Thursday, December 12, 2019

Let's not lose this opportunity to permanently fund land and water conservation


In America our public lands are our greatest national treasure. They are the inheritance that we all share equally, no matter who we are or from where we come. They not only encompass our national forests, national wildlife refuges and wilderness areas; they also provide us with access to some of the most awe-inspiring hunting, angling and recreational opportunities in the world — majestic places where the game and fish are plentiful, where memories are made and where lifelong traditions are formed.
The need for programs like the Land Water Conservation Fund, one of our greatest assets in conserving key areas and expanding access to our public lands, has never been greater. Right now funding for LWCF is uncertain and we are facing a critical moment to protect it.
Congress is just weeks away from the next funding deadline and if we don’t act Congress could allocate less than half the full funding level of $900 million, proposals that would rob communities and starve our public lands of critical investments. 


In America our public lands are our greatest national treasure.

That's right, these folks actually believe federal lands are more important than the Declaration of  Independence  or the U.S. Constitution.

expanding access to our public lands

You will notice the phrase "land acquisition" never appears in these type of pleas. If this is so popular why are they hesitant to accurately describe it? Why hide behind "expanding access" instead of honestly stating "expanding the federal estate"?

The other words you won't hear are "land exchange".  If Congress appropriated zero dollars to the LWCF, environmentally sensitive lands could be acquired using the authority already granted to these agencies to enter into land exchanges. The same holds for acquiring lands to "expand access". Ah, but that would require giving up some of the 640 million acres under federal control, and that is just unthinkable. Why exchange less valuable lands for lands of higher value when Congress will let you keep what you have and permanently fund acquiring additional acreage?

...Congress could allocate less than half the full funding level of $900 million, proposals that would rob communities and starve our public lands of critical investments. 

My, my. If you only spend half of what they demand you are a robber and guilty of causing starvation. This is pure, Grade A, b.s. How on earth did we survive from 1792 to 1964 without the LWCF? I don't know...it must have been a miracle.

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