WASHINGTON - Haleakala National Park is receiving $1.2 million to contain and reduce the number of invasive weeds in the park as part of the National Park Centennial Challenge 2009.
The program has the National Park Service matching contributions from park partners for conservation, preservation and recreation. On Maui, the Maui Invasive Species Committee is contributing $600,000 to be matched by the federal program.
The money will be used for staff, tools, plant propagation supplies, weed control supplies, logistics and personal protective equipment. The work also involves restoring rare and endangered plants.
Nationally, $27 million will be invested in the National Park Centennial Challenge this year, with $10.5 million from the federal government combined with $16.5 million from private sources.
President George W. Bush launched the program in 2006, as a 10-year effort to prepare national parks for the National Park Service's 100th anniversary in 2016.
