Federal grants to help conservation projects

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

Nevada is getting $510,000 in federal funding for nine conservation projects, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today.

Three Las Vegas projects will get $198,000 of that money.

One of those is a permanent seed bank where rare plant seeds will be stored. That effort is getting a federal infusion of $100,000.

Another Las Vegas project awarded grant money is one that aims to restore Mojave desert wildlife habitat by removing materials from 50 illegal dumpsites on 10 acres. That effort is getting $88,000.

The third local project is to construct one watering area and updgrade others to try to ensure that desert bighorn sheep and other wildlife don't die of thirst. That work is getting a $10,000 federal grant.

The grants awarded for projects in Nevada are expected to be matched with $567,00 from businesses, landowners and community organizations, officials said.

The Nevada grants are among $12.9 million in federal conservation money that is being divvied up.

The grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service will fund a wide range of conservation projects in 40 states and Puerto Rico, BLM spokeswoman Jo Simpson of Carson City said.

Projects elsewhere include restoring wetland prairie habitat in Oregon, protecting bat habitats in mines and caves in Nevada, California and Arizona, and eradicating invasive plants in Florida's Everglades.

The grants are part of President Bush's Cooperative Conservation Initiative.