Their view: Investing in our conservation and recreation future
By Nate Cote / For the Las Cruces Sun-News
Posted: 12/14/2009
Here in New Mexico, we are fortunate to have such beautiful natural surroundings and the opportunities to get out
and enjoy the great outdoors. In Doña Ana County, state-owned properties including Mesilla Valley Bosque Park
and the newly acquired Broad Canyon Ranch provide hiking trails and other recreational opportunities.
In the making is the Rio Grande Trail, which will extent over 200 miles and protect areas along the Rio Grande River. Parks, trails, and conservation initiatives protect many of our state treasures such as the Rio Grande and our beautiful and unique mountains. Nearby, the Gila National Forest is home to numerous recreational pursuits including hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, and mountain biking; most of which I find personally satisfying to both the mind and the body. These areas are the public playgrounds for thousands of New Mexico residents, our neighbors from Texas and Arizona, and visitors from across the country and around the world. A component of our economic recovery depends on tourism and it is the uniqueness of New Mexico's landscape and recreational opportunities that draws tourists to our states.
Setting aside these special places for our families and future generations to enjoy was originally made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) - a simple and logical plan established in 1964 to reinvest a small portion of revenue from offshore oil and gas royalties into land protection and outdoor recreation.
In addition to securing public enjoyment on federal lands in New Mexico through LWCF, the program's grants made to local governments and the state are also important. Since 1965, over 1,000 LWCF grants have helped to plan, construct, and enhance parks, playgrounds, trails, ball fields, pools, and other recreation facilities in communities across the state. Here in Las Cruces, facilities familiar to all of us, such as Young Park, Apodaca Park, Maag Park, and Harty Field, have all benefited from LWCF grants over the years. Unfortunately, in recent years most of the money designated for this fund has been diverted to other programs instead of being invested in land conservation.
Demand for funds to protect our nation's most irreplaceable wildlands, fish and wildlife habitats, scenic areas, historic sites, and neighborhood parks has skyrocketed, and the demand is not specific from one political party or another. Today, LWCF can finance only a small fraction of the many worthy requests. And each year, more and more of these treasured landscapes are lost because there is simply not enough LWCF money to go around. The irony is that during an economic downturn, protecting land is far more cost-effective and yet the funding that was guaranteed has not been there.
Congress is currently working to fix this problem and the effort is being led by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He is sponsoring a bill that includes a provision to fully and permanently fund LWCF. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., is a co-sponsor of this bill. New Mexico's Senators should be applauded for their efforts on behalf of this program and their awareness of its importance to New Mexico. Yet, as they move forward, the most important voice of all, the public, should also be heard and properly informed of all aspects of the legislation.
The opportunity now exists to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Refuges, trails, parks, forests and public lands are some of the important components that bond our communities. We need to support our federal senators on initiatives that result in sound conservation for New Mexico.
Nathan "Nate" Cote is state representative for District 53. A Democrat, he lives in Organ.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_13986224
