Politics & Government

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BLM Gives $500k To Andrus Center To Find Rangeland Wildfire Solutions

Boise State Public Radio News | By Frankie Barnhill

Published December 9, 2015 at 12:10 PM MST

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has awarded the Andrus Center for Public Policy $500,000 to host a series of workshops about rangeland wildfire with officials from all levels of government across the West. The workshops will try and figure out the best ways to reduce the size and severity of costly wildfires.

Part of the grant money will be used to focus on land conservation and rehab after big fires. Boise State University public policy professor John Freemuth will head up the project.

In 2015, the BLM spent $263 million on fire suppression. The majority of those fires were in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, California, Oregon and Washington.

The grant comes under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, which was implemented while the center's namesake, Cecil Andrus, was secretary of the Interior Department.

Follow reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill

BLM Gives $500k To Andrus Center To Find Rangeland Wildfire Solutions

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