January 12, 2018
USDA Funding Supports State’s Goal of Protecting 30% of Hawaii’s Watershed Forests by 2030
Hirono Announces $770,000 to Protect and Enhance Hawaii’s Watersheds
USDA Funding Supports State’s Goal of Protecting 30% of Hawaii’s Watershed Forests by 2030
Senator
Hirono announced that the State of Hawaii will receive $770,000 from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to protect and improve Hawaii’s watersheds.
“Today’s investment recognizes Hawaii’s ongoing
commitment to the protection and restoration of our forested watersheds, and
will help enhance the health of our state’s unique ecosystems,” said Senator
Hirono.
The
Hawaii Watershed Initiative supports projects that move forward the state’s
goal of protecting 30%, or 253,000 acres, of Hawaii’s highest priority
watershed forests by 2030.
Senator
Hirono continues to advocate for federal resources to safeguard and enhance
Hawaii’s watersheds. In 2016, Senator Hirono convened a
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee field hearing on Oahu
to examine how federal partnerships protect and sustain Hawaii’s freshwater
resources. Senator Hirono also successfully advocated for the inclusion of
Hawaii’s collaborative landscape proposal, “Island Forests at Risk,” in
President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017. As a result, a total
of nearly $27 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been
provided to purchase and protect endangered species’ habitats, culturally
significant areas, and ecologically important lands in the Hakalau National
Wildlife Refuge and Volcanoes National Park.
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