Photo Galleries
Photos: Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Announcement
THU, FEBRUARY 2, 2012, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy P. Beaudreau announced that the department’s renewable energy initiative has cleared an important environmental review, allowing Interior to move forward with the process for wind energy lease sales off Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware.
Photos: Richmond National Battlefield Park
WED, FEBRUARY 1, 2012, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar announced a 385-acre expansion of Richmond National Battlefield Park to enhance tourism and create new jobs for Virginia. The announcement coincides with the National Park Service’s 150th anniversary commemoration of the Civil War and comes as part of the Obama administration’s effort to significantly boost tourism and travel in the United States.
Photo of the Week
FRI, JANUARY 20, 2012, 12:00 AM ESTThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule that would ban the importation and interstate transportation of four nonnative constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems across the United States.
The final rule – which incorporates public comments, economic analysis, and environmental assessment – lists the Burmese python, the yellow anaconda, and the northern and southern African pythons as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in order to restrict their spread in the wild in the United States. It is expected to publish in the Federal Register in the coming days.
Photos: Washington Monument Restoration
THU, JANUARY 19, 2012, 12:00 AM ESTDeputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes and National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced a $7.5 million donation from philanthropist David M. Rubenstein to partially fund the restoration of the Washington Monument from the damage caused by the August 23, 2011 earthquake.
AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS: Salazar Designates the Trujillo Homesteads as a National Historic Landmark
TUE, JANUARY 3, 2012, 12:00 AM ESTWASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the designation of the Trujillo Homesteads – an early Latino settlement in Colorado’s San Luis Valley that holds a high potential to yield archaeological information addressing nationally significant research questions about ethnicity and race on the western frontier – as a National Historic Landmark. The designation comes as part of the Department’s efforts to expand the story of the American Latino within the National Park System. Read More >>
Photo of the Week
FRI, DECEMBER 16, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTThe Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that its Western Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 218, held in New Orleans, attracted $337,688,341in high bids and included 20 companies submitting 241 bids on 191 tracts comprising over a million acres offshore Texas. The sum of all bids received totaled $712,725,998. This announcement is consistent with steps President Obama announced in May 2011 to expand domestic oil and gas production safely and responsibly.
Photos: Tribal Consultation Policy
THU, DECEMBER 1, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signs a Secretarial order implementing the Department’s Tribal Consultation Policy. The event was attended by American Indian and Alaska Native leaders from around the Nation.
Photo of the Week
THU, NOVEMBER 10, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTOn Friday, November 10, 2011, The artist Christo gave two original collages from his upcoming "Over The River" project to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Christo visited the museum with Secretary Salazar to announce the gift.
Earlier in the week, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management approved his "Over The River" installation. Christo plans to suspend silvery fabric panels for 5.9 miles above the Arkansas River in southern Colorado.
Photos: DOI Veterans Day Program
THU, NOVEMBER 10, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTOn November 10th, the Department of the Interior held its annual Veterans Day Program in the Sidney Yates Auditorium. Joe Beimfohr, a Fish and Wildlife employee and wounded warrior shared his story.
Photo of the Week
FRI, OCTOBER 28, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTOn Thursday, October 27, Secretary Salazar and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced an agreement formally establishing a partnership between the National Park Service and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to coordinate park management and connect urban communities, and especially young people, with the natural beauty and history of the region. The announcement took place during a signing ceremony this afternoon at Jamaica Bay with officials from the National Park Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Photos: Cooperative Action for Conservation in the Big Bend/Rio Bravo Region
TUE, OCTOBER 25, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTOn October 24, Secretary Salazar and Mexican Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada announced a working plan that identifies the next steps for the continued coordination between the two countries in the protection and preservation of the transnational Big Bend/Rio Bravo region – North America’s largest and most diverse desert ecosystem.
Following the announcement, the Secretaries and Ambassador participated in a wildlife release on the U.S. side of the border, demonstrating the results of successful coordination efforts in reaching a common conservation goal. Joined by members of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Salazar, Elvira, and Wayne helped with the transport and release of 267,000 Rio Grande Silvery Minnows as part of an ongoing recovery project for the endangered species.
