The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been given 10 million dollars a year for the next 5 years to protect sagebrush ecosystems. Under the Biden administration, a total of 9 million dollars will be spent this fiscal year alone to support 40 projects in the Western US to restore and conserve strategic areas within the sagebrush ecosystem. Projects will include combating invasive grasses and wildfires, reducing encroaching conifers, and protecting water resources. Sagebrush ecosystems span over 175 million acres and are home to 350 species including pronghorn, elk, mule deer, and greater sage grouse, making up a third of the lands of the lower 48 states. Funding will go to existing and new projects with the first round awarded to habitat projects that bolster the nation’s interior to increase resilience to drought and fire. A full list of this year’s projects can be found by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service’s website.
