Email Your Support Tomorrow to Fund Forest Protection

Deadline: Tuesday, October 12th

From Tom Gilbert

Please consider signing your organization onto the letter attached and below supporting the higher House proposed funding levels for LWCF and the Forest Legacy Program in FY08. Over 200 organizations signed a similar letter last year, and our goal this year is 250, so please forward to your networks and urge their support as well.

To sign on, please send the name of your organization to tom_gilbert@tws.org by October 12th.

Thank you! - Tom Gilbert, The Wilderness Society

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Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:



We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to urge final adoption of no less than the House proposed funding levels for the Forest Legacy Program and the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as part of the FY 2008 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. These two important programs have historically been the most significant federal sources of funding to support land conservation, and park and recreation projects that protect America's natural heritage and increase the health and quality of life for all Americans.



For the past 40 years, the Land & Water Conservation Fund has helped to create and consolidate our national forests, parks and wildlife refuges, and to support countless state and local park and recreation projects. The Forest Legacy program was created as part of the 1990 Farm bill and assists states in conserving working forestland that is threatened by conversion to non-forest uses.



These programs are needed now more than ever to help stem the widespread loss of forests and open spaces to development. According to the USDA Forest Service's Forests on the Edge report, over 40 million acres of private forestlands are likely to be developed by 2030, with significant impacts to watersheds, wildlife and local economies. As forests and other natural areas are cleared for development, significant amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere and future carbon sequestration potential is lost, contributing to global warming. Additional land acquisition is also essential to protect habitat and migration corridors necessary for wildlife to adapt to climate change.



The House approved funding of $206 million for the federal and stateside programs of LWCF and $62.8 million for the Forest Legacy Program are necessary to ensure that dozens of critical land conservation and park and recreation projects throughout the nation do not become lost opportunities. We are especially concerned about the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed funding level of $54.6 million for the Forest Legacy Program, which would represent a twelve percent cut from FY07 funding levels, at a time when funding to this vital program should be significantly increased to respond to the development threats identified by the U.S. Forest Service.



The House proposed funding levels represent the minimum investment needed to conserve our increasingly threatened landscapes and to provide quality parks and recreation opportunities for all Americans. Ultimately, full funding of LWCF at $900 million annually and $200 million in annual funding to the Forest Legacy Program are needed to meet our nation's growing demands for land conservation, parks and recreation.

As a first step, please ensure that at least $206 million for LWCF and $62.8 million for the Forest Legacy Program are included in the final FY 2008 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.

Thank you for considering our views on this important matter.

Sincerely,
Your Name + 125 Other Potential Southern Environmental Organizations' Endorsements!