NEVADA — Nevada’s federally managed public lands are facing millions of dollars in lost funding after the U.S. Department of the Interior declined to release more than $25.9 million in previously approved National Park Service agreements nationwide. Nevada is expected to lose approximately $5.4 million, affecting projects at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument and Death Valley National Park.
The funding was intended to support projects addressing critical needs on Nevada’s public lands, including cultural resource surveys, illegal road mapping, weather stations, bat monitoring and abandoned mine closures. At Lake Mead alone, nearly $3.5 million in funding was withheld for projects that would have surveyed and mapped unauthorized roads and nearby cultural resources.
These cuts come as Nevada’s national parks and public lands are already facing significant infrastructure and maintenance needs. The National Park Service has previously estimated more than $530 million in maintenance and repair needs across Nevada parks, including approximately $506 million needed at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and $23 million at Great Basin National Park.
Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of the Institute for a Progressive Nevada, issued the following statement:
“Nevada’s public lands are not simply recreational destinations. They support tourism, outdoor recreation, local economies, wildlife and cultural resources, and communities across the state. With federal funding withheld from projects already approved, Nevada communities are left to contend with the consequences of decisions made in Washington. These funding decisions drastically reduce hardworking Nevadans’ ability to use public spaces meant for leisure. Nevada leaders need to prioritize conservation and protection of public lands so each generation can experience all they have to offer.”
Kristee Watson, Executive Director of Nevada Conservation League, issued the following statement:
“Congress already approved this funding, and Nevada’s own scientists were ready to do the work. At Lake Mead, that work meant mapping illegal roads that cut through irreplaceable cultural sites. Whose interests are served when the Interior Department blocks it? Nevadans deserve an answer. Most of these agreements were set to begin October 1, and the money could now be redirected elsewhere. We urge the Interior Department to honor the commitments it already made and release these funds to Nevada’s parks. The Nevada Conservation League will continue informing Nevadans about what these decisions mean for the places they care about.”
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