Deputy Secretary Beaudreau Announces Nearly $4 Million to Protect and Restore Wildlife Migration Paths and Habitats

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

TUCSON, Ariz. — During remarks at the Corridors, Connectivity and Crossings Conference in Tucson, Arizona, this week, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau announced nearly $4 million in grants along with $9.2 million in matching contributions for 13 projects in nine states that will help secure key migration paths and restore critical wildlife habitats. Together, more than $13 million will be invested to protect pronghorn, elk, mule deer and other iconic species across the American West.

“Wildlife corridor connectivity is central to the Biden-Harris administration’s all-of-government approach to addressing the impacts of the climate crisis and the impact of human activity on habitat,” said Deputy Secretary Beaudreau. “Thanks to these types of holistic public-private partnerships, the Interior Department is making significant progress on migration corridor conservation.”

The grants are made possible through the Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big Game Migration Corridors and Habitat Connectivity program established following Secretary’s Order 3362. The program is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in-part through annual appropriations funding from the Department’s Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Agriculture.

During the conference, Deputy Secretary Beaudreau and leaders from the BLM, FWS and National Park Service highlighted how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is putting people to work restoring America’s lands and waters. Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Department is implementing a more than $2 billion down payment, guided by a recently released restoration and resilience framework, to invest in locally led, landscape-scale restoration projects and advance climate resilience. This work is at the core of the Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve, connect and restore 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.

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