By james art The Department of the Interior today announced that it will provide more than $375 million in funding for 36 projects aimed at improving recreation opportunities, protecting wildlife habitat, reducing hazardous fuels and preventing wildfires in Nevada and the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Funding derived from land sales under the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) marks a continued investment in sustainable community infrastructure and environmental protection.
“Since 1998, public land sales in the Las Vegas Valley have fueled projects that benefit communities and enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “This program supports jobs and local economies, improves recreation in rural and underserved areas, and aligns with our commitment to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 under the America the Beautiful initiative.”
The funding will benefit numerous federal, state and educational institutions, including the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, Churchill, Clark and Lincoln counties, and the cities of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the University of Nevada, Reno.
Since its inception, SNPLMA—implemented by the Bureau of Land Management—has generated more than $4.5 billion in land sales in the Las Vegas Valley, fueling 20 rounds of financing for projects that improve public lands in Nevada, the Lake Tahoe Basin, and areas in Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. The program supported the development of parks, trails and protected areas; capital improvements; multispecies habitat conservation plans; acquisition of ecologically sensitive lands; and efforts to reduce hazardous fuels in the Spring Mountains, Carson Range and Lake Tahoe. Additionally, 5% of SNPLMA’s revenue supports the Nevada General Education Fund, while 10% is distributed to the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
The following is a list of approved funds by category in 2024:
| Expenditure category | projects | Total funding |
| Environmentally sensitive land acquisitions | 1 | $335,045 |
| Capital improvements | 5 | $32,376,753 |
| Plan for the protection of multispecies habitats | 3 | $4,098,664 |
| Parks, trails and natural areas | 14 | $235,255,466 |
| Conservation initiatives | 5 | $23,008,916 |
| Eastern Nevada Landscape Restoration Project | 2 | $4,836,638 |
| Reducing hazardous fuels and forest fire prevention | 6 | $25,701,259 |
| Total per category | 36 | $325,612,741 |
| Special account reserve | $50,000,000 | |
| Round 20 total funding | $375,612,741 | |
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