In California water news today …
America is using up its groundwater like there’s no tomorrow
“Global warming has focused concern on land and sky as soaring temperatures intensify hurricanes, droughts and wildfires. But another climate crisis is unfolding, underfoot and out of view. Many of the aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems, and which have transformed vast stretches of America into some of the world’s most bountiful farmland, are being severely depleted. These declines are threatening irreversible harm to the American economy and society as a whole. The New York Times conducted a months-long examination of groundwater depletion, interviewing more than 100 experts, traveling the country and creating a comprehensive database using millions of readings from monitoring sites. The investigation reveals how America’s life-giving resource is being exhausted in much of the country, and in many cases it won’t come back. Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers that could take centuries or millenniums to replenish themselves if they recover at all. … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
RELATED: Five Takeaways From Our Investigation Into America’s Groundwater Crisis, from the New York Times
Hilary vanquished California’s drought. But much of that water was wasted
“Almost all of California is finally drought-free, after Tropical Storm Hilary’s rare summer drenching added to this winter’s record-setting rainfall totals. But despite all that drought-busting precipitation, California continues to capture only a percentage of that water. Much of the abundance in rain from Hilary ended up running off into the ocean — not captured or stored for future use, when California will inevitably face its next drought. “We’re not even coming close to capturing all the runoff,” said Mark Gold, the director of Water Scarcity Solutions for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He still called Hilary’s rainfall “an unexpected boon” for Southern California’s local water supplies, but said too much of the storm’s water washed away — the latest reminder of the state’s urgent challenge to better capture rainwater to help refill vital groundwater resources. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: One week later, what Tropical Storm Hilary left behind, from Spectrum 1
For migrating birds, it’s the flight of their lives
“America’s birds are in trouble. Since 1970, nearly 3 billion birds have vanished from the skies over North America. Most of those losses have been in migratory species, which may breed in the United States or Canada in the summer before heading elsewhere for the winter. Many spend more time living on Caribbean beaches or in Costa Rican forests than they do in American backyards. “They’re really visitors to North America,” said Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, co-director of the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. … To illuminate these connections, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed “shared stewardship” maps in collaboration with Partners in Flight, an international bird conservation network. Each map displays the key wintering grounds for the migratory species that have a significant summer presence in a particular U.S. state or region. The maps are based on data from eBird, a database of observations from bird watchers around the world. … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
Supreme Court denies review of California appeals court ruling that State Water Board’s duty to prevent waste and unreasonable use of water is “highly discretionary”
“On February 27, 2023, in a much anticipated decision, California’s Second District Court of Appeal overruled the trial court by determining that the State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”) did not violate its duty to prevent waste and unreasonable use of water when it declined to investigate wastewater discharges from four Los Angeles area Publicly Owned Treatment Works (“POTWs”). The Court found that the State Water Board’s duty under state law to prevent waste and unreasonable use of water is “highly discretionary” and does not require an investigation or assessment of every allegation of unreasonable use. The Appeals Court updated its decision on June 2, 2023. (Los Angeles Waterkeeper v. State Water Resources Control Board, 92 Cal.App.5th 230 (2d Dist. 2023).) … ” Read more from Downey Brand via JD Supra.
‘Valley fever’ fungus surging northward in California as climate changes
“Workers across California are grappling with yet another climate change-induced threat: a rapidly spreading fungus that can land its unsuspecting victims with prolonged flu-like symptoms, or far worse. The culprit is a soil-dwelling organism called coccidioides, which is now spreading the disease coccidioidomycosis — known as “Valley fever” — farther and farther north of its Southwest origins. Rather than spreading from person to person, Valley fever results from the direct inhalation of fungal spores — spores climate change is now allowing to flourish in new places. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Study harvests water from Death Valley atmosphere using ambient sunlight
“A joint team of researchers have demonstrated successful atmospheric water harvesting using ambient sunlight in the Death Valley desert, according to a press release from the Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH). The study, published in the journal Nature Water, was led by Woochul Song from the Division of Environmental Science & Engineering POSTECH and Omar M. Yaghi, Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Harvesting atmospheric water presents challenges, particularly in regions with humidity less than 70%, as it necessitates a substantial amount of energy to condense the vapor, rendering it an ineffective solution. The research team devised a water harvesting device based on the metal-organic framework (MOF), leveraging its capability to draw in water from the atmosphere during nighttime while condensing the absorbed water into drinkable liquid using ambient sunlight throughout the day. … ” Read more from Water World.
