This Week, at Interior…

The nation paused this week to celebrate the life and legacy of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. On Monday President Trump laid a wreath at the King Memorial on the Tidal Basin in Washington DC…

...while Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor joined Vice President Mike Pence for a King Birthday observance at Holy City Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr King was assassinated in Memphis in April, 1968.

And as part of the King Birthday observance the National Park Service has established a national partnership with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The agreement provides new opportunities for African American women and young girls to experience national parks, historic sites and monuments, as well as promote interest in historic preservation careers.

Secretary Bernhardt this week visited the Hoover Dam for a site inspection. During his visit the Secretary took an elevator to the bottom of the dam, visited employees in the Control Center, viewed dam generators and penstock tunnels, and other locations within the dam.

During his Nevada visit Secretary Bernhardt attended the SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range at the Boulder Rifle & Pistol Club...

And joined Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in discussing how the two departments are working together on conservation efforts to expand access to hunters and anglers and other issues facing our public lands.

Interior is seeking information from the public that will lead to better management of the double-breasted cormorant population and further reduce conflicts. The cormorant, a fish eating bird, is causing some havoc at the nation’s wild and stocked fisheries. The Fish and Wildlife Service is looking to balance the conflict between protection of native wildlife, and economic and human health needs.

USGS is keeping a watchful eye on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, where the Shishaldin volcano has been erupting for nearly a week. At one point the ash plume had reached twenty thousand feet and drifted nearly a hundred miles from the summit, presenting a hazard to aircraft.

And USGS scientists continue to provide up-to-date information to help Puerto Rico and FEMA officials make decisions to protect residents following recent earthquakes and aftershocks. The first 4.7 quake hit southwest Puerto Rico on December 28th, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck on January 7th, followed by more than 300 aftershocks greater than magnitude 3. [Link to usgs.gov]

The Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed rule in the Federal Register this week to revise the Duck Stamp 2020 contest regulations to include one or more visual elements that reflect the theme of “celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage.” Secretary Bernhardt calls hunters and anglers the backbone of American conservation. [Link to FWS when it’s posted]

And our social media Picture of the Week, this amazing photo of an eagle in its snow covered nest at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. make sure you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

That’s This Week, at Interior.