Conservationists Support Funding for Land Legacy Program

Conservationists Support Funding for Land Legacy Program

Defenders and other conservation groups are negotiating with congressional sponsors of a plan that would provide funding for the Clinton Administration's historic $1 billion Land Legacy initiative to protect wildlife habitat, coastal and marine ecosystems, historic sites and public lands.
"For the first time in decades, we not only have a budget surplus but also a growing bipartisan belief that we should use some of this money to protect our land and wildlife," said Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen. "The challenge is to ensure that Congress provides permanent funding."
Objectives of Clinton's Land Legacy initiative include funding for federal land acquisition, easements for farms, forests and ranches to offset development and the funding of comprehensive state conservation plans to preserve nongame species before they become endangered.
Conservationists are pushing for the Resources 2000 legislation offered by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Rep. George Miller (D-California) because it is the only plan that would create a permanent funding source for public land acquisition while excluding incentives for offshore oil and gas exploration and development. This legislation also would fund habitat conservation and private landowner incentives to promote species recovery.
The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), proposed by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), also provides funding for wildlife programs, but conservationists contend it would encourage offshore drilling and other environmentally destructive activities.
The proposals both promise to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which finances the federal purchases of land and water areas for recreation and conservation. Created by Congress in 1965, LWCF was to be supported primarily through fees paid by off-shore drilling companies at an annual rate of approximately $900 million. Congress has made a habit of diverting the funds to other projects, resulting in an estimated $10 billion to $12 billion backlog of projects.
Defenders and others recently released a report that profiled some of the spots that could be preserved, such as the Big Sur coastline, North Carolina's Outer Banks and Florida's Everglades. Defenders also enlisted 17 prominent scientists to sign on to a letter to Vice President Al Gore and members of Congress in April that called for strong, permanently funded conservation legislation.
"Scientists have agreed that threats to the Earth's natural heritage are on a scale that could not have been imagined 50 years ago," said Defenders Vice President for Program Mark Shaffer. "Vice President Gore and the Clinton Administration are calling for a major national movement to address these threats, and the legislation we've supported is the best means of implementing that vision."
--Heidi Ridgley

	Conservationists Support Funding for Land Legacy Program
	Defenders and other conservation groups are negotiating with congressional sponsors of a plan that would provide funding for the Clinton Administration's historic $1 billion Land Legacy initiative to protect wildlife habitat, coastal and marine ecosystems, historic sites and public lands. "For the first time in decades, we not only have a budget surplus but also a growing bipartisan belief that we should use some of this money to protect our land and wildlife," said Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen. "The challenge is to ensure that Congress provides permanent funding." Objectives of Clinton's Land Legacy initiative include funding for federal land acquisition, easements for farms, forests and ranches to offset development and the funding of comprehensive state conservation plans to preserve nongame species before they become endangered. Conservationists are pushing for the Resources 2000 legislation offered by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Rep. George Miller (D-California) because it is the only plan that would create a permanent funding source for public land acquisition while excluding incentives for offshore oil and gas exploration and development. This legislation also would fund habitat conservation and private landowner incentives to promote species recovery. The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), proposed by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), also provides funding for wildlife programs, but conservationists contend it would encourage offshore drilling and other environmentally destructive activities. The proposals both promise to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which finances the federal purchases of land and water areas for recreation and conservation. Created by Congress in 1965, LWCF was to be supported primarily through fees paid by off-shore drilling companies at an annual rate of approximately $900 million. Congress has made a habit of diverting the funds to other projects, resulting in an estimated $10 billion to $12 billion backlog of projects. Defenders and others recently released a report that profiled some of the spots that could be preserved, such as the Big Sur coastline, North Carolina's Outer Banks and Florida's Everglades. Defenders also enlisted 17 prominent scientists to sign on to a letter to Vice President Al Gore and members of Congress in April that called for strong, permanently funded conservation legislation. "Scientists have agreed that threats to the Earth's natural heritage are on a scale that could not have been imagined 50 years ago," said Defenders Vice President for Program Mark Shaffer. "Vice President Gore and the Clinton Administration are calling for a major national movement to address these threats, and the legislation we've supported is the best means of implementing that vision." --Heidi Ridgley