WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.430 --> 00:00:04.350 This Week at Interior 00:00:04.350 --> 00:00:09.950 Secretary Haaland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco hosted the first in-person plenary 00:00:09.950 --> 00:00:13.960 session of the Not Invisible Act Commission this week. 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:19.210 Then-Representative Haaland authored the Not Invisible Act which became law in 2020 -- it 00:00:19.210 --> 00:00:23.550 established the Commission, which is composed of federal and non-federal members including 00:00:23.550 --> 00:00:29.000 law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:31.670 and murdered individuals, and survivors. 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:34.469 Field hearings will be held starting this spring. 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:39.210 Friday March 3rd is World Wildlife Day, and Secretary Haaland marked the occasion with 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:44.809 remarks in Washington D.C. at the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in 00:00:44.809 --> 00:00:48.839 Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. 00:00:48.839 --> 00:00:54.199 The Secretary announced a new Order and committed over $25 million from the Inflation Reduction 00:00:54.199 --> 00:00:59.420 Act to empower Interior’s bureaus and other partners to use the best available science 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:04.769 and Indigenous Knowledge to help restore bison across the country, as well as the vast grassland 00:01:04.769 --> 00:01:06.950 habitats on which they depend. 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:11.509 She also announced Interior's new Restoration and Resilience Framework, which will support 00:01:11.509 --> 00:01:16.659 coordination across the Department's conservation programs thanks to investments from the Bipartisan 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:19.880 Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. 00:01:19.880 --> 00:01:24.430 The Biden-Harris administration and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation this week announced 00:01:24.430 --> 00:01:29.759 the release of the 2023 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge. 00:01:29.759 --> 00:01:35.530 The program, launched in 2022, is dedicated to funding locally led landscape-scale conservation 00:01:35.530 --> 00:01:40.420 and restoration projects that implement existing conservation plans across the nation. 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:46.899 In 2023, the program expects to award up to $116 million in grants. 00:01:46.899 --> 00:01:51.270 Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo was on hand this week as the 00:01:51.270 --> 00:01:57.790 Provo River in Utah was diverted into a new restored delta, connecting it with Utah Lake. 00:01:57.790 --> 00:02:02.880 The river’s reconnection will support habitat recovery for the imperiled June sucker and 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:07.009 provide and improve recreational experiences for the local community. 00:02:07.009 --> 00:02:12.470 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides over $11 million for the Provo River Delta 00:02:12.470 --> 00:02:17.560 Restoration project, part of a $50 million investment for the Central Utah Project, which 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:22.140 aims to expand access to clean, reliable water throughout the region. 00:02:22.140 --> 00:02:27.010 The Bureau of Land Management is partnering with the Wiyot Tribe and UC Berkeley to improve 00:02:27.010 --> 00:02:32.060 Eel River fishery in Arcata, California, thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:33.060 Law. 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:36.890 More than half a million dollars will help the Tribe expand monitoring and restoration 00:02:36.890 --> 00:02:41.980 projects in the Eel River Watershed, which is important habitat for steelhead and salmon 00:02:41.980 --> 00:02:42.980 populations. 00:02:42.980 --> 00:02:47.709 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced the population of endangered Mexican 00:02:47.709 --> 00:02:53.530 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico has surpassed 200 for the first time since their reintroduction 00:02:53.530 --> 00:02:55.739 into the wild in 1998. 00:02:55.739 --> 00:03:03.700 The Service says 241 wild wolves were documented in 2022, an increase of 23 percent over 2021. 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:07.810 The news comes as Interior marks 50 years since the implementation of the Endangered 00:03:07.810 --> 00:03:10.150 Species Act in 1973. 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:15.180 A new report on visitation at America’s national parks shows a rebound toward pre-pandemic 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:16.180 levels. 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:20.430 The National Park Service says there were more than 311 million recreational visits 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:26.159 to national parks in 2022, an increase of nearly 15 million over the previous year. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:31.080 The report also shows that more visitors are showing up at America's lesser-known parks. 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.819 The National Park Service this week announced the projected peak bloom date for the cherry 00:03:34.819 --> 00:03:39.500 blossoms at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington D.C. -- sometime between 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:42.000 March 22nd and March 25th. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.740 That's nine days earlier than average thanks to a mostly mild winter. 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:49.379 More than a million and a half visitors turn out every year to take in the blossoms and 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:54.430 the National Cherry Blossom Festival which runs March 20th through April 16th. 00:03:54.430 --> 00:03:57.310 Happy Birthday to the U.S. Geological Survey! 00:03:57.310 --> 00:04:03.379 Since 1879 USGS has brought an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data expertise 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:08.710 to bear for across-the-government decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:09.710 issues. 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:14.510 And with our social media Picture of the Week, we're wishing a happy birthday...to us! 00:04:14.510 --> 00:04:17.810 Interior was established by an act of Congress on March 3rd, 1849. 00:04:17.810 --> 00:04:24.229 For 174 years we've worked to conserve America’s natural and cultural heritage while stewarding 00:04:24.229 --> 00:04:28.070 public lands and waters for present, and future generations. 00:04:28.070 --> 00:04:32.330 Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 00:04:32.330 --> 00:04:33.360 That's This Week, at Interior.