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Forestry council seeks funds to purchase Tafuna forest
Wednesday,
April 30, 2008
The American Samoa Forestry Advisory Council is seeking a Fono appropriation to pay the 25 % local the Tafuna lowland rainforest from the Haleck family.
Chairperson Imo Tiapula said in a letter to the Senate President that the Land Grant Forestry Department has received $994,000 from the US Department of Agriculture Forest Legacy Program for the acquisition. However ASG must come up with a 25 % match, which amounts to nearly $249,000. Tiapula said preserving the land would be beneficial for the territory and funds are needed to purchase the land. He urged that a bill to provide funding must be enacted in timely manner or the funds would be withdrawn. He said some of the funds from the Forest Legacy program were approved in 2006 so it has been several years without any action taken to reach a formal agreement for acquisition of the Haleck property.
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