Land and Water Conservation Fund

Land and Water Conservation Fund Land and Water Conservation Fund Supporting Community Recreation Land and Water Conservation Fund Goals How it Works Funding Key Supporters …local parks and open spaces are as significant to communities as national parks to the nation Fran Mainella NPS Director LWCF Program Goals State and local: -park development -recreation facility development -open space acquisition Statewide recreation planning “to strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the United States…” - Public Law 88-578 How it Works…1 fund, 2 programs Federal Side: land acquisition for BLM, NPS, USFS, and USFWS State Side: matching grants to states for statewide recreation planning, acquisition and development State Matching Grant Program Acquire land for parks and recreation Build or improve recreation facilities Promote statewide recreation planning LWCF: 3 Key Provisions Funds allocated to States proportionally States select projects based on SCORP Protection in perpetuity —Section 6(f)(3) SCORP: achieving statewide goals …one project at a time Statewide goals for outdoor recreation Criteria for project selection Select individual projects Land and Water is Everywhere 40 years…40,000 Projects 1400 parks since 2000 2.5 million acres total Almost every county in the US $3.4 billion granted/$3.4 billion matched $6.8 billion total investment Supporting Local Recreation “I got my first hit at a park supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.” Supporting Local Recreation Fund Uses Sports and Playfields Trails and Bikepaths Fishing and Hunting Boating / Swimming facilities Camping facilities …and more! Supporting Local Recreation …More Uses Community Gardens Accessibility Improvements Winter Sports facilities Park Support facilities Many other eligible uses Supporting Local Recreation Ineligible Fund Uses Primarily tourist or specator-oriented Professional sports facilities Indoor recreation facilities Commercial entertainment Accessing Funding Contact State Liaison Officer Arrange for funding match Create local awareness Accessing Funding www.nps.gov/lwcf Key National Supporters Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation (www.ahrinfo.org) National Recreation and Park Association (www.nrpa.org) Land and Water Conservation Fund Recent Funding History $40 million 2000 $89 million 2001 $140 million 2002 $94 million 2003 $91 million 2004 …strongly supported by President Bush. Questions? Contact: