{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fong.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-fong-helps-facilitate-wildlife-conservation-efforts-indian-wells", "Congressman Fong Helps Facilitate Wildlife Conservation Efforts in Indian Wells Valley", "2025-08-11", "2025", "2025-08", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Vince Fong", "F000480", "fong.house.gov", "fong", "https://fong.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "RIDGECREST, Calif. \u2013 Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) is celebrating a new agreement between the Ridgecrest chapter of Quail Forever and the Bureau of Land Management that allows local volunteers to help maintain critical wildlife water sources on public lands in the Indian Wells Valley. These water collection systems, known as \u201cguzzlers,\u201d provide critical hydration for quail and other wildlife in the surrounding desert. Over time, many have fallen into disrepair due to limited access and regulatory hurdles.\n\nWhen the local volunteer group, Quail Forever, approached Congressman Fong about taking on their maintenance, he worked to establish a partnership between the organization and the Bureau of Land Management. Their agreement authorizes Quail Forever to restore and maintain guzzlers located on Bureau-managed land within the Ridgecrest Field Office area (outside of designated wilderness zones) at no cost to taxpayers.\n\n\u201cThese areas are essential lifelines for desert wildlife in the Mojave Desert, especially during periods of drought,\u201d said Congressman Fong. \u201cThis agreement is a commonsense, community-driven solution that ensures these areas are maintained by those who know the land best \u2013 local volunteers and residents. I\u2019m honored to have helped bring the right people together to get this done \u2013 which wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the outstanding support of the Trump Administration.\u201d\n\nNow, thanks to this new agreement, Quail Forever can immediately begin resupplying water in the area and take steps to restore infrastructure over time, bolstering wildlife populations across the region.\n\n\u201cI would like to thank Congressman Fong for his personal and effective efforts in allowing locally based conservation clubs to access and maintain critical wildlife habitat in the Indian Wells Valley,\u201d said Stu Witt, Ridgecrest resident and owner of S.O. Witt and Associates. \u201cCongressman Fong helped foster discussions between Quail Forever and the Bureau of Land Management. An agreement was recently reached, and our wildlife populations will be stronger as a result. The Trump Administration is making a positive impact in our community.\u201d\n\nCongressman Fong remains committed to fostering collaborative partnerships that address local needs and deliver tangible results across our communities.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:57:50Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fong.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-fong-helps-facilitate-wildlife-conservation-efforts-indian-wells"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4503700658679008, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}