Nebraska Bird Partnership

Creating flexible federal conservation programs allowing local people to solve local problems was just one of many issues discussed on Monday in Grand Island at America's Great Outdoors Initiative.  More than 200 people attended the listening session, where representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior and other federal agencies gathered comments on conservation, recreation and other outdoors issues.

Robert Bonnie, a senior adviser to the secretary of agriculture, said the meeting is a result of an White House conference in April on America's Great Outdoors. At the conference, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with the great outdoors.

Read more about the Great Outdoors Initiative discussions from the Grand Island Independent.