FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2006
Funding for Land Conservation Scarce in U.S. House Interior Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Proposed funding for land conservation hit an historic low with the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s passage May 10 of its 2007 federal funding bill for public lands and conservation programs. The bill provides only $9.3 million nationwide for the Forest Legacy Program, down from typical funding levels of closer to $70 million, and only $26.8 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The Administration had requested $61 million for Forest Legacy, and participating states requested more than $200 million to support 91 Forest Legacy projects across the nation. Since its inception in 1994, the Forest Legacy Program has helped protect millions of acres of forestland from being subdivided and developed.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) promises to provide up to $900 million annually from offshore oil drilling revenues to local outdoor recreation and conservation projects, and to help purchase land for national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. This program has helped conserve more than 7 million acres of open space nationwide. Despite the significant level of funding authorized for the program, the House bill zeroes out matching LWCF grants for states and towns, and drops funding for new federal lands to $26.8 million nationwide through the federal LWCF program, leaving hundreds of worthy conservation and recreation projects unfunded.
“Without significant funding for programs like Forest Legacy and LWCF, many of our beloved lakeshores, hiking trails, mountains and community greenways will be lost to sprawl,” said Susan Arnold, director of conservation for the Appalachian Mountain Club. “For decades, the federal government has maintained a strong commitment to providing safe, healthy parks and conserving forestland for the public good. We need this investment to continue.”
Many special places in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic seeking conservation funding through the Forest Legacy and LWCF programs are at immediate risk of being developed. These places include:
- Sparta Mountain South – 3,800 acres located in Sussex County, New Jersey. Currently $2.1 million is sought from Forest Legacy funds to augment 1,200 acres that were funded by the Forest Legacy Program in FY06. Sparta Mountain is a key link to connecting the 1200-acre Gerard Woods, 3200-acre Sparta Mountain and 1300-acre Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Areas on its north end the Allamuchy State Park on its south end.
- Skiff Mountain- 510 acres on eight parcels in the northwestern Connecticut towns of Kent and Sharon, in an area that faces intense large-lot development pressures. Currently $1.22 million is sought from Forest Legacy funds to protect this area. This request represents Phase II as $1.2 million in FY06 Forest Legacy funding placed an easement on 427 additional acres.
- Grafton Notch Forest - The Grafton Notch project in Maine - top ranked in the President's budget - seeks $2 million in Forest Legacy Funds to facilitate state acquisition of 3,688 acres on the slopes of 4,180-foot Old Speck, one of Maine's highest peaks. This critical parcel abuts rugged Mahoosuc Notch, the most challenging and famed section of the Appalachian Trail, and will protect nine miles of the new Grafton Loop Trail (recently constructed by the state and conservation partners, including AMC).
Good news in the bill included an initial $1 million in funding for land conservation projects under the Highlands Conservation Act (HCA). This is the first time Congress has proposed funding the HCA. Projects in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Massachusetts also fared well:
- $300,000 in Forest Legacy funds for the Birdsboro Waters Project in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Protection of Birdsboro Waters would place 1,840 acres under conservation easement, helping to protect one of the largest parcels of interior forest remaining in southeastern Pennsylvania.
- $3 million through the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Silvio Conte National Wildlife Refuge with parcels of critical importance available in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
- $3 million from Forest Legacy for the Robb Reservoir project. The Robb Reservoir project seeks to conserve 2,031 acres of some of the most ecologically diverse lands in northern New England. At least 117 species of birds dependent upon the Willard Pond watershed have been tallied in recent years. The Contoocook River, which runs into the Willard Pond watershed, possesses one of the most popular whitewater runs in New England.
- $2.5 million for the Southern Monadnock Plateau project in Massachusetts focused on the protection of large tracts of forested land on the eastern edge of the Monadnock Plateau that is home to the Mid-State Trail, a popular trail for hiking enthusiasts in the region.
“Birdsboro Waters is a critical conservation project and we are so pleased that it is included in the Committee’s bill,” said Molly Morrison, President of Natural Lands Trust, a regional non-profit conservation organization that has been working to preserve the Birdsboro property. “Federal support through this appropriation, in combination with grant funds from the state of Pennsylvania, will allow this property to be preserved” Morrison continued. “Clearly public officials from Gov. Rendell to Congressman Jim Gerlach share our passion for preserving outstanding natural, scenic and recreational resources.”
"We are very pleased that the House has included significant funding for the Conte Refuge. The Forest Society is working with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on refuge projects in Columbia and Colebrook, N.H., where demand for second-home and recreational lots has dramatically increased. Additional Conte Refuge funding in the next federal budget would make an important and lasting difference in this unique area." said Paul Doscher of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
“We hope to see significantly higher funding in the Senate version of the Interior Appropriations Bill, both for these critical land conservation programs, and for individual projects seeking funding,” said Arnold. AMC will be encouraging its members to urge legislators to support increased funding for these important conservation projects, she said. The organization will also be supporting these efforts via its Conservation Action Network at www.outdoors.org/conservation.
The Senate is expected to begin deliberations on the Interior Appropriations bill in early June.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region.
For more details on land conservation projects, visit: www.outdoors.org or highlandscoalition.org.
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