Red Rock backdrop for stop by Salazar

WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will use Red Rock Canyon as a backdrop on Saturday to announce stimulus projects on public lands across the West, his office confirmed Tuesday.

Salazar will visit Southern Nevada to announce the Bureau of Land Management's share of funding from the $787 billion economic recovery package, Interior Department spokesman Frank Quimby said.

The event will be held at the Red Rock visitor center at a time yet to be determined, Quimby said.

He said Salazar is expected to make other stops during a daylong trip to the area, but his schedule was uncertain Tuesday.

Salazar has been traveling the West to deliver news about stimulus funding over the past several weeks.

In Montana this week, he announced $280 million in stimulus funding for wildlife refuges; in North Dakota, he distributed $500 million to Indian tribes. He previously traveled to California to announce funding for water projects and geological research.

"Now it is BLM's turn," Quimby said.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Salazar will announce "a ton of money" for the BLM. Interior officials could not detail how much funding will be distributed.