Waves along California’s coast are getting bigger, study says
“Early this year, severe storms battered California, bringing huge waves that damaged infrastructure and forced people away from the coast. That may be the new norm, as climate change fuels severe weather that is making waves bigger, according to a study published this month. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, uses nearly a century of seismic records to show that mean winter wave heights, as well as the frequency of big waves, have significantly increased along California’s coast since the 1970s. In recent decades, the number of waves taller than 16 feet has more than doubled, according to the paper, which showed that the Aleutian Low, an area of low pressure over the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska, has also intensified, likely increasing storms. The findings add to a growing body of research linking climate change with extreme weather, including the storms that generate colossal waves. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
New drone research advances wildfire monitoring
“Typically, the primary indicator of a burgeoning wildfire in California is a plume of hazy, gray smoke wafting through the air, seen by satellites or cameras. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, is alerted, and mitigation and containment efforts ensue. But Zhaodan Kong, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis, thinks that living by the idea “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” gets firefighters to the problem too late, after it has already spread and is difficult to contain. “Right now, the way that it works is you see a fire and then you respond,” Kong said. “It’s very passive, very reactive.” Instead, Kong, whose research in artificial intelligence and autonomy includes unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, believes an integrated system of technologies to detect fires before they get to a smoking point could be game changing, potentially preventing widespread wildfire damage. … ” Read more from UC Davis.
Climate change is behind this year of extreme weather events. Are we ready for what comes next?
“Southern California in mid-August, 2023, found itself cleaning up in the aftermath of the first tropical storm to make landfall in the state since 1939. The rare storm dumped record quantities of rain on areas across the region, including Palm Springs, San Diego and downtown Los Angeles. Fortunately, the state avoided a calamity, as the storm somehow caused no deaths or major property damage in California. Nonetheless, Tropical Storm Hilary—which had surged to a Category 4 Hurricane status before weakening as it approached California—was only the latest in a series of unusual and extreme weather events to hit the state, and the country, in 2023. By the end of July, the United States had taken $39.7 billion in damage from 15 weather and climate events that topped $1 billion each, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. That’s the second-most damage during those months in any year since 1980. Only 2021 suffered more at $45.1 billion. … ” Read more from California Local.
In commentary today …
Farmers flush with water now, but state still hasn’t prepared for the next drought
“For most of the state, the drought is over. The Central Valley is receiving their full state water supply allocation and farmers don’t need to pull water from the ground to keep their crops from dying of thirst. But that doesn’t mean the signs along Interstate 5 and Highway 99 grumbling about the “Politicians Created Water Crisis” and the Valley’s man-made dust bowl, and asking if “Growing Food Is Wasting Water?” should be taken down. The abundance won’t last forever, and the farmers eventually will be back where they were before record rain and snow provided them with a bounty of life-giving water. That could be avoided, though, if policymakers got busy building needed water infrastructure. … ” Continue reading this commentary from GV Wire.
Today’s featured article …
DELTA COUNCIL: Addressing climate vulnerabilities in the Delta
At the July meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Associate Deputy Executive Officer Harriet Lai Ross updated the Council members on the Delta Adapts project.
