Copyright 2000 The Seattle Times Company
The
Seattle Times
June 21, 2000, Wednesday Final Edition
SECTION: OPINION; Pg. B7
LENGTH: 891 words
HEADLINE: A
commitment to conservation
BYLINE: Don
Bonker, Rod Chandler; Special to The Times
BODY:
THERE are things that bind Americans. Things we
all relate to and care deeply about. Most of these take root in our childhood
and become memories we hold onto as we grow. A Little League game in the summer.
The vastness of an ocean beach. And space. Lots and lots of open space. Among
the things we cherish about the Northwest is open space.
Be it an urban park
with abundant soccer fields and tennis courts, the nearby forest we hiked in
with our parents, a quiet place to rest near a river, or the vastness of an
ocean beach, we welcome the scenery and tranquility of a natural setting and
value the quality of life it represents. We Americans care deeply about that
space. We also want our children to enjoy and appreciate the spectacular beauty
of the Northwest so they can share our memories of growing up here. It is part
of what defines this country.
It is time to give these spaces the
recognition they deserve.
As lawmakers, we were challenged to protect our
scenic areas without adding to the tax burden or resorting to mandated actions
that infringed on the rights of private citizens.
And there is an effort to
do just that on Capitol Hill today through the Conservation and
Reinvestment Act (CARA). CARA represents a recommitment to full and
permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF), which was established in 1965 by Congress as a permanent revenue source
for wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation.
Money
from the fund comes from revenues paid to the federal government for offshore
oil and gas leases. The idea was to reinvest some of the proceeds from this
development back into communities and the natural environment for future
generations to enjoy.
In fact, some of Washington's "crown jewel" natural
areas were created in part with LWCF funding. These include North Cascades
National Park, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the Mount Si
Conservation Area, and the Nisqually and Grays Harbor national
wildlife refuges.
When we first came to Congress, the LWCF had been quietly
doing its job for years. However, like many other federal trust funds, Congress
over the years diverted money for the LWCF to other purposes.
A host of our
greatest landmarks and treasured places came into being with help from the fund
- Green Lake and Gas Works Park in Seattle, Riverside Park in Spokane, Coulon
Park in Renton, and countless other state and local parks, trails, public
beaches, wildlife refuges and community swimming pools.
Several weeks ago,
the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would protect and
strengthen this incredibly important fund - by a huge majority of 315-102. That
margin represents a remarkable achievement, showing that Republicans and
Democrats can work together to develop a shared vision for protecting wildlife
habitat and human quality of life.
The bill re-authorizes the fund at its
full level of $900 million per year. It also dedicates another
$1.9 billion each year to federal, state, local, and tribal
agencies for a variety of important outdoor recreation and
conservation programs. These include wildlife
conservation and restoration, environmental assistance for
coastal states, historic preservation, urban park restoration, endangered
species recovery, conservation easements on private lands, and
"in-lieu-of" tax payments to timber-dependent local communities. The first year
after passage of this legislation, Washington state would receive almost
$55 million - some for federal projects, most for state and
local park and conservation programs.
And it is worth
noting that all the money for this bill comes from existing federal royalties on
offshore oil and gas profits - not from new or existing taxes.
What does
more money for resource conservation mean for all of us? It
means better parks and open spaces in our state's urban areas, which are coming
under increasing pressure from growth. It means preserving our historic sites
and natural areas. It means protecting our endangered coastlines. It means
conserving wildlife and endangered species. And it means protecting our national
parks, which are coming under the dual strains of underfunding and overuse.
We don't serve in Congress anymore, but we know what a critical opportunity
this is for the state we represented. We care about the quality of life in
Washington, and we care about those things that bind Washingtonians together -
experiencing a clean Puget Sound, hiking in the forest, watching the growth of
vibrant, healthy communities, going with children to local parks. The time has
come to protect the very important Land and Water Conservation
Fund through early passage of CARA.
Absent any new funding initiatives,
these amenities are possible because of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund. The legislation that will do all this is now
in the Senate, which we hope will follow the lead of the House and make this
legislation a reality this summer.
Please let our senators know how
important this program is for our state and future generations. CARA may be our
last opportunity to preserve the great natural heritage of our state.
Democrat Don Bonker was the representative from Washington's 3rd
Congressional District for 14 years. Republican Rod Chandler was the
representative for the 8th Congressional District for 10 years.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO; Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle
Times: The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is one of several local scenic
areas funded in part by the LWCF.
LOAD-DATE: June 22,
2000 
