Outdoor Industry Association joined recreation and conservation organizations from across the country in thanking the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee for passing legislation that will provide dedicated funding for land conservation and outdoor recreation.
Under the leadership of Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV), the committee approved the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2009 (CLEAR Act, HR 3534) and included a provision that would annually fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at its authorized level of $900 million. At that level, the program will be able to proactively address backlogged conservation and recreation needs at the local, state and federal level. Weakening amendments were decisively rejected thanks to the efforts of Chairman Rahall and the support of many conservation leaders on the committee.
LWCF is supposed to receive $900 million per year, but each year Congress has diverted much of the revenue to other purposes. Full funding has been appropriated only once in the 45-year history of the LWCF, and recently declined to a low of $138 million in 2007. This shortfall has resulted in a land protection and outdoor recreation backlog of unmet funding needs across our National Forests, Fish and Wildlife Refuges, National Parks and other public lands, federal public lands, and state and local parks.
In spite of rarely receiving its due, LWCF has been instrumental in the conservation of everything from local parks to greenbelts to national wildlife refuges.
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