Photos: Tamiami Trail Bridge Project
THU, OCTOBER 20, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTOn Thursday, October 20, Secretary Salazar toured the Tamiami Trail Bridge Project site in Miami-Dade County, Florida where he received updates from the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers on work to complete the one-mile bridge by 2013. Part of the largest construction project in the history of the National Park System, the bridge will help restore historic water flows to the Everglades. The increased water volumes and improved flow will re-establish seasonal water depths and flooding durations that are critical to the survival of many fish and wildlife species.
Photos: Dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
SUN, OCTOBER 16, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTThe Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, America’s 395th national park, was dedicated this Sunday, October 16, in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in Washington, D.C. There were several major speakers that included President Obama, civil rights leaders, members of the King Family, and special guests.
The memorial to Dr. King is part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks and is open to the public.
Photos: White House American Latino Heritage Forum
THU, OCTOBER 13, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTPresident Obama and Secretary Salazar welcomed American Latino leaders from across the country at the White House American Latino Heritage Forum. During the day-long forum, high-ranking Administration Officials and Latino community leaders and scholars worked to identify avenues through which the story of the American Latino can be told in a more complete and inclusive way.
As part of the Department of the Interior’s efforts to expand the story of the American Latino within the National Park System, Secretary Salazar announced four new Latino-themed National Historic landmark nominations that will be presented to the Landmarks Committee in November and the National Park System Advisory Board in December. The landmarks include: the Trujillo Homestead in Colorado, the Port of Nova Albion and Archeological District in California, the Mission San José de los Jémez and Giusewa Pueblo Site in New Mexico, and the Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz in California.
Photos: American Wind Energy Association’s annual Offshore WINDPOWER Conference
TUE, OCTOBER 11, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar delivered keynote remarks at the American Wind Energy Association’s annual Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore, Maryland. Salazar’s remarks highlighted the steps Interior is taking toward developing a clean energy economy and spurring domestic renewable energy resources, particularly wind energy potential on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf off the Atlantic coast.
Photo of the Week
FRI, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTYou've probably seen this week’s photo -- or a version of it -- somewhere this week. Television -- the Web -- magazines -- everywhere you looked on September 28, someone had a picture of Daniel Gach, David Mergele, and/or Emma Cardini, contracters from WJE conducting a daring exterior assessment of the Washington Monument.
The National Park Service temporarily closed the Washington Monument in order to properly evaluate the structure following the August 23 earthquake. The NPS earlier completed a secondary inspection, which revealed some cracking in the stones at the top of the Monument. The NPS arranged for structural engineers to evaluate the cracks to determine the best way to repair the Monument before it is reopened. The Washington Monument grounds have been reopened except for an area about 100 feet outside of the plaza.
Photos: Secretary Salazar and New Mexico Leaders Make Important Announcement about Urban Refuge Proposal
THU, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined by U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, Congressman Martin Heinrich, and Bernalillo County Commissioner Art De La Cruz to announce a proposed 570-acre national wildlife refuge on a former dairy farm just a few miles south of New Mexico’s largest metropolitan area has been approved. As proposed, the site will serve as an urban oasis for both wildlife and people.
Photos: New Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument
WED, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially dedicate a new 7,595-square foot Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument, on the border of Colorado and Utah. A recipient of construction funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the new visitor center will feature exhibits explaining the monument and its features, an auditorium for programs and viewing of park films, a monument information desk, and the park bookstore.
Secretary Salazar and Secretary Napolitano Recognize Madeleine Albright at Department of the Interior Naturalization Ceremony
FRI, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas welcomed 50 new U.S. citizens representing 29 countries at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, DC. During the ceremony, former Secretary of State Dr. Madeleine K. Albright was recognized for her significant contributions to her adopted country as an Outstanding American by Choice.
Secretary Salazar and Washington Leaders to Celebrate Beginning of the Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History
SAT, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011, 12:00 AM ESTSecretary Salazar joined Washington leaders to celebrate the beginning of the Elwha River restoration project, the largest in U.S. history. The ceremony marked a significant milestone for the Elwha River Restoration project that will help increase salmon populations, uphold commitments to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and create new opportunities for economic growth and regional vitality.