Associated Press - July 8, 2009 8:14 AM ET

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, says the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved funding for a program set to play a critical role in his plan to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands.

In a statement, Crapo said the committee approved $300,000 in spending for the establishment and operation of the Rangeland Ecosystems Dynamics Program in fiscal year 2010.

Crapo says the University of Idaho will operate the program, concentrating on rangeland management issues in southwest Idaho's Owyhee County.

In March, President Obama signed a comprehensive public lands bill that included Crapo's legislation to set aside 517,000 acres of the Owyhee canyons as wilderness.

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