Dear Senator:

As you consider the Interior Appropriations Conference Report this week, we urge you to take a closer look at the Land Conservation, Preservation and Infrastructure Improvement Trust. We applaud the Interior subcommittee for providing significant new funding for conservation programs. However, we believe the Trust is not a substitute for the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA).

There are two major shortfalls with the Land Conservation, Preservation and Infrastructure Improvement Trust:

• State funding is missing. The Trust does not deliver on a core value of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) -- bringing dollars to the states for conservation programs. In fact, state programs are left almost entirely out of the funding mix. State land and water, fish and wildlife, and coastal programs all suffer
• Funding isn't guaranteed. The Trust guarantees no funding for future years, and does not even lay down baseline funding levels for qualifying programs. CARA does guarantee funding, making good on the promise made by Congress when the Land and Water Conservation Fund was created - that receipts from offshore oil drilling would be spent on conservation programs.
• State programs are key to this equation. The governors and state departments of natural resources have been integral to bringing this conservation initiative this far. Moreover, less leisure time and the urbanization of our society mean that communities need recreation opportunities closer to home. The need for conservation and recreation programs at the state level is clear.

ORCA-the 1100-member trade association of the outdoor industry, urges you to support efforts to pass legislation like CARA this year, guaranteeing funding and providing significant dollars to states.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. If you have questions, do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Francis K. Hugelmeyer
President

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