Northwest sportfishing businesses tell Senate:
Land and Water Conservation Fund
must be reauthorized, maintained
Oregon City, Oregon – Tomorrow, Washington U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will have an opportunity to highlight the outdoor recreation economy in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR). At 7:00 am Pacific Time on April 22, the Committee will dive deeply into the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a crucial tool for conserving public lands and supporting Pacific Northwest sportfisheries. The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA) urges the Senate to reauthorize the Fund before it expires in September.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is an effective 50-year-old program that reinvests a small portion of offshore oil and gas royalties into onshore land and water conservation projects. It is America’s most valuable tool for keeping public lands public for outdoorsmen and women, and it supports the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant sportfishing economy. Nationally, every dollar invested in LWCF produces $4 in economic output. Sportfishing on public lands in Washington sustains more than 10,000 jobs and generates $407.9 million in salaries. In Oregon, sportfishing on public lands sustains more than 7,000 jobs and generates $250 million in salaries.
In a letter to the Senate ENR leadership and Senator Wyden, NSIA emphasized that in addition to creating jobs and boosting the outdoor recreation industry, strategic LWCF investments can diffuse conflicts with private landowners and secure permanent access. Some public lands have been separated from public roads and towns by narrow strips of privately owned land, making access impossible without the landowner’s permission. LWCF is a helpful tool that can be used to connect existing public lands for anglers and other people who recreate on public lands.
LWCF is an effective program, exemplifying how each state can address their recreation preservation needs. NSIA urges the Senate ENR to resist any requests for unnecessary changes to LWCF as the Committee works through this critical reauthorization process.
NSIA is a non-profit organization of nearly 300 member businesses. NSIA is dedicated to the enhancement of sport fisheries and the businesses dependent on them.
###