The Vancouver Columbian reports on how cuts to the state Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund would affect parks and conservation projects in Clark County.
Excerpt: “Pat Lee, lands manager with Clark County Environmental Services, says the county uses money from a variety of sources to acquire property, including its own Conservation Futures levy, which provides $2.4 million annually in local matching dollars. The Land and Water Conservation Fund contributed $400,000 toward the county’s purchase of streamside and mature forest habitat at the confluence of Salmon Creek and Morgan Creek.
But Lee sees non-county revenue sources for land acquisition declining. The county’s share of money from the state Salmon Recovery Board dropped from $3.5 million to $2.5 million last year. Funding from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program is iffy. And now the federal funds are at risk, as well.
“The funding climate overall is not going in a positive trend,” Lee said.”