Land and Water Conservation Fund

Congress Appropriates Funds for Important Land & Water Conservation projects.

Congress recently voted to appropriate $322 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect clean water, wildlife habitats, and open space in rural and urban communities in 2012 reflecting the diverse, bipartisan outcry from across the country in support of the LWCF.

This is $20 million more than was made available last year and it comes at a time of fiscal crisis and congressional budget cuts.

About LWCF

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state assistance and federal lands project grants have been a crucial support for state and local park expansions and for developing recreational facilities.

Across Arizona these state assistance grants have benefited 726 community parks projects providing over $58 million to match with state and local funds. This includes trails, baseball fields, better lighting in parks, heritage parks, and pools. These kinds of improvements to our communities are an important part of ensuring our natural, cultural and recreation heritage.

(For more information refer to attached list.)
The LWCF was created by Congress in 1965 and is authorized to receive $900 million annually in federal revenues from oil and gas leasing of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).  It makes good economic sense to reinvest a small fraction of these federal leasing revenues in permanent natural resource protection.

Unfortunately, the LWCF program has received full funding only once in its history and in recent years has steadily declined to a low in appropriated funding of $155 million in 2008.

FEDERAL LANDS PROJECT GRANTS – LWCF
In addition to the state assistance grants LWCF grants funding for federal projects.  Below are the Arizona project grants that have been made. Those projects without dollar amounts have not yet been funded.

HUBBELL $387,097 NPS
MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT $25,000 NPS
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK $1,854,022 NPS
GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA $176,257 NPS

HOHOKAM $59,796 NPS
SAGUARO $6,970,730 NPS
CHIRICAHUA $277,627 NPS
CORONADO $3,115,626 NPS
FT BOWIE $81,593 NPS
CANYON DE CHELLY NPS
CASA GRANDE RUINS NPS
NAVAJO NPS
ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NPS
PETRIFIED FOREST NPS
PIPE SPRING NPS
SUNSET CRATER VOLC NPS
TONTO  NPS
TUMACACORI  NPS
TUZIGOOT  NPS
WALNUT CANYON  NPS
WUPATKI  NPS
LAKE MEAD $7,484,695 NPS