Over the years, the A.T. has benefited significantly from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program initially authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1964, that allocates a portion of funds collected from offshore oil leases for the acquisition of federal park, forest, and fish and wildlife lands and, on a matching basis, for land acquisition and park development among the various states. In the past 30 years, approximately 200,000 acres of land have been acquired along the A.T., ensuring a permanent right-of-way and protective corridor surrounding much of the Trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy continues to seek congressional appropriations through the LWCF program for select properties bordering the A.T. In 2009 and 2010, for example, nearly $10 million was appropriated for projects benefiting the A.T. in the states of Virginia, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Tennessee.
Congress is authorized to appropriate up to $900 million each year from oil lease revenues to LWCF, though regrettably they have chosen to divert a significant portion of those revenues to other programs in all but one year since the program was enacted in 1964. This year, in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe, Congress is considering legislation that could ensure full annual funding for LWCF at the $900 million level in the future. In late July, the House passed the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act (CLEAR, H.R. 3534). Included among the provisions of that act is permanent authorization for annual appropriations of $900 million for the LWCF. Now, the action moves to the Senate, where that body will consider similar legislation: the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act of 2010 (S. 3663) that also includes a full-funding provision for LWCF. The Senate is scheduled to consider the legislation when it returns from August recess. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, along with numerous other conservation and trail organizations, has emphasized that full funding for LWCF is a linchpin for the current administration’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative. We are encouraged and excited to see Congress moving in this direction.
Please take a moment to contact your congressional representatives and let them know that you support full funding for LWCF and the protection for Appalachian Trail lands that it has and will continue to enable for generations to come.
Current ATC Funding Priorities
| Property |
Acres |
LWCF Funding Request |
Total project cost |
Special Features |
| Wesser Bald, North Carolina (PDF) |
75 |
$180,000 |
$450,000 |
High elevation remote forest, Little Tennessee River watershed, A.T. views
|
| Rocky Fork, Tennessee (PDF) |
7,000 |
$11 million
(partially funded)
|
$43 million |
Rare species, strategic trail links, Lower Higgins and Rocky Fork Creeks watersheds, A.T. views
|
|
Chateauguay, Vermont
|
1,000 |
$1,250,000 (partially funded) |
$1,250,000
|
feeding habitat for migratory birds, black bears, and moose; headwaters of the Locust Creek watershed
|
| Rich Mountain, Tennessee (PDF) |
100 |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
High elevation heath bald, Rocky Fork watershed, strategic trail links
|
| Dismal Creek, Virginia |
89 |
$190,000 |
$190,000 |
Yellow Sedge habitat; stream-water quality for proximate trout fishery |
| Shook Branch, Tennessee (PDF) |
20 |
$829,000 |
$829,000 |
Site of necessary A.T. relocation, Watauga River and Lake watershed, A.T. views
|
| Hauser Tract, Pennsylvania |
172 |
$255,000 |
$255,000 |
north slope of Kittatinny Ridge adjacent to the A.T.; state's largest native grassland habitat |
| Blood Mountain, Georgia |
23 |
$700,000 |
$800,000 |
within the viewshed from the summit rock outcroppings of Blood Mountain |
| New River, Virginia (PDF) |
485 |
funded
|
$1,600,000 |
Site of necessary A.T. relocation, safer trail route, New River watershed
|
| Tilson Farmstead, Virginia (PDF) |
170 |
funded
|
$600,000 |
A.T. treadway, Holston River watershed, rural character
|
| Mahoosucs, New Hampshire (PDF) |
4,772 |
funded
|
$4,800,000 |
Protection of A.T. approach trails, Androscoggin river watershed, state significant wildlife habitat, A.T. views
|
The Land and Water Conservation Fund
In 1962 the Kennedy Administration, recognizing the importance of America’s natural and recreational resources, introduced legislation to establish a new federal conservation fund. The next year, Kennedy repeated the proposal, writing to Congress: “Actions deferred are all too often opportunities lost, particularly in safeguarding our natural resources.”
In 1964 Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help protect parks, wildlife refuges and recreational resources. The Land and Water Conservation Fund was designed to be funded through royalty revenues from off-shore drilling operations. The philosophy that guided the creation of the program was that if there was to be a permanent extraction of our nation’s natural or mineral resources from offshore drilling, then there should be a permanent conservation and recreation benefit for the American people. Advocates still embrace this rationale today.
The LWCF was created to function in two ways:
-
To fund state and local projects through 50% matching grants
-
To fund up to 100% of new or expanded federal public lands , such as:
The following links and resources provide more information on the recent history of the LWCF and on the Forest Legacy Program:
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