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LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUNDThe Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been used to buy land to preserve wilderness, create parks, and protect trails for the last forty years. It is one of the most important conservation tools ever designed. LWCF provides and protect hiking opportunities nationwide through federal land acquisition and state recreation grants. Through the LCWF, more than 40,000 local and state park, recreation, and conservation projects have been completed in virtually every county across the US. WHAT'S "THE FUND" AND WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH HIKING?The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was created in 1964 to secure more open space and enhance outdoor recreation for Americans.There are two parts to the Fund, the federal LWCF program and the stateside LWCF program and . The federal LWCF program helps federal agencies like the National Park Service, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management acquire land for parks, trails, forests, and other areas, many of which offer prime outdoor recreation opportunities. The stateside LWCF program helps state governments develop their outdoor recreation and open space resources. It is a critical source of funding for close-to-home parks and recreation areas. WHY DOES THE FUND NEED SUPPORT FROM YOU?Though the Fund automatically gets hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty fees that energy companies pay to the government, the money only goes to open space and outdoor recreation if the President asks for it and Congress decides to spend it!This year, the President asked for an outrageous amount of money for the Fund’s stateside program -- $0 and only $57 million for the federal program. American Hiking believes the fiscal year 2008 spending bills should include at least $220 million for federal LWCF and $125 million for stateside LWCF. BACKGROUNDThe Land and Water Conservation Fund is a visionary and bipartisan program, established by Congress in 1964 to create parks and open spaces, protect wilderness, wetlands, and refuges, preserve wildlife habitat, and enhance recreational opportunities. The LWCF has been responsible for the development of more than 6,000 trails across America.LWCF is funded by oil and gas revenues from offshore coast drilling (OCS receipts). During the past few years, the government has taken in more than enough in receipts to fully fund both the federal and state sides of the LWCF. LWCF is authorized at $900 million annually, but the majority of LWCF funds have been diverted to other programs. Hiker's Info Center || Trail Conservation & Policy || Events & Volunteer Opportunities |