Delta Adapts is a two-phase initiative. The first phase was the vulnerability assessment, completed two years ago. The vulnerability assessment identified the people, assets, and resources most vulnerable to increased climate impacts related to flooding, droughts, and wildfire smoke. The second phase, the adaptation plan, will outline the strategies to respond to those vulnerabilities.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Sedimentation and dam removal: Bringing a river back to life
“One of the primary concerns when planning for dam removal is the impact of sediment transport on water quality, river health, and the communities that depend on healthy rivers. Sediment forms when rocks and soil weather and erode. We think of rivers as something that moves water, but just as important is its ability to move and shape the earth. Sediment comes in all shapes and sizes—everything from silts and clays to coarse sand and gravel. Each of these kinds of sediment mean different things for rivers and aquatic life. Coarser material like gravel and sand often makes up the bed of the river and help create and maintain complex habitat upon which many aquatic communities depend. The presence of dams can starve downstream reaches of sediment, which can lead to increased bank erosion. Dams create reservoirs and reservoirs accumulate sediment over time—more than 100 years in the case of the four dams being removed from the Klamath River. … ” Read more from American Rivers.
Water shutoff looms again over Klamath Project
“Another year, another water controversy for the Klamath Project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has indicated it may shut off water to irrigators earlier than expected in order meet obligations for endangered fish, including suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and coho salmon in the lower Klamath River. Alan Heck, acting area manager for the bureau, sent a letter Aug. 18 to tribes and irrigation districts notifying them of the situation. In the letter, Heck states there is a projected shortfall in the amount of water flowing into Upper Klamath Lake, which feeds the project’s A Canal. … ” Read more from the Capital Press.
Success for Coho salmon at BLM California’s Headwaters Forest Reserve
“Over the last year, salmon spawning numbers skyrocketed in the BLM-managed Headwaters Forest Reserve in California. This spawning success is an indicator of the improved health of the forest itself, which was established as a forest reserve in 1999 to protect some of the last untouched ancient redwoods on California’s North Coast. The heavy rains of December 2022 and January 2023 drastically improved river breeding areas for salmon migration in the South Fork Elk River, a key waterway in the Reserve. Zane Ruddy, BLM California Arcata Field Office fish biologist, said evidence of this success was borne out in recent fish surveys. “Typically, we can complete a spawner survey along the Elk River in a few hours, but this year it took two days to complete. There are fish and redds (their nests) around every river bend. We counted 140 spawners in one day, which exceeds what we normally see in a whole season,” he said. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Land Management.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Someone is poisoning trees on a private Lake Tahoe beach
“Six trees were found “poisoned” at a private beach in one of Tahoe’s most exclusive neighborhoods recently, spurring an investigation and pointing to the area’s long history of tree violations. According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the mystery began in July 2022, when Incline Village General Improvement District staff members found six other trees at Burnt Cedar Beach that smelled like fuel. The latest poisonings bring the total of poisoned trees at Burnt Cedar Beach to 12. Representatives from the Incline Village Parks and Recreation department told SFGATE that the restricted beach, which is outfitted with a pool, swimming cove and full-service bar, is only accessible to residents and their guests. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Ninth Circuit halts gold drilling project in eastern Sierra Nevada
“A federal appeals court panel Friday halted an exploratory gold drilling project in the eastern Sierra Nevada that was set to begin this week. Kore Mining Ltd. planned to drill for gold near Mammoth Lakes. The project involved 12, 600-foot deep holes on some 1,900 acres. It would have required vegetation clearing and less than a mile of temporary access roads. Four groups — Friends of the Inyo, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Western Watersheds Project and the Sierra Club — sued Kore Mining and the U.S. Forest Service in October 2021, arguing the drilling would impact area groundwater that feeds into the Owens River and cause the bi-state sage grouse to abandon its habitat. A federal judge in March sided with the defendants. The environmental groups appealed, leading to the three-judge pane of the Ninth Circuit to hear the matter on Aug. 24. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
NAPA/SONOMA
Changing coast more than just shifting sands and turning tides
“The coast is for many the epitome of Sonoma County’s natural beauty beloved for its seaside towns and rugged, wide open spaces. But seeing the future of the Sonoma coast means embracing its constant movement. Big proposals like the Bodega Bay nuclear power plant in the 1960’s, or the Fort Ross pumped hydro electric facility today easily capture public attention and spur opposition, but there’s one powerful force that changes the Sonoma Coast every minute of every day: the ocean. “We are in a situation where sea level is rising and we have a lot of infrastructure along the coast,” Brendan O’Neil said. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Radio.
