Interior devotes $9 million to improve sagebrush

The Interior Department has dedicated $9 million for 40 projects in eight western states to protect sagebrush ecosystems from invasive species, wildfire and other threats.

“This is an historic opportunity to put resources into the health and natural infrastructure of America’s sagebrush ecosystem, which serves as the lifeblood of rural communities and Tribal lands in the West,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

The projects, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will take place in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.

Read more from the Associated Press.