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1996 RESOLUTIONS


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FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS







1996 FWOC Resolution No. 19**:
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND**

This fund ("LWCF") was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1965 for the purposes of:
1.  Acquiring inholdings (privately-owned land) in Federal park and land areas, and

2.  Assisting states (on a matching basis) in acquiring new recreational or park areas, and improving state recreational facilities.
The LWCF was set-up to be funded by a percentage of the Federal royalties received from off-shore petroleum production, and continues to be funded from that source.  Annual income from this source is approximately $900,000,000, and the present unspent balance in the LWCF is approximately $13 billion!  Annual Congressional appropriations have been much less than the income, being around $140 million for Fiscal Year 1996 and the same amount for FY 97.

The original LWCF act ran for 25 years, and was reauthorized in 1989.  Unfortunately, the authorizing legislation does not mandate spending of the income received for LWCF purposes, so the spending has to be authorized by Congress each year in the Annual FY Budget.  This results in other congressional projects competing with  the LWCF for the funds that were (and still are) being accrued, ostensibly for LWCF purposes, as stated above.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs requests the U.S. Congress appropriate all of the LWCF funds accrued to date (and those to be received in the future) strictly for the purposes stated in the original and reauthorizing legislation.  These funds are to be disbursed by the Congress to the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and to the Bureau of Land Management (as well as to corresponding state agencies) for land acquisition and facility improvements as stated in the acts (excluding operating expenses).

...................................................................................................................

Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs members and Member Clubs are urged to write their U.S. Senators and Representatives requesting them to include substantial annual FY budget disbursements from the accumulated LWCF funds in the FY Budgets to support the stated purposes of the LWCF acts.  These substantial disbursements are to continue until the entire fund for which the acts were authorized is expended.  The FWOC suggests that the existence and purposes (and potential benefits to the outdoor users) of the LWCF be publicized in the news media, such as via informative contacts with reporters, club newsletters, and Letters to the Editor.

For further information, contact the:
American Wildlands Alliance
PO Box 3101                                      or: Peter Jorris
Running Springs, CA 92382                    PO Box 4026
Attention: Carol Sebastian                       Arrowhead Lake, CA 92382
(909) 867-1072                                        909-867-3536

** NOTE: This Resolution was proposed by the American Lands Alliance (not a Member Club of the FWOC) in a timely manner (July 5) but was somehow misplaced, and didn't surface again until the Resolutions Committee was reviewing its files after the Annual Meeting.  However, its importance, urgency, and relevance to much that is happening today is very evident.  This Resolution has been reviewed by the Resolutions Committee and the FWOC Officers, who determined that the LWCF issue should be brought to the attention of FWOC Member Clubs and members NOW!  Because of the importance of the LWCF, and the non-controversial nature of the proposed Resolution from a conservation standpoint, the Federation officials decided to include this Resolution just as if it had gone through the regular process as described in the cover letter.  Anyone who wished to object to this action is requested to contact (by October 31):
Win Hayward, 208 Willard North San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 386-6544

California Representatives who are supportive of this Resolution are:
Tom Campbell 2221 Rayburn House Office Building    (202) 225-2631 (All are in Washington, DC 20515)
Sam Farr 1117 Longworth House Office Building        (202) 225-2861
George Miller 2205 Rayburn House Office Building     (202) 225-2095



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