By Nick Gevock
Think of Montana without many of our city parks, ball fields, swimming pools and playgrounds.
Think of Montana without many of our city parks, ball fields, swimming pools and playgrounds.
Imagine looking at thousands of acres of public land that
teems with fish and wildlife, but being unable to get to it to hunt and fish.
And try this one – picture Montana without more than
two-thirds of its fishing access sites on our world-class trout streams.
All of this would be reality today if Congress hadn’t had
the foresight 50 years ago to create the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The
program was based on a simply concept: a small portion of the royalties from
offshore oil and gas leases would be set aside to fund important conservation
projects. The program has been vital throughout the country, funding public
land accesses, forest conservation projects and city parks, among others. There
is hardly a county in the United States that hasn’t benefited from LWCF.
The breadth of
LWCF projects is amazing. It has preserved not only special natural areas, but
also key parts of our national history and culture, including historic
battlefields and key other sites. On its 50th birthday,
it’s important to look at all LWCF has done for our country. An excellent
report is available here: http://bit.ly/LWCF50
Montana has been among the bigger winners. Throughout the
five decades the Treasure State has received more than $430 million in LWCF
funds. It has helped preserve working forests that faced the threat of
development, opened access to thousands of acres of public land that offers
superb elk and deer hunting, and built numerous parks.
The statistic that’s most telling is LWCF’s role in
developing our system of fishing access sites. A full 70 percent of the sites
in Montana have been partially funded with LWCF dollars. These are key points
that allow anglers, floaters and recreationists to get onto our rivers, streams
and lakes. These are among Montana’s most special places and they’re important
not just for sportsmen and sportswomen, but all Montanans. They’re places where
people are just as likely to go for a picnic as a day of fishing or floating.
For all its success, LWCF has never fully lived up to its
potential. That’s because the fund is authorized for up to $900 million per
year, but in fact has only once in its 50 year history been fully funded.
Congress has used the money for other purposes, and that’s a shame, because
these places are important throughout the country for all Americans.
The current threat for LWCF is even worse. The program
expires this year unless Congress renews it. And in this era of deficits,
that’s possible unless conservation leaders speak out to members of Congress
and urge them to keep this vital program alive.
Just think of Montana without these public resources. What
would it be like to not spend spring days on a stream fly fishing, summer days
floating and fall days pursuing Montana’s big game? How sad would it be to not
have that neighborhood park down the street to take your children and
grandchildren?
The next generation deserves the tools to make these
investments in our communities, our state and our country, just as we have.
It’s time to raise our voices and ensure that LWCF gets renewed.