Military Truce Produces Wildlife Refuge in Korea?

Back to Map Page August 1999 Full and Permanent Support Proposed for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Washington, D.C. Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is being discussed again in Congress this summer. If you are unfamiliar with the LWCF, you are not alone. Few Americans even know about the program, even though it should, in theory, provide $900 million in environmentally-oriented money every year. Although the money is legally authorized to the fund, Congress has diverted as much as 2/3 to 3/4 of the money to other purposes in recent years. Underfunding of the LWCF has been especially severe since the 1980s, as environmental conservation has come under attack in Congress. This summer a bill has been introduced to provide permanent annual funding of the LWCF, rather than allowing the fund to remain subject to the volatile whims of the Congress. "Resources 2000" is the title given to the bill, sponsored by California Senator Barbara Boxer (D) and Representative George Miller (D). The purpose of the bill is to establish full and permanent funding for the LWCF, legally providing the fund with the money authorized to it when it was created in 1964.   The Land and Water Conservation Fund is used to purchase recreation areas and conservation lands. The LWCF is a conservation fund established in 1964 and paid for primarily with a portion of the more than $3 billion earned each year from offshore oil and gas leases. Since the 1980s Congress has allocated only about $250 million per year of the authorized $900 million, even though offshore lease income during those years peaked as high as $10 billion. The Resources 2000 bill proposes that half the $900 million be spent on federal land acquisition and management. This money could be used to fund protection of the Everglades as well as establishing and extending national parks and and wildlife refuges and supporting better management for existing public lands. The other half of the $900 million would be available to assist in state and local conservation projects, such as state parks, playgrounds, habitat restoration projects, and endangered species conservation. Despite chronic underfunding, the LWCF has purchased or helped to purchase some 7 million acres of parks, water resources, and habitat areas. It has also funded more than 37,000 local and state recreation and conservation projects. One organization that is pushing to strengthen the LWCF is Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation. See their web site, below, for further information on what you can do to help. To read more, see Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 5th ed. Historic roots of nature protection; conservation: p. 5-6 Wildlife refuges: p. 332-34 Parks and nature preserves: p. 318-20 Environmental Science, a Study of Interrelationships, Enger and Smith, 7th ed. Use of public lands for outdoor recreation: p. 226-27 Areas with minimal human impact: wilderness and remote areas: p. 196-97 How to write your elected officials: p. 414 For further information, see these related web sites: Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation web site US Bureau of Reclamation LWCF page Sierra Club news Back to Map Page feedback form | permissions | international | locate your campus rep | request a review copy digital solutions | publish with us | customer service | mhhe home Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of the The McGraw-Hill Companies.