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1996 FWOC
Resolution
No. 19**:
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND**
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This fund ("LWCF") was
authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1965 for the purposes of:
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1. Acquiring
inholdings (privately-owned land) in Federal park and land areas, and
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2. Assisting states
(on a matching basis) in acquiring new recreational or park areas, and
improving state recreational facilities.
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The LWCF was set-up to be
funded by a percentage of the Federal royalties received from off-shore
petroleum production, and continues to be funded from that
source. Annual income from this source is approximately
$900,000,000, and the present unspent
balance in the LWCF is approximately $13 billion! Annual
Congressional appropriations have been much less than the income, being
around $140 million for Fiscal Year 1996 and the same amount for FY 97.
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The original LWCF act ran
for 25 years, and was reauthorized in 1989. Unfortunately, the
authorizing legislation does not mandate spending of the income
received for LWCF purposes, so the spending has to be authorized by
Congress each year in the Annual FY Budget. This results in other
congressional projects competing with the LWCF for the funds that
were (and still are) being accrued, ostensibly for LWCF purposes, as
stated above.
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The Federation of Western
Outdoor Clubs requests the U.S. Congress appropriate all of the LWCF
funds accrued to date (and those to be received in the future) strictly
for the purposes stated in the original and reauthorizing
legislation. These funds are to be disbursed by the Congress to
the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and to the Bureau of Land Management (as well as to
corresponding state agencies) for land acquisition and facility
improvements as stated in the acts (excluding operating expenses).
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...................................................................................................................
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Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs
members and Member Clubs are urged to write their U.S. Senators
and Representatives requesting them to include substantial annual FY
budget disbursements from the accumulated LWCF funds in the FY Budgets
to support the stated purposes of the LWCF acts. These
substantial disbursements are to continue until the entire fund
for which the acts were authorized is expended. The FWOC suggests
that the existence and purposes (and potential benefits to the outdoor
users) of the LWCF be publicized in the news media, such as via
informative contacts with reporters, club newsletters, and Letters to
the Editor.
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For further information, contact the:
American Wildlands Alliance
PO Box
3101
or: Peter Jorris
Running Springs, CA
92382
PO Box 4026
Attention: Carol
Sebastian
Arrowhead Lake, CA 92382
(909)
867-1072
909-867-3536
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**
NOTE: This Resolution was proposed by
the American Lands Alliance (not a Member Club of the FWOC) in a timely
manner (July 5) but was somehow misplaced, and didn't surface again
until the Resolutions Committee was reviewing its files after the
Annual Meeting. However, its importance, urgency, and relevance
to much that is happening today is very evident. This Resolution
has been reviewed by the Resolutions Committee and the FWOC Officers,
who determined that the LWCF issue should be brought to the attention
of FWOC Member Clubs and members NOW! Because of the importance
of the LWCF, and the non-controversial nature of the proposed
Resolution from a conservation standpoint, the Federation officials
decided to include this Resolution just as if it had gone through the
regular process as described in the cover letter. Anyone who
wished to object to this action is requested to contact (by October
31):
Win Hayward, 208 Willard North San Francisco,
CA 94118 (415) 386-6544
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California Representatives who are
supportive of this Resolution are:
Tom Campbell 2221 Rayburn House Office Building (202)
225-2631 (All are in Washington, DC 20515)
Sam Farr 1117 Longworth House Office
Building (202) 225-2861
George Miller 2205 Rayburn House Office
Building (202) 225-2095
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