Federal Appropriations for Land Conservation

Land and Water Conservation Fund

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was set up in 1965 to take a portion of the revenues from offshore oil and gas leasing and reinvest them in onshore conservation.  It has been an important source of funding for federal and state acquisitions of land and easements--often purchasing land acquired by land trusts. See our LWCF transition recommendation and a factsheet from the LWCF Coalition.

Though LWCF receives $900 million a year from energy royalties, Congressional appropriators have consistently withheld much of that funding, shortchanging the program by some $17 billion over the past 46 years!  Fortunately, funding has grown substantially in the first two years under President Obama -- to $172 million in Fiscal Year 2009 and $318 million in Fiscal Year 2010 (not including Forest Legacy and other programs that bring the total to $432m). See explanatory statements for specific projects funded in FY09 and FY10.

The appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2011 just got underway with President Obama's request for $620 million overall -- an increase of $167 million from last year.  Thanks to your hard work, 114 Representatives and 44 Senators have signed letters supporting this bold appropriations request -- and then some. Please thank Members who signed and also urge them to oppose cuts to Farm Bill conservation programs.

There's also a move underway to fully fund LWCF at the full authorized level of $900 million via S. 2747, the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act, and H.R. 3534, an energy bill which was recently passed by the House Natural Resources Committee. Versions of this legislation have also been included in various climate change bills. We'll keep you updated on this exciting new opportunity.

The Alliance has two goals regarding dedicated funding for LWCF: to see the money going into the fund actually dedicated to conservation, and to allow the fund to be used to support conservation by land trusts. Working through land trusts could allow LWCF to leverage landowner donations and other funding sources to achieve far more conservation.  We believe the America's Great Outdoors Initiative may be the best forum for promoting the idea of allowing enough flexibility in the LWCF so that, like the Great Outdoors Colorado program created when Ken Salazar was Secretary of Natural Resources of that state, it can be used to help land trusts with purchases of land and easements.  Please consider voting for two such ideas already submitted to their IdeaJam website:

• Expand Use of LWCF for Private Lands Conservation and Third-party Administration
• Make current federal land conservation funds available to qualified land trusts

For the latest news on federal appropriations and dedicated funding legislation, please subscribe to our Land Trust ADVOCATES alerts.

Forest Legacy Program

The Forest Legacy program is a voluntary program of the USDA Forest Service providing grants to states for the purchase of conservation easements and fee acquisition of environmentally-sensitive or threatened forest lands. The United States loses more than half a million acres of privately-owned timberland to development each year, resulting in a loss of livelihood for some, a loss of places to explore nature for many, a loss of environmental quality for us all.  The Forest Legacy Program provides an alternative to selling timberland for development: assistance in private, voluntary conservation. 1,145,586 acres have been protected as of February 2006. See a list of projects by fiscal year.

The Forest Legacy Program provides grants to enrolled states to purchase conservation easements or fee acquisition on environmentally important forest lands that are threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. Land trusts can provide invaluable assistance with their experience bringing landowners and projects to the table, negotiating and monitoring easements, and can participate in many other ways. More...

In Fiscal Year 2010, Forest Legacy funding will grow by 60% to $79.5 million. President Obama's Fiscal Year 2011 budget request would further increase funding to $100 million.

Federal Highway Bill Funding

The 2005 highway bill (SAFETEA-LU) provides funding for several programs of interest to land trusts. In particular, since 1992 the Transportation Enhancements program has provided over $10 billion for projects such as:  acquisition of scenic or historic easements and sites, Conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails and environmental mitigation of highways. Click here for more.

State Wildlife Grants

The federal State Wildlife Grants Program is our nation's core program for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered. It funds the state wildlife action plans and provides annual funding for state wildlife agencies to implement these plans.  Many states re-grant these funds to partners like land trusts and the plans themselves are a useful tool for land trusts to prioritize acquisition and stewardship decisions.

The Land Trust Alliance and more than 300 land trusts are members of the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition working to secure increased funding for wildlife. More information from:

• The Teaming with Wildlife Coalition
• National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Action Program
• Defenders of Wildlife Living Lands Project
  

Online Catalog of Federal Funding for Watershed Protection

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides the Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection online as an easy to use, searchable website. The site provides information for watershed practitioners and others on 84 Federal funding sources that may be available to help fund various watershed-related projects. The Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection is located here: http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/. (updated 7/30/07)

News on Federal Programs from the Trust for Public Land

Check the Trust for Public Land's Washington Watch for news and updates on federal funding opportunities. The Washington Watch provides timely information and highlights on public policy issues and federal funding opportunities that relate to land conservation. Washington Watch will be updated every two weeks throughout the legislative cycle. (posted 1/16/04)

What about the Farm Bill conservation programs like FRPP and GRP? They're in a separate section; click here.