Three Arizona conservation projects awarded more than $36.5 million
Nov 12, 2023, 8:00 PM
Verde River. Photo Credit: © Magill Weber/TNC
PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded three Arizona projects more than $36.5 million in funding as part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
The program promotes conservation and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Historic funding is made possible by both the Inflation Reduction Act and the Farm Bill.
The biggest of the three project awards is $22 million for the Gila River Indian Community to perform pipeline and blackwater lateral improvements.
The Nature Conservancy was awarded $12.4 million for aquifer protection and grassland conservation in the upper Verde River watershed.
The Mule Deer Foundation was awarded $1.2 million for wildlife and habitat improvements to the area north of the Colorado River known as the Arizona Strip.
The three Arizona projects are part of a $1 billion national investment to advance partner-driven solutions to the conservation of agricultural land through 81 projects.
