Currently, there is a legislative movement in the House of Representatives to eliminate the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program that has contributed to over $20 billion in sales of outdoor recreation sporting equipment.
The House Appropriations Committee recently voted to eliminate the stateside portion of the LWCF and to provide only $150 million for the Federal LWCF program in 2006.
The LWCF program has funded over 40,000 parks in 98% of US counties since its inception in 1964. LWCF funds are used to purchase land for parks and trails, to construct youth sports facilities and athletic fields, and to rehabilitate existing facilities and fields.
The SGMA feels this is the most important park infrastructure bill of the year and people must act now to have any hope of reinstating this vital source of sport and recreation funds. The House of Representatives could vote on the final Interior Appropriations package any day.
To send an urgent message to your Congressman/woman, open the link: http://www.sgma.com/legislation/2005/letters/lwcf-action-alert-letter-may2005.doc – a WORD document and ask him/her to reinstate funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
