For Immediate Release: May 5, 2010
Contact: Lamont Glass, (509) 420-3735
FFS #R1GQ, R1BQ

BURBANK, WA. – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, has awarded two contracts totaling $330,963 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Allen-Bradbury Construction and 1-A Construction and Fire for improvements at the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge. These projects will employ approximately eight workers.

The companies will replace the existing steel water pipelines with PVC pipe at the Whitcomb Unit and McCormack Unit at the Umatilla National Wildlife Preserve. Corrosion and metal fatigue have left the current irrigation system inoperable, preventing the needed cultivation of wheat and barley for wintering waterfowl.

“The main steel lines we are replacing are corroding and have holes in different areas, preventing us from getting water to the pivots and causing flooding in some areas,” Umatilla Refuge Manager Lamont Glass said. “This is a problem that has been developing for at least 10 years, and fixing it will allow us to benefit the refuge, game hunters and local farmers.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in 2009 gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. Of that amount, $280 million in funding goes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The ARRA funding has become our mainstay in recent months and has been a godsend to keep us afloat,” Allen-Bradbury Project Manager Rich Moore said. “We do a wide variety of ARRA-funded projects in the region, and if we didn’t have those, we wouldn’t be working.”

The ARRA funds are part of a stimulus package that is an important component of President Obama’s plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century. Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving America’s timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and our heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth and promoting community service.

“With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery.

Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force to work closely with Interior’s Inspector General to ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency set by President Obama.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For questions, comments or concerns e-mail us at recoveryact@fws.gov. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Photos:

Steel piping being removed.

New PVC pipe being installed.

Fact Sheet

Name: Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge

Manager: Lamont Glass; lamont_glass@fws.gov; (509) 546-8300

Area: Approximately 25,347 acres includes open water, shallow marshes, backwater sloughs, croplands, islands and shrub-steppe uplands.

Resident species: A significant number of bald eagles (30) spend the winter at the refuge. A large Great Blue Heron nesting colony, as well as a smaller Black-crowned Night-Heron colony exists on refuge islands. Common shrubs include sagebrush, bitterbrush and rabbitbrush. Native bunchgrasses, such as basin wildrye, Indian ricegrass, Idaho fescue, and Sandberg bluegrass, were once common here, but today they must compete with very successful exotic plants such as cheatgrass, knapweed, tumbleweed and perennial pepperweed. Refuge staff are working to remove exotics and replant refuge habitats with native species more beneficial to wildlife.

Ecosystem details: Islands in the Columbia River are an important sanctuary for birds year-round and are closed to public entry. Ducks, Canada geese, great blue herons, and black-crowned night herons nest here in spring and summer. Thousands of ducks and geese winter on the islands, and many different species rest here during spring and fall migration.