Tuesday, February 26, 2019
U.S. House Votes To Permanently Reauthorize Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund


On February 26, The Nature Conservancy reported the U.S. House of Representatives voted moved to save the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), approving a sweeping package of public lands bills that includes a measure to permanently reauthorize the program for the first time in its 54-year-history.
The package, approved by the U.S. Senate earlier this month with near-unanimous support, puts an end to the cycle of expiration and renewal LWCF has suffered in recent years.
The package now goes to the president for his expected signature.
The Fund expired in September, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to push for permanent reauthorization. The package also includes provisions to protect thousands of acres of wilderness and support endangered species recovery in the Colorado River.
The following is a statement by Mark R. Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy:
“For too long, LWCF has been stuck in a cycle of uncertainty that limited its potential. Today’s vote changes that. This is an extraordinary victory for conservation in the United States.
“As one of the country’s most effective conservation programs, LWCF has helped protect national parks, expand trails and playing fields, and preserve important landscapes for over half a century.
“By using the revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling, LWCF invests in lands and waters at no cost to the American taxpayer, so it should be no surprise that a strong majority wants to continue this win-win for people and conservation. Regardless of party, nature unites us all.
“Ultimately, LWCF is about preserving the best of America by protecting our lands and waters, our wildlife and ways of life. The overwhelmingly bipartisan votes in the House and Senate to renew LWCF reflect our nation’s longstanding commitment to conservation, ensuring future generations will benefit from LWCF.
“We are grateful for LWCF’s champions in the Congress, all whom have worked hard to achieve permanent reauthorization, and we look forward to the President signing this measure into law.”
The National Wildlife Federation provided this list of other provisions in the bill--
-- WILD Act to conserve endangered species, combat invasive species (including Asian carp) and fight poaching;
-- Reauthorizes Neotropical Migratory Bird Act;
-- Allows the transport bows through national parks;
-- Adopts the policy that federal public lands will be open hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless deemed otherwise closed for specific reasons;
-- Requires studying and identifying federal lands that could be opened to hunting, fishing and recreation activities;
-- Facilitates the construction and expansion of public target ranges, including ranges on Federal land managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management; and
-- Designates new wilderness, wild and scenic river, steelhead management area, and desert conservation areas.
Click Here for more information on the package from the National Wildlife Federation.
For more on the impact of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in Pennsylvania, visit the PA Environmental Council website.
Visit The Nature Conservancy-PA webpage to learn more about programs, initiatives and events in Pennsylvania

pick65

Sure looks good.

If the nature conservancy is supportive of it its not good for people that use the land. The TNC is a anti hunting ,logging grazing activist green group that would prefer everyone lived in approved core areas and limited access to and return to pre-Colombian days of all other areas. And we don't need anymore stinking dying wilderness area.. Let alone the broken endangered species act forced on anybody.

My thoughts as well! Too much activism in this country.

A bunch of gobbledeegoop that doesn't really say much.

Well if it's the same Nature Conservancy we have here posting land they don't allow trapping on any of their land.

TNC actually allows trapping and hunting, and harvests timber on their land in northern Maine. I was leery of them buying up land here at first, but they've been pretty quiet overall.

From the LWCF site: It was a simple idea: use revenues from the depletion of one natural resource - offshore oil and gas - to support the conservation of another precious resource - our land and water. Every year, $900 million in royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are put into this fund.

Not a big fan of any gov't program myself, but I think this one's been good for outdoorsmen overall.

I'm not one to jump into political pissing matches, but I agree with the OP and jwood. I've not had a problem with TNC, and I am familiar with this legislation. Anything we can do as trappers, hunters, or fishermen to prolong our use of the land and our lifestyle and legacy, to me, is a good thing.

Other provisions in the bill-- (Yes, I did pick and choose...)
-- WILD Act to combat invasive species (including Asian carp) and fight poaching;
-- Reauthorizes Neotropical Migratory Bird Act;
-- Allows the transport bows through national parks;
-- Adopts the policy that federal public lands will be open hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless deemed otherwise closed for specific reasons;
-- Requires studying and identifying federal lands that could be opened to hunting, fishing and recreation activities;
-- Facilitates the construction and expansion of public target ranges, including ranges on Federal land managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Good thing, in my opinion...

Jack

I hunt on some of the land not sure about trapping

I have no idea why anyone would have issue with TNC as a whole. They allow hunting and trapping on some of their properties around here. In fact, they pay trappers to protect ground nesting birds from predators.
On top of that, as everyone knows, the biggest threat to wildlife demise in general, is lack of suitable habitat. The TNC uses their funds, mostly contributions from the private sector, to buy or enter into long term leases to save habitat from destruction and manage it for wildlife.

Its been the opposite out west in a lot of places. Yes its managed for wildlife your just not allowed on it and they back every wilderness proposal that comes along.

TNC bought a big ranch here in the flint hills that I used to trap on. Now it is overun with college students doing studies on everything imaginable, but trapping and hunting is strictly off limits. I'm not a fan of taking habitat and locking it up for the whims of bunny huggers. Took a large chunk of land out of use for what, so no one can utilize consumptive use, and while I'm not sure but what it didn't take it off the tax roll of the county to boot. JMO

Mine as well

I'll just add a bit of personal knowledge on the part about allowing the transport of bows through National Parks. We have near me a great place for hunting and I have trapped there also that is now landlocked by the Olympic National Park. Yes, you can take rifles through the Park and with this bows but you cannot transport game back through the Park so it isn't worth much. You still can't hunt there even though it is National Forest and open to hunting.

here there buying land and the only thing they allow is walking on it no hunting fishing biking no motorized anything

Trust no one

It seems to me TNC manages/conserves land to the whims of private donors. Unfortunately the anti crowd has deeper pockets than hunters/trappers.

^^^^ So very true...TNC is no friend to sportsmen and women...

Open for hunting trapping fishing. UNLESS CLOSED FOR A SPECIFIC REASON. That could be about anything they want.

The opposite is true here in NC since TNC owns about 1/3 of our public game lands where trapping and hunting is allowed.