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U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced the appointments of 18 members to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, a group established in 2010 to advise the departments on wildlife conservation, habitat conservation and hunting.

The Department of the Interior has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to lead Interior’s independent assessment of factors that contributed to the August 5 Gold King Mine incident in Colorado. Interior was asked to conduct the assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency to review the cause of the incident and provide recommendations to prevent future incidents from occurring.

"My heart goes out to the families and fellow firefighters of these fallen heroes as we mourn their loss in service to others," U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said today on the tragic loss of three U.S. Forest Service firefighters near Twisp, Washington.

The National Seed Strategy outlines coordinated and focused research, as well as improvements in seed production and restoration technology to increase the availability of genetically appropriate, locally adapted seed. The research findings identified in the Strategy will inform the development of new management tools to aid in restoration planning and implementation. 

The proposed Moab Master Leasing Plan exemplifies the thoughtful planning achieved through a robust collaborative process. In crafting the Moab MLP, the BLM brought together a diverse set of stakeholders, including local community members, industry representatives, recreation enthusiasts, tribes, and other interested parties from across the country; and worked closely with the National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and other state and local agencies in the planning process.

The National Weather Service today issued red flag and severe fire weather warnings for several states across the West, including many that are already experiencing fires. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today highlighted the importance of safety and public awareness as firefighters work to address the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires in drought-stricken areas of the West this year.

Without action from Congress, the highly successful Land and Water Conservation Fund is set to expire September 30. Jewell urged Congress to act swiftly to reauthorize the program and to pass President Obama’s proposal to guarantee permanent full funding of $900 million a year that is authorized under the law.

The RESTORE Council was created under the 2012 Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act), which directed the Council to dedicate 80 percent of all Clean Water Act penalties relating to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the fund it oversees. As a member on the Council, Interior was actively engaged in developing restoration proposals for the first draft of the Initial Funded Priorities List (FPL) of projects.

Secretary Jewell today commended President Obama for signing into law a bill that designates three new wilderness areas encompassing about 275,665 acres in Idaho as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System; releases four wilderness study areas so that the land may be managed for multiple-use activities; and provides for several land conveyances in Idaho.