What happened at Tough Mudder Sonoma: Hundreds get sick with possible bacterial infection
More than 100 athletes who participated last weekend in the Tough Mudder obstacle course race at Sonoma Raceway have since reported experiencing fevers, vomiting, muscle pain and a distinct rash that includes boils. Sonoma County public health officials on Wednesday released a health advisory — urging anyone with symptoms to see their doctor or go to a local emergency room, and notify the county via a form on their website. An email and text message from event organizers also went out to participants, with Tough Mudder noting it was working with local health officials. A Tough Mudder event involves hundreds of people climbing over and crawling through mud and muddy water, which is likely how participants picked up the infection, officials said. “Most affected persons have pustular rash, fever, myalgias, and headache. These symptoms could be indicative of a minor illness called ‘swimmer’s itch,’ but they can also indicate a staph infection or other more serious bacterial infection such as Aeromonas,” reads the health advisory. ,,, : Read more from KQED.
BAY AREA
Maps: Here’s what we know about the new city proposed in the Bay Area
“The saga surrounding a group of mysterious investors who have spent more than $800 million to buy up thousands of acres of farmland in rural Solano County has gripped Bay Area residents, local politicians and federal government agencies. Last week, the Chronicle reported that the investors were revealed to be a group of Silicon Valley notables who seem to be gearing up to build a new city. Here is what is known about the effort, according to Chronicle reporting … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Westlands recharge, Part one
“This is Part One of a two part report on recharge in Westlands Water District: Westlands Water District seems to have a target on its back. Over the years it’s been blamed for so many things. There are recent accusations Westlands is turning away water it could have recharged. During the initial Central Valley Project contract conversions a few years ago newspapers literally proclaimed Westlands converting its contract would kill salmon. In the real world the contract conversions were actually changes in the government bookkeeping process and how contractors’ debt was paid. It was a financial matter and not a change in water allocations. As you may know governmental accounting isn’t like regular business accounting. It’s not uncommon to hear the party in power’s take on budget matters to be quite different from the opposition party’s take on the exact same number. … ” Continue reading from Water Wrights. | Click here for Part two.
Floodplain work could start on two San Joaquin Valley rivers as soon as this week after state funding was approved
“The state approved funding for a range of floodplain projects in the San Joaquin Valley, clearing the way for work to potentially begin as soon as this week. The state budget included $40 million for floodplain restoration projects in the San Joaquin Valley, which would let rivers spread out over large swaths of undeveloped land to slow the flow and absorb the water. On August 24, the California Wildlife Conservation Board voted to spend $21 million of the funding which will be doled out to six on-the-ground projects and 10 planning projects, all overseen by the nonprofit River Partners. The rest of the money will be voted on in November at another board meeting and is proposed for two land acquisitions. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Planning and luck kept Kern County’s flood-prone Lamont mostly dry this year
“Of all the places that unexpectedly flooded this past year, there was one that unexpectedly did not – Lamont. Typically, heavy rain years kick up water in the Caliente Creek and it comes rushing east out of the Tehachapi Mountains, turns south under Highway 58 into a wide wash and floods out Lamont. Years ago, the water would have spread out like a sheet and continued south toward Arvin. But farmers built a levee along Mountain View Road and lined it with tamarisk trees. The structure is easily spotted on satellite map views of the area. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Heat wave scorches Southern California. When will it end?
