ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION 

SUPPORTING FULL FUNDING OF THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND ANNUALLY, INCLUDING REVITALIZATION OF THE STATESIDE GRANTS PROGRAM

WHEREAS, in 1964, Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to assure that all Americans have access to high quality recreation resources, to enhance the health and vitality of the Nation, and to preserve valuable habitat; and

WHEREAS, investments from the fund support the creation of public parks, efficient management of forests, preservation of clean water and open spaces and guarantee outdoor recreational opportunities, and other social and environmental objectives for the nation; and

WHEREAS, since its creation, LWCF has been responsible for the acquisition of nearly seven million acres of parks, public forests, and open space including the development of more than 37,500 state and local resource conservation and recreation projects, including playgrounds, ball fields, national historical sites, scenic trails, and nature reserves; and

WHEREAS, the LWCF Act is authorized to invest $900 million annually in recreational resources, principally from public revenue received from off-shore energy extraction, and that the Congress must annually appropriate funds from the LWCF account; and

WHEREAS, the Congress envisioned and encouraged and the Act authorizes federal-state-local partnerships to create a national network of public parks and other recreation resources accessible to all people; and

WHEREAS, the fund emphasizes the need to conserve public spaces and to develop and maintain state and local resource in anticipation of increasing population and response to rapid changes in land use and availability; and

WHEREAS, for several years, no allocations have been made to fund the stateside grants program, though the enabling legislation provided for such allocations and encourage Congress to provide "close to home" sites and recreational opportunities; and

WHEREAS, without congressional allocations for stateside programs, states are severely limited in their capacity to develop parks and open spaces or provide funds to local jurisdictions for the creation of neighborhood recreational facilities; and

WHEREAS, the need to preserve open spaces and develop and maintain local parks and recreational facilities becomes more critical each year due to the demands placed on such facilities by ever increasing populations; and

WHEREAS, state and local governments equally match federal fiscal resources, then assume all costs of management and provision of recreation services, thus often containing the cost of potential federal actions to meet public demand,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Members of The Conference of Mayors see, as an absolutely critical need, the full funding of the LWCF annually, including revitalizing the stateside grants program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The Conference of Mayors encourages Congress to allocate at least 40% of funds available for the stateside programs to be divided equally among the states to fund state and municipal projects.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any federally funded urban parks program be administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors convene a meeting of mayors, parks and recreational officials, Congressional and Administration officials to discuss the needs for more urban parks and the need for federal support for state and local parks; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors that a copy of this resolution be mailed to the President, Secretary of Interior, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the bipartisan leadership of the Congress.