(Left) U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo. (Special to The Denver Post, David Zalubowski) (Right) Congressman Cory Gardner. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)
In its 50-year history, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has protected outdoor spaces and created recreation opportunities for millions of Americans in every state of the union, including Colorado.
But its future is now under a cloud, thanks to the failure of Congress to reauthorize the program. That means that the LWCF has lost its dedicated funding source — royalties on offshore drilling — putting at risk a host of popular conservation and recreation projects in Colorado and across the nation.
This is unacceptable. Kudos to Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner for their bipartisan show of support for this program. Gardner has rightly called the LWCF America’s “most successful conservation program.”
Sportsmen, recreationists, outdoor business owners and many other Coloradans who cherish our state’s outdoor opportunities will be watching this issue closely and holding accountable those who undermine this bipartisan and wildly successful program. The Colorado delegation must stand up and ensure that the LWCF is reauthorized and fully funded when Congress revisits the budget in December.
David Nickum, Denver
The writer is executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited.
This letter was published in the Oct. 5 edition.
