R.I. receives $459K wildlife grant

PROVIDENCE – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded Rhode Island a $459,840 state wildlife grant to preserve the state’s wildlife and their habitats.
The federal grant program administers funding to states in order to develop and implement conservation strategies that protect endangered species.
“From our coastlines to our forests, protecting and preserving our diverse natural landscape is a smart investment in the health of our environment and our economy,” said U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed in a statement about the announcement.
To become eligible for the funds, the Dept. of Environmental Management developed a wildlife action plan that identified the Ocean State’s species of greatest conservation need. The DEM also identified their key habitats, as well as the conditions necessary to keep these threatened species intact.
The funds will address conservation needs through research and wildlife surveys, as well as habitat management and monitoring. Funds may also be used to revise the state’s current wildlife action plan.
Some threatened and endangered species in Rhode Island include the hawksbill sea turtle, the piping plover, the roseate tern and the shortnose sturgeon, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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