Most Utahns have never heard of the 1965 federal law that created the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

But if they visit a state, county or city park, chances are they have enjoyed a facility or open space purchased with money that’s come from it. Places such as Sugar House Park, Bear Lake’s Rendezvous Beach, the Jordan River Parkway and Murray Park are part of the act’s legacy.

That’s why many parks and recreation managers in Utah are happy that President Barack Obama made the fund a priority when announcing the goals of his America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.

“To help set aside land for conservation and to promote recreation, we’re proposing to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, for only the third time in our history,” the president said in a White House speech. “And we’re intending to pay for it with existing oil and gas revenues, because our attitude is if you take something out of the earth, you have a responsibility to give a little bit back to the earth.”

Under the original law, the fund should receive $900 million annually with money coming primarily from royalties paid by oil companies to the federal government from off-shore oil leases. However, Congress frequently raids the fund for other purposes.

As of May of 2010, Utah has received nearly $48 million from the fund. State, county and city parks departments apply for the money on a 50-50 matching basis to purchase open space or develop recreation facilities.

In Murray, for example, public services director Doug Hill said his city would not have developed most of its park system without those matching dollars.

“Almost every single open space project has Land Water Conservation funds,” he said. “That includes Murray Park, all of our neighborhood parks, the Jordan River Parkway and the Willow Park fishing pond. It’s on our city council agenda March 1 to have our council consider a resolution supporting full funding.”

Some members of Congress object to the federal portion of the law because it can be utilized to acquire more land for parks, forests and wildlife refuges. Many politicians, especially those from public-lands states such as Utah, don’t think the federal government should acquire any more property.

That is why some parks officials are skeptical that the act indeed will be fully funded.

“I’m happy the president is pushing the program,” said Susan Zarekarizi, the land and water grant coordinator for Utah. “I don’t know if it will be a casualty of partisan politics. ... I hope they can come together and compromise. But I don’t have a lot of hope he will get it funded. You can ask for the sky, but maybe there will be compromise.”

Zarekarizi said Utah’s share of Land and Water Conservation Funds has been between $300,000 to $400,000 annually for the past several years. She said local governments usually have between $7 million and $14 million in requests each year.

“It’s kind of crazy, the unmet needs for recreation,” she said. “There are simple neighborhood parks. The most popular thing right now is fixing old ball fields and splash pads in parks for kids to run through. This is not a pie in the sky thing. We are trying to get kids outside.”

Utah State Parks director Mary Tullius said the money particularly helps rural communities build recreation facilities they would not otherwise be able to afford. She said 28 of 29 counties — Daggett is the exception — have parks in large part because of the fund.

Steve Carpenter, president of the Utah Recreation and Parks Association, said that although the fund’s legacy is undeniable, hundreds of potential projects have gone unfunded over the years. He plans to lead a contingent of Utah parks officials to meet with all five members of Utah’s congressional delegation in March urging them to support the president.

“The legacy of this program in the state of Utah speaks volumes,” said Carpenter. “Those royalties have come in since the 1960s but they have been diverted and fleeced for a lot of other reasons. We hope that through persistence and educating about the fund, we can get enough votes to fund it permanently.”

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