Click the link to read the article on the Craig Press website (Ashley Dishman). Here’s an excerpt:
In a move to combat the drought crisis affecting the Colorado River Basin, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on Thursday an $11.1 million cooperative agreement with the Foundation for America’s Public Lands. The partnership aims to enhance drought resilience in the region, which is vital for the millions of Americans who depend on the river for their livelihoods. The funding, made available through the Inflation Reduction Act under the Biden Administration, is set to bolster efforts to ensure the sustainability of the Colorado River Basin…The BLM, which manages more public land in the Colorado River Basin than any other federal agency, recognizes drought as the most critical threat to the region. The drought impacts various sectors, including agriculture, grazing, wildlife and fisheries, recreation, cultural resource uses, and power generation and distribution.
The Foundation for America’s Public Lands, officially formed in 2022 and chartered by Congress in 2017, serves as the BLM’s charitable partner. The Foundation operates to raise private funds and awareness, increasing access to and stewardship of over 245 million acres of U.S. public lands and waters. The cooperative agreement between the BLM and the Foundation spans five years and aims to undertake restoration projects on a landscape scale. This approach will cover multiple states and invest in local communities that depend on and manage the land. The agreement also allows the Foundation to collaborate with other partner organizations, bringing in technical experts to enhance the effectiveness of the projects.