful initiative, conserving our lands and waters while also expanding access to the outdoors across the country.”
Recipients of the 2022 America the Beautiful Challenge ([link removed]) grants ([link removed]) are pursuing projects that will reconnect 1,300 miles of streams and rivers, improve the management of 26 million acres of land, and restore 1,900 acres of wetlands. This year's proposals are due April 20, 2023 ([link removed]) .
Quick hits
** Biden faces ConocoPhillips Willow project decision
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Green colonialism is flooding the Pacific Northwest
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High Country News ([link removed])
** Extreme Yosemite rain eases drought but disrupts wildlife habitats
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Reuters ([link removed])
** Senate targets environmentally conscious investing
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New York Times ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Endangered Mexican wolf population makes strides in US
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ([link removed]) [press release]
** Western US cities vote to move ahead with novel nuclear power plant
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Reuters ([link removed])
** EPA’s risky methane gambit: Let outsiders look for leaks
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Here's why Arizona says it can keep growing despite historic megadrought
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NPR ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We cannot just grow anywhere and everywhere and as much as we want and still sustain every kind of economy and economic growth that we want, we have to make choices.”
—Kathy Ferris, former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, NPR ([link removed])
Picture this
** @USFWS ([link removed])
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How are you practicing self-care today? This fence lizard in New Mexico is mid-shed. Unlike snakes, fence lizards have rough scales, so their shedding happens more piece by piece. We hope you like your new outfit, little buddy.
Photo: Laurel Ladwig/USFWS
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