$2 Million Pentagon Grant To Benefit Nevada Sage Grouse

(AP) - State and federal land managers working to keep the greater sage grouse off the list of endangered species have secured a $2 million grant from the Pentagon to help finance habitat restoration beneath thousands of square miles of U.S. Navy training airspace in Nevada.

Officials for the Nevada Department of Wildlife and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service tell The Associated Press the money has been approved by the Defense Department's Military Services' Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program.

Gov. Brian Sandoval says the unique partnership between the military and a host of environmental partners is the first of its kind in Nevada.

The money will leverage an additional $2 million in matching funds to help restore more than 11,000 acres of prime sage grouse habitat under airspace controlled by the Fallon Naval Air Station.