WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.640 --> 00:00:04.450 This Week at Interior 00:00:04.450 --> 00:00:09.370 Secretary Haaland traveled to Georgia this week, visiting the Okefenokee National Wildlife 00:00:09.370 --> 00:00:14.580 Refuge to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing efforts to conserve and invest in 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:16.900 the nation’s public lands and waters. 00:00:16.900 --> 00:00:21.550 The Secretary was joined by Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz 00:00:21.550 --> 00:00:27.269 for a tour of the refuge, and its vast habitat that supports the local economy, water quality, 00:00:27.269 --> 00:00:31.340 climate resilience, and a diverse variety of species. 00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:36.329 While in Georgia, the Secretary also traveled to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:39.160 to participate in the annual Indigenous Celebration. 00:00:39.160 --> 00:00:44.090 In collaboration with the Muscogee Creek Nation and stakeholders, the park has more than doubled 00:00:44.090 --> 00:00:48.609 in size, and now provides additional protection for some of the most significant Indigenous 00:00:48.609 --> 00:00:53.090 mounds in North America thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 00:00:53.090 --> 00:00:57.829 Secretary Haaland then traveled to New Mexico, where she and Bureau of Indian Education Director 00:00:57.829 --> 00:01:03.809 Tony Dearman commemorated the 50th anniversary of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. 00:01:03.809 --> 00:01:10.220 SIPI, which opened officially in 1971, prepares Indigenous students as life-long learners 00:01:10.220 --> 00:01:14.570 through partnerships with Tribes, employers and other organizations. 00:01:14.570 --> 00:01:19.130 Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau traveled to Arizona and Nevada this week to highlight 00:01:19.130 --> 00:01:23.510 the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to address the impacts of wildland fire across 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:24.729 the west. 00:01:24.729 --> 00:01:29.619 More than $36 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will go toward 00:01:29.619 --> 00:01:35.860 prevention, mitigation and restoration efforts in Arizona, Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, 00:01:35.860 --> 00:01:38.110 Utah, and California. 00:01:38.110 --> 00:01:42.690 As the worsening drought crisis continues to impact communities across the West, Interior 00:01:42.690 --> 00:01:47.040 leaders this week outlined new and urgent actions to improve and protect the long-term 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.969 sustainability of the Colorado River System. 00:01:49.969 --> 00:01:54.520 Secretary Haaland, Deputy Secretary Beaudreau, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science 00:01:54.520 --> 00:01:59.289 Tanya Trujillo, and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton addressed 00:01:59.289 --> 00:02:04.320 the Colorado River Symposium in Sante Fe, New Mexico to highlight the steps Interior 00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:08.690 is taking and propose new actions to prevent the System’s reservoirs from falling to 00:02:08.690 --> 00:02:13.780 critically low elevations that would threaten water deliveries and power production. 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:17.480 Interior this week announced more than $31 million in grants has been approved by the 00:02:17.480 --> 00:02:20.260 Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. 00:02:20.260 --> 00:02:24.430 Matched with more than $60 million in partner contributions, the funding will go toward 00:02:24.430 --> 00:02:29.730 conservation and restoration efforts on more than 116-thousand acres of wetlands and upland 00:02:29.730 --> 00:02:32.440 habitat in 18 states. 00:02:32.440 --> 00:02:35.739 Interior and the Bureau of Land Management this week announced the Blythe Solar Power 00:02:35.739 --> 00:02:38.620 Project is now fully operational in California. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:44.840 The Riverside County project will produce enough energy to power more than 145,000 homes. 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:49.310 Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Kevin Sligh hosted Principal Deputy 00:02:49.310 --> 00:02:53.870 Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis in New Jersey 00:02:53.870 --> 00:02:56.360 this week for a tour of Ohmsett. 00:02:56.360 --> 00:03:01.940 That's the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, the nation’s 00:03:01.940 --> 00:03:06.180 premier research and training site for offshore oil spill response. 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:11.230 A new joint report this week from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 00:03:11.230 --> 00:03:16.110 Service provides a new set of tools designed to boost efforts to restore and conserve the 00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:19.970 sagebrush ecosystem across the full extent of its range. 00:03:19.970 --> 00:03:25.520 The Sagebrush Conservation Design is the product of 21 leading scientists from a dozen federal 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:31.300 and state agencies...it offers a path forward to revive the sagebrush ecosystem that spans 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:35.439 165 million acres across 13 states. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:39.709 The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement this week announced 8 projects 00:03:39.709 --> 00:03:44.390 that will share $1.6 million dollars through its Applied Science Program. 00:03:44.390 --> 00:03:48.629 Four of those projects will study methods to improve the recovery of rare earth elements 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:50.459 from coal mining waste. 00:03:50.459 --> 00:03:55.690 This Saturday, September 24, is National Public Lands Day, celebrating the connection between 00:03:55.690 --> 00:04:00.500 people and green space in their community with a coast-to-coast volunteer effort. 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:04.500 This week Secretary Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:09.960 went live on Instagram to highlight the amazing work of Interior's public lands bureaus. 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:13.990 As part of the celebration, all entrance fees are waived Saturday at our nation’s public 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:15.150 lands. 00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:19.140 And our social media Picture of the Week, if it's not one thing, it's an otter, a raft 00:04:19.140 --> 00:04:23.970 of sea otters, to be precise, at Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. 00:04:23.970 --> 00:04:28.460 Sea otters will wrap themselves up in seaweed to keep from drifting away from each other, 00:04:28.460 --> 00:04:30.880 forming something that resembles a raft. 00:04:30.880 --> 00:04:33.870 Find out more about these adorable animals on our blog. 00:04:33.870 --> 00:04:38.100 Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:39.169 That's This Week at Interior.