U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand deserves a resounding thank you for stepping up again on behalf of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and all it does for us. LWCF is the program that ensures New York has the resources our parks and forests need to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and to strengthen our economy.
Whether you enjoy taking your kids to a neighborhood park, visiting the coast in the summer, or snowmobiling or hiking in the Adirondacks, the LWCF has helped to make this possible. It also funds the Forest Legacy Program, critical for keeping working forests working and accessible for outdoor recreation in the Adirondacks and the Rensselaer Plateau.
LWCF funds don't come from taxpayers. They come from fees paid by oil and gas companies for drilling offshore. However, money consistently gets taken out of the fund for other purposes, shortchanging us the money we need to invest in our recreational economy.
In the Congress that just ended, our senator joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues urging a solution. We urge the new Congress to make action on LWCF a top priority.
JIM BONESTEEL
President
Rensselaer Plateau Alliance
Averill Park