“Southern Californians are in the middle of another heat wave, but there is relief in sight. First, the bad news. Temperatures on Tuesday will be about the same as Monday, with near record-breaking highs, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re looking at highs downtown in the low to mid-90s and as you get into the valleys, we’re expecting highs from about 100 to 110,” said Weather Service Meteorologist Mike Wofford. “The hottest temperatures will be in the western San Fernando Valley.” … ” Read more from KTLA.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Illegal levels of mercury and more emitted from east valley power plant, feds say
“Fourteen months after Environmental Protection Agency inspectors quietly notified the operator of the Desert View Power Plant that it had repeatedly emitted illegally high levels of mercury and other dangerous pollutants upwind of the low-income east Coachella valley community of Mecca, federal regulators will meet with residents and community groups on Tuesday night. Residents have complained for years about billowing smoke plumes blowing from the plant over their homes, a school and a daycare center. The meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club at 91391 66th Avenue in Mecca. But it’s unclear how much information federal officials will provide, as an EPA spokesperson said it is an active, ongoing investigation and he could not answer specific questions from The Desert Sun. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
Saving California’s Salton Sea
“The Salton Sea has been called the biggest environmental disaster in California’s history. Formed in 1905 when a canal diverting water from the Colorado River to farms in the Imperial Valley breached during heavy rains, barely a century later the lake is drying up. How to save the Salton Sea, or at the least, how to manage its decline, is a confounding challenge.At first almost everything about the newly formed Salton Sea was good. The canals were fixed, a process that took nearly two years, and Southern Californians found themselves with 350 square miles of freshwater lake where previously there had been nothing but desert. Into this new wonderland came entrepreneurs, stocking the lake with fish and building plush resorts for fishing and boating only a few hours from Los Angeles. During its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, resorts along the lake boasted yacht clubs, golf courses, and entertainment venues that drew top celebrities. … ” Read more from the National Review.
SAN DIEGO
Commentary: Losing water agencies shouldn’t go crying to the legislature to get what they want
Tom Kennedy, general manager of the Rainbow Municipal Water District, and Jack Bebee, general manager of the Fallbrook Public Utility District, write, “Somewhere in California, two small water districts propose to leave a big agency that has long provided the water for another that can provide the very same supply. They agree to hire an outside expert to help a county commission find a fair financial solution. The expert recommends an exit fee of sorts if the water districts want to leave. The commission goes along with the expert. And now the big agency has come to Sacramento looking to abuse the state legislative process in order to undo a perfectly legal local decision. These water districts all happen to be in San Diego County. But this is an abuse of power that can happen anywhere if the Legislature gets into a dangerous habit of changing local decisions about boundaries and governance simply because a powerful government in town wants a different outcome. What we have here is a water dispute that should stay in San Diego County. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Water company confirms no contamination, businesses want answers
“IB Forum Sports Bar and Grill is a popular restaurant in Imperial Beach. The manager tells ABC 10 News, the bar was ready to stay open. Staff went out and bought bottles of water but were told on Thursday that they had to close. “When we got the notice, we went to Costco and got cases of water and cranberry juice so we could stay open. We washed the produce,” said Connie Schaeffer, manager of IB Forum Sports Bar and Grill. “That all went to waste, on top of the food deliveries that we had,” she added. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
UC San Diego’s Scripps Oceanography awarded funding to develop pathogen forecast model
“The state of California awarded UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography $3 million to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters. The funding was announced in a press conference on Aug. 25 alongside a bipartisan coalition of San Diego elected leaders at the Imperial Beach Pier. The Tijuana River Estuary and Coastal Ocean Pathogen Forecast Model aims to predict the presence of bacterial and viral pathogens from untreated sewage in estuary and coastal waters, which can inform decision-makers when beach closures are necessary as the region works to address cross-border sewage pollution. … ” Read more from UC San Diego.
Along the Colorado River …
At Lake Mead, 1 inch equals 2 billion gallons
“For Las Vegas, water is life. After years living with a lingering sense of doom, residents have taken some pleasure in seeing Lake Mead fill up a little bit on the strength of a record snowpack for the Colorado River. The fact remains that it’s only a third full, but it’s a big improvement over last year. In fact, the lake is 23 feet higher today than its low point in July of 2022. With every inch Lake Mead rises, 2 billion gallons are added. It’s a simple number to remember in all the news about how the lake level changes. 1 inch = 2 billion gallons. … ” Read more from KLAS.
