Invest in land, water, community

You may have not heard of a small, but vital federal program, but you have surely benefited from it, whether you enjoy the great outdoors or not.

If you enjoy clean water, fresh air, healthy lands, vibrant communities and a robust economy, you've benefited from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

And unless Congress acts soon, it's about to expire, leaving you, me and every American with an enormous lost opportunity to further invest in the very things that we cherish most.

Since 1965, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has used a small percentage of revenue from offshore oil and gas drilling to invest in lands, water, recreation and working landscapes. LWCF uses no taxpayer dollars. None.

Its investments have created or enhanced local and state parks, working farms and forests, wildlife refuges, national forests, historic battlefields, cultural sites and access for hunting and fishing.

Those investments have been made near you. Here in Iowa, LWCF has provided approximately $70,500,000, protecting places such as the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge and the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Of that funding, $55,000,000 has gone toward stateside grants which have further supported hundreds of projects across Iowa's state and local parks.

They've helped all 50 states and 98 percent of all U.S. counties, supporting protection of 3 million acres of recreation lands and more than 29,000 recreation facilities, matched by local moneys and driven by local priorities.

Across the country, national parks, refuges, and forests have been created or enhanced through LWCF funding. These national lands protect our history; they ensure outdoor recreation opportunities that tally up some 407 million visits each year; they secure opportunities for fishing, hunting, hiking and countless other activities.

When Congress passed the LWCF 50 years ago, lawmakers did so knowing that outdoor recreation is fundamental to our well-being and healthy communities. And we now better understand that healthy natural places can help safeguard our communities. Forests serve as natural filters for our drinking water. Salt marshes and shellfish reefs can blunt the impact of coastal storms.

Healthy Lands, Vibrant Economy

These investments not only enhance and safeguard our way of life, they enhance our economy.

Hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor recreation activities contribute a total of $725.5 billion annually to the economy, supporting 6.15 million jobs (one of every 20 jobs in the United States) and stimulating 8 percent of all consumer spending. The ripple effect of outdoor recreation activities is even greater, with an estimated economic impact of $1.2 trillion and an estimated employment impact of 12 million jobs annually.

That economic impact is real from the local scale - from an angler's purchase of bait and soda - to the collective strength of millions of outdoor-related purchases each year throughout the country. According to the U.S. Census over 1.7 million hunt, fish, or enjoy wildlife watching in Iowa, contributing $1 billion to the state economy.

It all sounds great, right?

The Challenge to Save LWCF

Well, the LWCF is in serious trouble. But right now, we have a slim opportunity to save it.

The LWCF is set to expire on September 30. If Congress does not reauthorize LWCF, we can't continue to make these wise investments in our green spaces, our parks and trails, the places that make ourselves and our communities whole and healthy.

And while the program is authorized to receive a small percentage of offshore oil and gas revenues - up to $900 million per year - most of those funds have been diverted elsewhere. With America losing 1 million acres of working farms, forests and ranches each year, it's critical that LWCF receive its full funding for future generations.

As September 30 comes near, your congressional representatives need to hear from you. LWCF has historically had strong bipartisan support. But since this needs such urgent action, our members of Congress need to hear today how much YOU value the LWCF for all it does to help our economy, safeguard our communities and improve our way of life.

The clock is ticking. I hope my fellow Iowans will speak up, and that our representatives in Congress will help ensure quick action to renew and fully fund LWCF.

The world we depend on depends on us.

' Jan Glendening is state director of The Nature Conservancy in Iowa. Comments: jglendening@tnc.org