The Land and Water Conservation Fund

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Urge your Senator to cosponsor S. 1265, introduced by Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), and original co-sponsors Sens. Baucus (D-MT), Tester (D-MT), Wyden (D-OR) and Udall (D-CO), if they haven’t already. Urge your Senator to sign on as a cosponsor to ensure full and dedicated funding for LWCF. Senate offices can be reached at 202-224-3121. Contact your Senator and let them know you want them to fully fund the LWCF. Use our talking points for guidance.

It is critical that trails organizations and hikers reach out to their Congressional Delegation and the Administration thanking them for their support for LWCF full funding and encouraging them to continue to "fight" for America's unique wild places, critters, trails, watersheds and the local economies which are fueled by conservation and recreation.

Background

In 1965, Congress passed what was to be one of the most promising environmental programs of the century, the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Although a quiet program, the LWCF has been responsible for the acquisition of almost seven million acres of parkland and open space, and the development of more than 37,000 parks and recreation projects. Find out how LWCF funding has benefited your favorite trail, landscape or community, and check out this interactive map from The Nature Conservancy for more information. This program has paid for two major segments of the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail, plus funded hundreds of local trail projects including the Auburn-Mt Apatite Trails in Maine, Farmview Park Trail in Georgia, Westwood Trail in Colorado, and the Florida Canyon Trail in California. Despite far-reaching successes, LWCF has been sorely underfunded, practically from its inception.

How the LWCF Works

LWCF balances the extraction and sale of federal natural resources – offshore oil and gas – with the permanent protection of important lands and waters and access to recreation for all Americans.

The LWCF is supposed to receive $900 million each year, to be taken from royalties of offshore oil and gas leases which can exceed $6 billion annually. Therefore, money is already accounted for and costs taxpayers nothing. This $900 million, however, rarely makes it to the ground. Congress must still appropriate the funds. Since 1980, it has chosen to direct large chunks of that money (totaling over $17 billion) to reduction of the deficit and other congressional priorities.

By law, at least forty percent of the authorized money (or $360 million) is to be dedicated to purchasing federal lands. Congress divides that money between four federal agencies: National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. The remainder of the funds (sixty percent, or $540 million) is to be distributed among qualifying states. States are not restricted to spending LWCF money just on land acquisition. They can also apply the money to development and improvement of outdoor recreation areas. In the past, ninety percent of the money actually appropriated by Congress has gone to the federal side and only ten percent to the state and local sectors.

On the federal side of the LWCF, acquisition projects are chosen through an acquisition priority system. This system is administered according to criteria such as resource values and proximity to cities. Each of the federal agencies is then able to add bonus points to lands that they feel are important, but otherwise would not have been a priority.

AHS Positions

American Hiking fully supports Title IV, Section 403 of the CLEAR Act, as it would provide permanent dedicated funding for the LWCF. Despite being law for more than four decades, the LWCF has only been fully funded once since its inception. As a result, only half the oil and gas receipts that are supposed to fund vital land and water conservation and recreation work have gone to their intended purpose. This provision would ensure that the original promise of a small portion of revenues generated by oil drilling is put back into work that benefits communities, ecosystems, and economies. Additionally, we strongly support Section 207 and the guaranteeing of funds for the Historic Preservation and the Ocean Resources Conservation and Assistance Funds.

Historically, the LWCF has played a major role in protecting trail lands for trails throughout our nation. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail has become one of the most popular natural recreational resources in the United States, providing camping, bird watching, and miles of hiking. In addition to the Appalachian Trail, LWCF has also contributed to the federal ownership of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. This rugged pathway runs through the deserts of southern California, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington, providing much the same services as the Appalachian Trial with a western flair.

If Congress appropriates permanent, full funding for the LWCF, trailways throughout the United States would benefit from long-term preservation and additional lands. Hikers would, hence, be introduced to a variety of new terrain and quality experiences. Therefore, American Hiking believes that supporting and advocating for this fund is in the best interest of AHS Alliance members, AHS members, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts throughout the United States.

Legislation currently in Congress: