Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced the U.S. Department of the Interior has committed more than $417 million in funding for 47 projects that will help protect Nevada’s public lands, expand recreational parks, rehabilitate wildlife habitat, and prevent wildfires. This funding comes through provisions in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), which ensures that revenues from public lands sales in Clark County are returned to conservation and recreation projects in Nevada. The senators have been long-time supporters of SNPLMA funding and the work it does to help protect Nevada’s lands and outdoor spaces.
“From preventing wildfires and protecting endangered habitat to expanding outdoor recreation access and improving local parks, this funding supports our economy and our way of life,” said Senator Cortez Masto.
“Nevada is home to many natural treasures that attract thousands of visitors annually and we must protect them for generations to come,” said Senator Rosen. “This funding will expand conservation efforts, invest in our booming outdoor recreation economy, and improve wildfire mitigation efforts to protect our state’s great outdoors.”
The projects funded include trail improvements in Red Rock Canyon, upgrades to the Hoover Dam visitor’s center, phase two of a new Heritage Park and upgrades to the fairgrounds in White Pine County, upgrades to Callville Bay recreation area and marina at Lake Mead, habitat protection for Bighorn sheep, and substantial wildfire fuels reduction and wildfire prevention activities around Mt. Rose and the Lake Tahoe Basin. Additionally, five percent of the revenue generated under SNPLMA goes to the State of Nevada General Education Fund and 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
The full list of awards from this round of funding can be found here.
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been champions for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces. As part of the Great American Outdoors Act, which the Senators helped pass, they secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the country. Senator Cortez Masto introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to restore Lake Tahoe, and delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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