COLVILLE, WA - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, has awarded a $56,565 contract under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Northern Management Services, a construction and general contracting company based in Sandpoint, Idaho. The project is expected to create at least seven jobs.The company will improve Cliff Ridge Road (Rte 013) at the refuge, correcting deficiencies in the 0.85-mile, 14-foot wide native surface road by reconstructing the roadbed, side-slopes and ditches, and regraveling and compacting the road surface.
“These funds will be used to help provide for our regular maintenance to a road in need of repair,” Little Pend Oreille NWR Manager Steve Fowler said. “When completed, the project will allow for improved access to our 42,000-acre reserve.”
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed earlier this year, 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 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 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 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.