Press release: Limoneira capitalizes on water fallowing conservation program with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District and the United States Bureau of Reclamation
“Limoneira Company (the “Company” or “Limoneira”) (Nasdaq: LMNR), a diversified citrus growing, packing, selling and marketing company with related agribusiness activities and real estate development operations, today announced that it has entered into an initial fallowing program with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District (“YMIDD”) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (“BOR”) and will commit to fallow owned land through, at least, calendar 2025. The Company expects to receive approximately $1.32 million annually, paid in quarterly installments, for fallowing 581 acres out of its 1,300 acres of farmland in Yuma, Arizona. YMIDD will refrain from diverting Colorado River water that otherwise would have been used to irrigate fallowed lands so that the saved water may be retained in Lake Mead as Colorado River System Conservation Water, increasing the supply and elevation of Lake Mead and helping to avoid water shortages in Arizona and the lower basin. … ” Read more from Investors Observer.
Audio: While policy hasn’t changed, the conversation around water has
“As Hurricane Hilary drenched parts of our region last week, there were hopes that all of that water had to be good news for our shrinking reservoirs like Lake Mead. But, that didn’t entirely happen. In a recent column in the Arizona Republic, Joanna Allhands argues that just the fact that we’re asking the question speaks volumes about how we manage our shrinking share of the Colorado River. The Show spoke with Elvia Díaz, editorial page editor of the Republic, to talk more about it. … ” Listen at KJZZ.
As coal mines depleted an Navajo Nation aquifer, feds failed to flag losses, report says
“Coal mining depleted areas of a critical aquifer in the Black Mesa region of the Navajo Nation, but a federal agency didn’t consider the losses environmentally damaging, researchers concluded in a new study of the aquifer in northern Arizona. The researchers detailed what they said were failures by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to hold the Peabody mining company responsible for the environmental effects of coal mining in the Black Mesa area. The findings of the study, conducted by the Institutes for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, didn’t surprise Nicole Horseherder, executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání, a group working to protect Black Mesa water, among other things. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Environmental Protection Agency denies two-thirds of claims for damages tied to Gold King Mine spill
“After one of the largest environmental disasters in Colorado’s history, the majority of those who filed claims for damages discovered this month that their claims were denied. Eight years ago this month, Colorado experienced one of its most severe environmental catastrophes. The Gold King Mine near Silverton discharged 3 million gallons of acidic water, turning the Animas River orange. Nearly 100 people who filed for compensation recently received notifications, with two-thirds of them being rejected. … ” Read more from CBS News.
In national water news today …
This brutal summer in 10 alarming maps and graphs
“As global temperatures rapidly climb, humanity is seeing more and more of the disastrous effects scientists warned us about: fiercer heat waves, more intense wildfires, and heavier rain. The extremes of the past few months are but a preview of the ever-worsening pain we’ll endure if we don’t dramatically reduce carbon emissions. “We have certainly had unusually large extremes in a number of parts of the world,” says climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of the research group Berkeley Earth. “Global temperatures, sea surface temperatures—particularly the North Atlantic region—was sort of off the charts. Antarctic sea ice has been exceptionally low. If you had asked me what I expected to see this summer, it would not have been quite this coincidence of extremes.” What’s made this summer so bad? … ” Read more from Wired Magazine.
SEE ALSO: This Summer’s Fires, Floods, and Heatwaves Are the New Normal, from Mother Jones
USDA Forest Service announces landscape scale investments to restore forests across tribal, state, and privately managed lands
“Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it will invest $16.2 million to restore forests across tribal, state and private lands. These funded projects mark the first time the Forest Service will make Landscape Scale Restoration program grants directly available to federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations to restore priority forest landscapes on tribal lands, including trust lands, reservation lands, and other lands owned by tribes. The Forest Service selected 64 proposed projects for fiscal year 2023 to help Tribes, state agencies, local governments, and partners restore healthy, resilient, climate-adapted forests, including $3 million to restore landscapes on tribal lands. “Threats to forests like wildfires, insects, and disease do not stop at jurisdictional boundaries, which is why these investments in healthy and resilient forests extend beyond boundary lines,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “These grants are critical for improving the nation’s forests that provide a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the American people.” … ” Read more from the USFS.
