Read an Op-Ed by Dan Evans, co-founder of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, in support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). He points out that the Elwha River dam removal project was funded in part by LWCF, and offers a model of what can happen when “partisanship is replaced by partnership.”
Excerpt: “One partner you may not hear much about is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress created the LWCF 45 years ago to protect America’s land and waterways — all without taxpayer money. Instead, it relies entirely on fees paid by oil and gas companies drilling offshore. Over the last four decades, Washington has received $513 million to protect national parks like Mount Rainier and North Cascades, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, forests, wildlife refuges, timberlands and ranches. LWCF matching grants have also created state and local parks, ballfields and natural areas across the state.”