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Division of Habitat and Resource Conservation
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What is World Wetlands Day? 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2009, the Convention’s Web site has posted reports from more than 98 countries of WWD activities of all sizes and shapes, from lectures and seminars, nature walks, children’s art contests, sampan races, and community clean-up days, to radio and television interviews and letters to newspapers, to the launch of new wetland policies, new Ramsar sites, and new programmes at the national level. Learn More
ASARCO Settlement Provides $194 Million for Federal, State and Tribal Wildlife and Habitat Resource Restoration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that an environmental damage settlement with ASARCO LLC, a North American mining conglomerate, would provide about $194 million for the recovery of wildlife, habitat and other natural resources managed by Interior, state, and tribal governments at more than a dozen sites around the nation. “Through this historic settlement, the American public is compensated for the damage and loss of natural resources resulting from ASARCO’s past mining, smelting and refining operations,” Secretary Salazar said. “Were it not for this agreement, these injured resources would either remain impaired for future generations or require taxpayer expenditures to achieve environmental restoration.”“This is a milestone not only for the Federal Government but also for Interior and its Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program,” Salazar said. “It exemplifies government working effectively for the American taxpayer to recover damages from polluters and restore and protect significant national landscapes and wildlife resources that have been injured.” Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland called the settlement the type of environmental enforcement action that ensures that those responsible for polluting the nation’s landscapes and waterways are made to pay for their actions. “I want to commend the extraordinary level and amount of federal, state and tribal cooperation and coordination that accomplished this settlement,” Strickland said. |
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“These guidelines provide coal mining companies a set of consistent and reasonable protective measures they can use when their proposed operations could impact the Indiana bat and its critical habitat,” Secretary Salazar said. “This technical guidance was developed through extensive state and federal collaboration and will assist companies in complying with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Secretary Salazar, Western Governors and Western Area Power Administration Join Together to Extend Program to Recover Endangered Colorado River Fish
August 27, 2009
DENVER, CO – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.; former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.; Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal; and Western Area Power Administration Administrator Timothy Meeks renewed their commitment to a nationally recognized program that is working to recover endangered fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin while water development continues in accordance with state and federal laws.
These leaders signed an extension of a cooperative agreement for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program that will extend the program through 2023. The extension will ensure continued cooperative work to recover the endangered bonytail, humpback chub, Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker while water development continues for agricultural, hydroelectric and municipal uses in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Federal Wetlands Mapping Standard Approved
August 18, 2009
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the adoption of a Wetlands Mapping Standard that provides minimum requirements and guidelines for wetlands mapping efforts. The new standard is designed to guide current and future wetlands digital mapping projects and enhance the overall quality and consistency of wetlands data. Quality data on wetlands are considered critical for planning effective conservation strategies to benefit fish and wildlife resources now and in the future.
Wetlands are among the Nation’s most biologically productive and economically important habitat types. Major emerging conservation issues, such as changing temperatures, sea-level rise, increasing storm severity, drought, energy development, and species declines are making the need for contemporary geospatial resource information even more important. Wetlands cover approximately five percent of the surface of the conterminous United States and are abundant in certain states and rare in others.
Secretary Salazar Announces $454,000 for Lake Michigan Coastal Habitat Restoration in Wisconsin; Partners Break Ground for Ozaukee County Project
August 13, 2009
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Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust has received $454,000 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding supports the restoration and enhancement of coastal wetlands, forests, shrublands, and grasslands on a 116-acre tract in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, which will provide critically needed stopover habitat for birds that migrate over Lake Michigan.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Will Host Public Meetings on Coastal Barrier Resources System Pilot Project Units
June 29, 2009
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The Service will hold the public meetings via webcast and teleconference on July 14-15, 2009. This will provide an overview of the pilot project effort and offer an opportunity for questions and answers by the public and press. Members of the public planning to participate must register at www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/coastal_barrier.html by close of business on July 10, 2009. Registrants will be provided with instructions for participation via e-mail. Participants must have access to a computer and telephone to fully participate
Service Releases Stock Assessment Reports on Polar Bears, Walrus
June 18, 2009
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Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
