Read the latest news on Recovery Act projects throughout the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

View the updated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Act Project List (posted 08/12/2009)

What is the Recovery Act?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) is a law dedicating Federal funding to a wide array of projects during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. As stated in the Act, the legislation was created with the following goals in mind:

• To preserve and create jobs.
• To promote economic recovery.
• To assist those most impacted by the recession.
• To provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health.
• To invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits.
• To stabilize State and local government budgets, in order to minimize reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases.

You can learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at recovery.gov.

How much funding did the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service receive under the Recovery Act?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received $280 million of the $3 billion appropriated to the Department of the Interior. Of this amount, $115 million is for construction projects at Service facilities and $165 million is for renewable energy projects, habitat restoration, and deferred maintenance projects. An additional $10 million in Department of Transportation funding will be used for road construction on national wildlife refuges. The funding will stimulate employment and economic growth in the communities where these projects are funded, providing long-term value for the American public.

What types of projects are being funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?

All of the projects that we are completing with Recovery Act funding represent long-standing priority needs identified through our maintenance, capital improvement, and habitat restoration planning processes. The Recovery Act will allow us to fund the following types of projects:

• Capital improvements to existing buildings and fish hatchery water management facilities
• Deferred maintenance of facilities and infrastructure
• Habitat restoration
• Construction of new visitor centers and other facilities
• Reconstruction and repair of service buildings and other structures
• Energy efficiency retrofits of Service facilities

What projects are underway in my state?

The interactive map on this site will help you track Recovery Act projects being completed in each state by all Department of Interior bureaus, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can also refer to the project list of Recovery Act efforts funded in each state.

Where can I find more information about what’s happening on a particular project?

The project list has additional information on the projects being completed in each state, and links to project pages where available. Be sure to check the list often - we’re consistently adding information about more of our projects. Here is a list of the project pages we recently added to our site and those we recently updated:

How does the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide which projects to fund under the Recovery Act?

We completed a rigorous merit-based process to identify and prioritize investments that meet the criteria put forth in the Recovery Act. We are funding projects that meet all of the following criteria:

• Address the Department’s highest priority mission needs
• Generate the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time
• Create lasting value for the American public

Where can I find more information about the Recovery Act and projects funded under the Act?

Use the following links to locate additional information about the Recovery Act and associated projects:

• Federal Recovery Act Web Site: recovery.gov
• Department of the Interior Recovery Act Website: http://recovery.doi.gov
• FedBizOpps (information on contracting and awards): www.fbo.gov
• Grants.gov (information on contracting and awards): www.grants.gov

If you have any questions that aren’t answered by the information on this site or if you need help locating specific information related to our Recovery Act efforts, send us an email at recoveryact@fws.gov - we’re happy to help!