President’s Investing in America agenda to invest $12 million in restoration work in Nevada
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Reno, Nevada – As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Bureau of Land Management will invest $12 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase fire resiliency and protect native vegetation on public lands in Nevada. This funding will be focused in two landscape areas called the Montana Mountains and the Humboldt/O'Neil Basin Restoration Landscape Areas.
This funding is part of the BLM’s announcement to invest $161 million in ecosystem restoration and resilience on the nation’s public lands. The work will focus on 21 “Restoration Landscapes” across 11 western states, restoring wildlife habitat and clean water on public lands and strengthening communities and local economies.
These investments follow the release of the Department’s restoration and resilience framework to leverage historic investments in climate and conservation to achieve landscape-level outcomes across the nation. The Department is implementing more than $2 billion in investments to restore our nation’s lands and waters, which in turn is helping to meet the conservation goals set through the America the Beautiful initiative.
“Landscape restoration serves the multiple use mission of the BLM by improving ecosystem health for all users,” said Jon Raby, BLM Nevada state director. “The public lands here in Nevada provide countless benefits and these landscape restorations will ensure these lands are protected for future generations.”
In the Montana Mountains Restoration Landscape Area, fire and drought exacerbated by climate change threaten the landscape. Large portions of the landscape have been severely impacted by past fires, including the 460,000-acre Holloway Fire. Public lands in the Montana Mountains surround and provide access to the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, an oasis in this high desert. A core sagebrush habitat in Nevada, this landscape is home to antelope, mule deer, greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbit, and other species that rely on sagebrush. Here, aquatic restoration and protection goes a long way, as life is dependent on the area’s many perennial springs. Restored riparian areas – bands of green in the desert – will be key to the future of this critical ecosystem.
Investment in partnerships has revealed the value and potential of the Humboldt/O’Neil Basin Restoration Landscape Area to support people and nature. The presence of perennial water favors the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and supports critical habitat and movement corridors for big game. Upland sage-steppe hosts the highest densities of breeding sage-grouse, which share habitat with pygmy rabbits and other sagebrush-obligate species. Restoration investment will build on and continue the success of collaborative efforts that have taken root in this landscape.
Efforts in these restoration landscapes will improve the health of public lands that are being significantly degraded by invasive species, unprecedented wildfire events, unregulated use, and climate change. With these investments, landscapes will be better able to provide clean water, habitat for fish and wildlife, opportunities for recreation, and will be more resilient to wildfire and drought.
Resilient public lands are critical to the BLM’s ability to manage for multiple use and sustained yield. Once-in-a-generation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will be directed to landscapes where concentrated, strategic investment through partnership can make the most difference for communities and public resources under the BLM’s management.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, investing in nature-based solutions, and driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. The funding announced today complements the $2.12 million of funding these areas have received from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Learn more about the BLM’s restoration landscapes at BLM’s StoryMap.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.