In 1964, Congress began putting aside money from offshore oil and gas drilling revenues to support the protection and conservation of our land and water. The program was named the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and it has become our country’s premier outdoor conservation program – with $900 million from drilling leases dedicated to the fund each year (though it’s been shortchanged during the last few decades).

Some of that money goes to a federal conservation program, and the rest helps individual states develop their outdoor areas – like the numerous natural gems we enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest. Those funds contribute directly to some of our most treasured areas in Southwest Washington, such as improvement of the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge. That scenic area was created by the LWCF, and it protects endangered white tail deer in tiny Wahkiakum County along the Columbia River. Other money has gone to the implementation of Stream and Fish Habitat Restoration in Southwest Washington as well as the Pacific Northwest in general.

But now we have a problem.

The House of Representatives wants to reduce the LWCF’s funding by a whopping $393 million – taking away protection that our precious outdoor areas desperately need. The program already has projects that have yet to be completed, and this funding proposal would barely cover those previous goals – much less future ones.

That’s why we need to band together and convince Congress to restore these crucial funds.

Here in Southwest Washington we enjoy countless outdoor areas, ranging from the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, to the stunning sites in Battle Ground Lake State Park. Fish habitat projects in the East Fork and North Fork of the Lewis River System. Our communities deserve the breathable air, safe water, restoration and improvement of streams, fish and wildlife habitat and scenic landscapes that define this region.

To ensure that happens, we need to stand up and make sure we secure the funds to keep these vital projects moving forward.

Contacting the House of Representative Person in your district will sent an important message to our representative is Washington D. C.

Your can find more detailed information about those funds in your state at:

http://waso-lwcf.ncrc.nps.gov/public/index.cfm

One of the most important things that Congress could do to improve the effectiveness of the funds allocated is to require multiple year “results/outputs” monitoring of all programs and projects, regardless of size. Monitoring must focus on short term and long term outputs (results) and not inputs (such as dollars spent, number of miles, or structures built). In the case of fish restoration project money, the question is – where are the fish? Did the project produce more fish over time?