Office of the Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          CONTACT: Hugh Vickery

January 31, 2002                                                                                                                 202-501-4633

Secretary Norton Announces Proposal for $100 Million Grant

Program to Encourage Private Conservation Efforts

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today that President Bush will request $100 million in his 2003 budget for a bold new cost-share program to remove barriers to citizen participation in the stewardship of natural resources and to help citizens take conservation into their own hands by undertaking projects at the local level.

The Cooperative Conservation Initiative will give landowners, land-user groups, environmental organizations, communities, local and state governments and industries the resources to undertake conservation projects that advance the health of the land and benefit people.

Norton also announced that the president will ask Congress for $50 million for the Landowner Incentive Program, which provides funds to states, tribes and territories to make cost-share grants to landowners who voluntarily participate in the protection of habitat for endangered, threatened or other at-risk species on private or Tribal lands.

In addition, the president’s budget includes $10 million for the Private Stewardship Grant Program, another initiative in last year’s budget, which directly assists individuals or groups involved in the voluntary conservation of wildlife habitat on private lands.

“Conservation is a responsibility of citizenship, and the citizens who live on the land often know more than anyone about the land and how to conserve it,” Norton said during a tour of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum outside of Philadelphia. “Our initiatives will empower a new generation of citizen-conservationists.”

Half of the new money for the new Cooperative Conservation Initiative, or $50 million, will be distributed to states to fund cost-share grants for innovative conservation projects. This will allow states to work within their communities to develop innovative solutions to our conservation challenges. The other half will be used by the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management to fund cost-share grants.

Citizens could apply for a grant either from their state government or from one of the three agencies. The grants will be awarded competitively. The citizen or organization applying for the grant would be required to contribute at least 50 percent of the cost of the project. In-kind contributions, such as supplies and labor, would count toward the 50 percent.

Projects would have to restore or conserve natural resources, such as wetlands, streams and other habitat, for the benefit of wildlife and people. Restoration of cultural resources or recreation facilities are funded through other programs.

Norton cited the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Partners for Fish and Wildlife” as a model for the Cooperative Conservation Initiative. Under that program, the Fish and Wildlife Service works with private landowners to restore degraded habitat on their property. To date, more than 27,000 landowners have entered into voluntary agreements with the Fish and Wildlife Service to restore more than 1.5 million acres of wildlife habitat and 4,200 miles of streams.

“Dating back to Teddy Roosevelt, successful conservation has always been a partnership between the government and the people,” Norton said. “The Cooperative Conservation Initiative will tap into the ingenuity of the American people and their passion for the beauty and health of our land.”

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