I'm Superintendent Pam Rice at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. And you're
watching This Week at Interior
This Week at Interior
The federal response to Hurricane Ian continued this week in southwest Florida. Ian made landfall
September 28th as a category 4 storm, causing massive devastation, flooding and more than
100 deaths. Multiple Interior Department bureaus deployed to support public safety, clear debris,
provide emergency supplies, and aid in search and rescue efforts.
Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service continue
to assess the storm’s impact. More than 40 parks and refuges sustained damage, including
the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which is part of Sanibel Island. The
Fish and Wildlife Service provided direct support to Sanibel Island first responders,
clearing roads and transporting personnel and critical supplies to the island by boat.
National Park Service staff also joined other first responders in heroic recovery efforts
throughout the region, and many did so while enduring the emotional toll of being directly
impacted themselves.
U.S. Geological Survey teams deployed scientific equipment to measure storm surge and coastal
flooding as Ian approached land and were back out in the field this week repairing vital
stream gauges and taking flood measurements to give the National Weather Service and local
communities the best available water level and flow information.
Secretary Haaland and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams visited the Sand Creek
Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado this week, part of Interior's commitment to
tell the whole story of America. The site commemorates the November 1864 assault on
an encampment that killed more than 200 Indigenous people, many of them women and children. This
week’s ceremony included the announcement of the acquisition of more than 34-hundred
acres for the National Historic Site, made possible through funding from the Land and
Water Conservation Fund.
Elsewhere in Colorado and again thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Secretary
Haaland and Director Sams celebrated the expansion of the Great Sand Dunes National Park. More
than 9000 acres of the Medano Ranch has been transferred from The Nature Conservancy to
the National Park. The transfer means a more connected landscape, and better long-term
protection for the areas which help create the iconic dunes.
Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau traveled to Mexico City this week to highlight the
U.S.-Mexico partnership on conservation and science. During the visit, he met with Mexican
government officials and community leaders to reinforce Interior’s support for continued
cooperation on wildland fire management; wildlife conservation; the development of safe and
environmentally responsible offshore energy resources; Earth science projects; and earthquake
and volcano monitoring, preparedness, and response.
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz wrapped up a multi-day
visit to Washington state this week. She highlighted historic investments being made through President
Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership
program to conserve ecosystems and economies and support new urban parks.
Interior this week announced a series of new policies that will help advance transparent,
accountable and effective policing practices, build public trust and strengthen public safety.
The new policies provide clear guidelines on use of force standards, require law enforcement
officers to wear body-worn cameras, and severely restrict the use of no-knock warrants.
Interior this week released its Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan Progress Report, which
outlines how the Department is using a science-based approach to address and mitigate climate change
risks, impacts and vulnerabilities. It's part of the Biden-Harris administration’s all-of-government
approach to confronting the climate crisis by integrating climate-readiness across our
missions and programs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and dozens of conservation partners this week celebrated
the snail darter’s recovery and removal from the endangered species list. The snail
darter is a small fish native to the Tennessee River watershed in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi
and Tennessee; it's the latest of five fish species in the country delisted due to recovery,
and the first in the eastern United States.
It's that time again, time to choose Katmai National Park and Preserve's favorite fattest
bear. Every year, dozens of bears gather at Brooks River in Alaska to feast on salmon
from late June until mid-October as they pack on the pounds and get ready to hibernate for
the long winter. Check out fatbearweek.org and vote for your favorite!
And our social media Picture of the Week, the October country of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
One of the nation's most scenic by-ways, it runs 469 miles through six Appalachian mountain
chains in Virginia and North Carolina, connecting Shenandoah National Park with Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
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That's This Week at Interior.