|  Fall leaves at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. Photo by Tom Gable, NPS. | |  On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the One Trillion Trees Interagency Council (Council), which will be responsible for coordinating the Federal government's support of the global One Trillion Trees Initiative. The EO names U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt as co-chair of the Council, along with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
"President Trump has boldly led on many conservation initiatives, including the One Trillion Trees Initiative," said Secretary Bernhardt. "The President's Council will support and enhance the incredible efforts already taking place under the Trump Administration to better manage our forests and woodlands across our public lands." |  Further, President Trump signed an Executive Order on "Modernizing America's Water Resource Management and Water Infrastructure." This historic action ensures Federal coordination on water policy is standard practice now and into the future by formally establishing a Water Subcabinet of senior Federal agency officials to facilitate efficient and effective management and modernization of our water supplies and systems while also eliminating duplication between agencies. The Water Subcabinet will be co-chaired by U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior) Secretary David Bernhardt and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler. With this Executive Order, President Trump is demonstrating his bold vision for improving our Federal water infrastructure and prioritizing access to essential water supplies for all Americans.
"The Trump Administration has made it a priority to ensure communities across the nation receive safe, reliable water," said Secretary Bernhardt. "Today's action by President Trump furthers our incredible efforts over the past three and a half years to cut bureaucratic red tape and improve water infrastructure." |  Lastly, on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, Secretary Bernhardt joined Airstream leadership in Jackson Center, Ohio as they highlighted the importance of outdoor recreation and the resurgence of the American economy during a visit to the Airstream Factory Service Center. Following a tour of the manufacturing operations, Airstream's leadership signed the Trump Administration's Pledge to America's Workers, committing to invest in their workforce and expand job opportunities in Ohio. At Airstream, Secretary Bernhardt discussed the Department of the Interior's role in facilitating outdoor recreation opportunities across the country, managing approximately 500 million acres of land and how travel trailers help outdoor enthusiasts visit America's national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands. | | | | In its more than 45-year history, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has catalyzed countless conservation partnerships that have helped recover some of America's most treasured animals and plants from the bald eagle to the American alligator. But no administration in history has recovered more imperiled species in their first term than the Trump administration. Since 2017, eleven species have fully recovered, no longer being listed on the ESA list. Under the leadership of Secretary Bernhardt and Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Rob Wallace, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and its other public and private partners, have prioritized conserving and recovering imperiled species at a record rate.  Recently, Secretary Bernhardt, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Fort Benning Garrison Commander, Col. Matthew Scalia, celebrated the proposed downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened. Fort Benning performed years of crucial conservation work to recover the woodpecker. In 1998, Fort Benning reported a red-cockaded woodpecker population of 153 potential breeding groups. Their recovery goal was having 351 breeding groups, which has been exceeded with an estimated 412 breeding groups currently in population. The Army's efforts, in addition to significant commitments from public and private landowners, contributed to the best available science indicating woodpecker populations being stable and increasing with adequate protections in place for its continued recovery. | Further, the USFWS recently announced that the best available science shows that the factors affecting wolverine populations are not as significant as believed in 2013 when the USFWS proposed to list the wolverine found in the contiguous United States as threatened. New research and analysis show that wolverine populations in the American Northwest remain stable, and individuals are moving across the Canadian border in both directions and returning to former territories. The species, therefore, does not meet the definition of threatened or endangered under the ESA. Accordingly, USFWS has withdrawn its listing proposal. The species will continue to be managed by state wildlife agencies and tribes with assistance from other land management and conservation partners. For additional information, please read Wolverine Withdrawal: Questions and Answers. | | | 'Made in America' starts with Minnesota mining Originally Published by: Duluth News Tribune
By: U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt Failed policies from previous administrations undercut the American manufacturing and mining industries, putting Americans out of work and China in the driver's seat to control the products we rely on every day for electric power, communications, internet connectivity, and national security. President Donald Trump has championed policies to bring these jobs back to the United States, and his administration is continuing to take major steps forward to ensure our rightful place in the mining, processing, and manufacturing of critical minerals. | | Delaware Artist Richard Clifton Wins 2020 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest After two days of competition, Richard Clifton of Milford, Delaware, emerged as the winner of the 2020 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest with his painting of a single lesser scaup drake. The announcement was made via live stream at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia.
Clifton's acrylic painting will be made into the 2021-2022 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or "Duck Stamp", which will go on sale in late June 2021. The Service produces the Federal Duck Stamp, which sells for $25 and raises approximately $40 million in sales each year. These funds support critical conservation to protect wetland habitats in the National Wildlife Refuge System for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of people. | | | | |
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