$94 Million For 2003 State Recreation Grants From Land and Water Conservation Fund

From Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior

Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton today announced funding grants of more than $94 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for FiscalYear 2003. The LWCF grants provide assistance to the 50 states, the territories and the District of Columbia for enhancing parks and other recreational opportunities. The state grant program is a cornerstone of Secretary NortonÕs commitment to involve state governments in conservation planning activities.

The states are responsible for analyzing their recreational needs and setting priorities for funding, supervising the selection of projects, and the work, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines.

"This Administration places a high premium on acknowledging and respecting the role of states in making local decisions," Norton said. "President Bush is keeping his commitment to help states and local communities make decisions that affect their daily lives."

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created by Congress in 1964 and is managed by the National Park Service. The program is intended to create and maintain a nationwide legacy of high quality recreation areas and facilities and to stimulate non-federal investments in the protection and maintenance of recreation resources across the United States. It provides matching grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities.

The LWCF is primarily funded by the collection of royalty receipts from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. Since 1965, more than $3.4 billion have been made available to state and local governments to invest in and improve over 39,000 outdoor and recreational projects. States and local municipalities have matched this amount, thereby doubling the investment to a total of $6.8 billion. Of the total number of projects, approximately 10,000 have helped states and local communities to acquire more than 2.5 million acres of additional parkland.

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