Habitat and Resource Conservation
Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
skip navigation

 


divider

Salazar Cites Progress on New Energy Frontier in Hill Speech
September 17, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Interior Department is making swift progress on President Obama’s clean energy agenda, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today at the Alliance to Save Energy’s Summit in the Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. The full text of Secretary Salazar’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

Thank you, Kateri. And thank you to the entire Alliance to Save Energy for your leadership. It is great to be back among so many people I know here in the Senate.

Being here today reminds me just how much our world has changed in the last nine months.

When I left the Senate in January to serve in President Obama’s Cabinet, we were in the throes of the greatest economic recession since the 1930s. Credit was frozen. 700,000 people were losing their jobs every month. Five trillion dollars of Americans' household wealth had evaporated in just three months. It seemed the nation was heading off an economic cliff.

News Release

Salazar Announces Guidelines to Protect Endangered Indiana Bat from Surface Coal Mining Impacts
September 3, 2009

Indiana Bat. Credit: USFWS
Photo of an Indiana Bat
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the availability of coal mining guidelines developed to conserve and protect the endangered Indiana bat. The bat’s habitat stretches from the eastern United States through the Midwest, including 13 states with coal mining operations.

“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.

News Release

divider

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.

News Release

divider

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.

News Release

divider

Secretary Salazar Announces $454,000 for Lake Michigan Coastal Habitat Restoration in Wisconsin; Partners Break Ground for Ozaukee County Project
August 13, 2009

Charles Wooley (Deputy Midwest Regional Director), Darin Simpkins (GBFO - Coastal Program), Gary VanVreede (GBFO - Partners for Fish and Wildlife), Craig Czarnecki (East Lansing, MI Project Leader), Louise Clemency (Green Bay Project Leader)
Charles Wooley (Deputy Midwest Regional Director), Darin Simpkins (GBFO - Coastal Program), Gary VanVreede (GBFO - Partners for Fish and Wildlife), Craig Czarnecki (East Lansing, MI Project Leader), Louise Clemency (Green Bay Project Leader)

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.

News Release

divider

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Will Host Public Meetings on Coastal Barrier Resources System Pilot Project Units
June 29, 2009

Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project
Pilot Project
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will conduct several virtual town hall meetings on the recently submitted Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project. The Service is soliciting public input on the report and draft maps during a 120-day public comment period that closes on August 5, 2009.

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

News Release

divider

Service Releases Stock Assessment Reports on Polar Bears, Walrus
June 18, 2009

Polar bear female with young. Credit: USFWS
Polar bear female with young
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has prepared draft revised marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) for the two stocks of polar bear and the Pacific walrus in Alaska. The purpose of SARs is to identify marine mammal stocks most affected by interactions with commercial fisheries. These reports are periodically updated to reflect the most current information and the draft reports are available for public review and comment. The public comment period will run for 90 days following the June 18th publication in the Federal Register. Interested parties may contact the Marine Mammals Management Office, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503 for copies of the reports, or can view them online at:
 

News Release

 
HOT TOPICS

windfarm
Couresty of NREL/DOE

Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee

divider

Climate Change

divider

Green Infrastructure
The Conservation Fund

divider

The Rapanos / Carabell Supreme Court Decision and Implications for Jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act

divider

Department of the Interior NEPA Procedures Soon To Be Regulations

NEWS FROM THE REGIONS
 
       
Last updated: September 28, 2009
Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home Page | Department of the Interior  | USA.gov  | About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  | Accessibility  | Privacy  | Notices  | Disclaimer  | FOIA | DOI Inspector General