With over 50 years of history protecting our National Parks and recreation areas, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) faces a critical crossroads this year. As a man who has visited over 90 National Parks and who routinely hikes in National Forests, I think Congress should renew this historic funding to ensure that our Parks and recreation areas can continue receiving the funding and care needed to provide continued access.
The LWCF was originally enacted is 1964 by Congress and has protected and preserved thousands of acres of natural land throughout the United States. As a fellow Republican, I understand that this fund is one of the “Good” functions of the Government that actually expands access to the public to use their own land!
My favorite part of this program is the money for partnerships between the LWCF, local state departments and agencies to provide local preservation. In the past 50 years, California has benefited from over $2.4 billion in LWCF funding, including many state assistance grants resulting in hundreds of projects completed throughout the state. It is my opinion that because of this money many of the most popular tourist areas have not been as severely affected as they otherwise would be by the mismanagement of Sacramento.
LWCF funding has been utilized to protect and preserve the Tahoe National Forest, Angeles National Forrest, the Santa Monica National Recreation Area, and the San Bernardino National Forest to name a few. Because of this program, places I love to go like the Redwoods, Lassen, Pt. Reyes, and many other parks/recreation areas remain open and accessible for local communities and visitors to enjoy and appreciate!
I have seen firsthand that there are entire areas in California almost completely dependent on tourism because of the decimation of the timber and mining industries by the State of California.
The Outdoor Industry Association has found that active outdoor recreation supports $92 billion in consumer spending in California, 691,000 jobs across California, generating $30.4 billion in wages and salaries, and produces $6.2 billion annually in state and local tax revenue.
I think you should support the permanent re-authorization of the LWCF! It will continue to provide essential funding for land preservation in our state while not increasing taxes; while continuing to contribute to the economic growth of our local communities. For these reasons, I asking the four of you (and the your colleagues in the California GOP Delegation) for your support of the permanent re-authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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