The United States Department of Agriculture is announcing investments of more than $36 million in nearly 100 projects to improve water quality, roads, trails, bridges and fish habitat on national forests and grasslands nationwide.
The funds are being delivered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service through their Legacy Roads and Trails Program, which supports 98 projects in fiscal year 2023. The program funds projects, along with other restoration and infrastructure work, to improve water quality and aquatic habitat while making transportation systems safer, more sustainable and durable.
In addition to improving roads and trails for communities, businesses, and visitors, the program creates jobs, including those in stream restoration, environmental design and heavy equipment operations.
The Legacy Roads and Trails Program supports projects like Little Gold Creek, recently completed on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in southwest Montana. This project replaced a narrow culvert on a Forest Service road with a larger, more flood resilient design that provides uninterrupted passage for fish and other aquatic species, including the endangered bull trout, which is being affected by the changing climate. This project and others like it improve infrastructure durability, protect water quality, and ensure public access by preventing roads from flooding and washing out. Replacing culverts also improves access and safety for visitors and surrounding communities.
The Forest Service is responsible for more than 160,000 miles of trails, 6,700 road bridges and 7,200 trail bridges, as well as 370,000 miles of roads in a variety of ecological settings and landscapes. Approximately 80 million people receive drinking water that originates on, or flows through, national forests and grasslands. The road and trail improvements announced today will improve ecological connectivity and watershed health while protecting infrastructure and ensuring national forests continue to provide drinking water to communities.
For a complete list of projects being funding in fiscal year 2023 visit the Legacy Roads and Trails | US Forest Service (fs.usda.gov).
Jeff
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