Parks and Wildlife get stimulus

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/parks_and_wildlife_get_stimulus/C41/L41/

"The press release included the following examples:
$375 million for restoration of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the nation’s largest recreational fishery.
$280 million for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for refuge operations and maintenance and $165 million for resource management.
$230 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations, research and facilities.
$500 million for USDA Forest Service wildland fire management efforts.
$27.5 billion investment in highway infrastructure includes set asides for park roads, parkways, forest highways and refuge roads.
$290 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s watershed and flood prevention operations.
$125 million for the Bureau of Land Management for projects including abandoned mine and well site remediation, road and trail maintenance, watershed improvement and high priority habitat restoration. "

Fire, Wildland Funding included in approved stimulus plan

http://www.firerescue1.com/legislation-funding/articles/453790-Fire-station-wildland-funding-included-in-approved-stimulus-plan/

"WASHINGTON — Hundreds of million of dollars are earmarked for fire stations and wildland management in the $787 billion stimulus plan approved by Congress Friday. "

Obama will shift Forest Service Policy

http://news.opb.org/article/4230-obama-administration-will-shift-forest-service-policy/


"The stimulus bill that passed the House last week directed more than a billion dollars to the U.S. Forest Service.
Portland Democrat Ron Wyden wants to keep Forest Service funding in the Senate stimulus bill too.
And Monday, the Obama administration signaled it wants a bigger budget for the Forest Service.
Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports."

Will the Stimulus put jobs in our Woods?

"Neither U.S. Forest Service nor the U.S. Bureau of Land Management local officials know how much money will be available for the agencies or what the restrictions will be on how it could be spent.
"But a recovery of jobs in local communities would be a priority," predicted Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Jim Whittington, her counterpart at the BLM's Medford District, concurred."

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090212/NEWS/902120320

Walden Headed for Southern Oregon

http://www.kmed.com/pages/landing/?WALDEN-HEADED-FOR-SOUTHERN-OREGON=1&blockID=39700&feedID=133

"Highlighting the schedule is a meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 with Region 6 Forest Service Supervisor Mary Wagner (who oversees forest service land in Oregon and Washington) and state BLM Director Ed Sheppard to learn the agencies’ plans to begin forest health projects with the funds they are expected to receive in the federal stimulus package that the House expects to vote on tomorrow. Any stimulus package should aim to create jobs quickly, so Rep. Walden is interested to hear about how they plan to get Oregonians back working in the woods quickly with the new funds. "