Into the Outdoors: Budget cuts affecting nature

By: Steve Rogers — Herald Correspondent

My in-laws have some good friends that live in England. This last summer those friends traveled across the Atlantic to spend some time with Nana and Papa while they spent their summer working at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo. We heard a lot about their visit, but there was one statement that really struck me. 

These friends from England were awestruck at how “vast” America is. Every time they visit here they are overwhelmed by the sheer size of this country. The open spaces are something that they do not have in England. Will America always be this fortunate, though?

The current financial mess, federal budget talks and arguments over what services to cut could possibly threaten some of the things that make this country so great. As outdoorsmen we need to understand both sides of these issues and make educated choices in our politicians, as well as be aware of the things that are going on.

The most recent issue of Field and Stream magazine delves into this very issue. There are six programs the article mentions that are ripe for possible cuts. Yes, the federal government needs to make cuts and live off of a balanced budget, but when the cuts hurt, what do you do? 

The first program cut mentioned is to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Already in 2011, the fund was chopped by $149 million dollars to its current level of $301 million. This particular fund directly purchases lands to be protected in the forms of national forests and state wildlife management areas. There are thousands of acres of land that are waiting to be protected by these funds, keeping open spaces and wild areas throughout the U.S. Without these protections, the lands lost may never be the same as development encroaches further into wilderness areas.

Several of the other acts that are possibly going to take a huge hit deal directly with the protection and acquisition of wetlands. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Wetlands Reserve Program are both in the sights of budget cutters. 

We all know how vital wetlands are. Not just to those that like to hunt waterfowl, but also as a natural way to keep our population safe. Wetlands are nature’s way of filtering water to make it clean and safe for multiple uses. Wetlands also are natural flood protection. No matter how mankind tries, we cannot control flood waters as well and Mother Nature's original plan. 

Another key fact the article mentions, is that these wetland programs are largely given as matching fund grants. Therefore the local citizenry is putting up dollars into the project as well. What a great way to use federal monies. They just don't give it away — there has to be a financial commitment at the local level as well.

The cuts that, for me, are the most scary are those that are proposed to the Farm Bill Conservation Section. This fund is the one responsible for financing the popular Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP as many people know it. This fund offers landowners a way to make some money from the land by setting aside areas, especially buffer strips, to be left in grasses. The CRP program has been one of the most successful conservation efforts this nation has ever done.  Set aside lands are a boon for upland game and waterfowl.

In recent years, with higher crop prices, many farmers and landowners have not renewed their CRP enrollments because crops were more profitable. Now, with a potential loss of CRP payments looming on the horizon, even those landowners who are willing to keep set aside in CRP will be left with little to no option. The ground will be tilled under and made profitable again. Who wouldn't? Keeping land for wildlife is a noble cause, but without government help to pay for it, those that work the land need to till it so they can provide for their families. Providing a home for pheasants on your land doesn't pay the electric bill.

That is why these proposed cuts are so important to everyone who enjoys the outdoors. No matter whether those pursuits are hiking, birdwatching, or hunting and fishing, we all need to understand what is happening. What do we cut and where? Those budget cuts will be felt. The question is, how much pain are we willing to take and at what cost? 

There are no easy answers. Just do your best to stay informed and let your legislators know how you feel.