Press Release
April 06, 1998
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Brian Vattimo
518/486-1868
TASK FORCE FORMED TO FIGHT FOR STATE & LOCAL PARKS DOLLARS
(Albany, New York, April 6, 1998...) New York State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner John P. Cahill today announced the members of the newly created Empire State Task Force for Land & Water Conservation Funding (LWCF), a committee formed at the request of Governor George E. Pataki that will work to urge Congressional support to restore state side federal funding for the program.
For the third year in a row, the federal government has failed to provide Land and Water Conservation funding to support state government projects, prompting the call by Governor Pataki for the creation of the task force.
Governor Pataki has asked Commissioners Castro and Cahill to co-chair the task force and requested life-long parks and environmental advocate Laurance S. Rockefeller to serve as honorary chairman. Rockefeller, the 1997 recipient of Governor Pataki's Parks & Preservation Award, played a key role in creating the LWCF back in 1964.
"At a time when the public demand for outdoor recreational opportunities is at an all time high, federal funding for local recreation projects has, unfortunately, been eliminated," said Governor Pataki. "We have taken many great steps in doing our share in New York to conserve natural areas and provide recreational opportunities. But so much more could be accomplished if the federal government were to support this much-needed funding."
Governor Pataki said within Congress there are some members who support the need to re-establish funding, including U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato.
Commissioner Castro said the task force's main goals are to educate the public regarding the importance of this funding and to work with New York's Congressional delegation to encourage reinstatement of LWCF state side dollars.
"Over the years, Land and Water Conservation Funds have assisted the state and municipalities in areas like parkland acquisition and recreation development," said Commissioner Castro. "Governor Pataki recognizes the importance of re-establishing this partnership with the federal government and has called upon us to assemble a group to address this issue together."
Commissioner Cahill said since the LWCF was created, funding to state and local governments has been used for $3.2 billion in outdoor projects. Since federal fiscal year 1996, there has been no state side LWCF dollars.
Commissioner Cahill said, "The Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the most successful partnerships ever conceived by Congress. The Fund has been the nation's most important source of funding for acquisition of park and recreation lands, and for grants to state and local governments for the purchase and improvement of outdoor recreation areas and facilities. The Land and Water Conservation Fund must be restored for the protection of our natural heritage and our quality of life."
Enacted in 1964, the dedicated fund is supposed to provide up to $900 million annually from off shore oil and gas leases to be split between state side grants-in-aid and federal agencies. The establishment of the Land and Water Conservation Fund confirmed a commitment by Congress to share the revenues from coastal non-renewable resources with the states and local governments for the establishment of permanent recreational facilities. Between 1965-1995, New York State received nearly $200 million for recreational development, recreational renovation, land acquisition and planning, but just $8 million within the past decade.
Members of the task force include: Art Ambuhl, executive director of the NYS Recreation & Park Society; Beverly Anania, chairperson of the Finger Lakes State Parks Commission; Andrew Beers, of the Nature Conservancy; Matthew Behrmann, director of the NYS Canal Corporation; Albert Butzel, chairman of the Hudson River Park Alliance; Howard Cushing, president of the NYS Conservation Council; Christopher J. Elliman, president of the Open Space Institute; Paul Elston, chairman of the NY League of Conservation Voters; Edward C. Farrell, executive director of the NYS Conference of Mayors; Robert Gregory, executive director of the NYS Association of Counties; Rose Harvey, senior vice president of the Trust for Public Land; Peter Humphrey, chairman of the Genesee State Parks Commission; Barnabas McHenry, chairman of the Palisades Park Commission; Bernard Melewski, legislative director and counsel for the Adirondack Council; Sarah Meyland, executive director and general counsel for Citizens Campaign for the Environment; David Miller, executive director of the National Audubon Society; James Ortenzio, chairman of the Hudson River Park Conservancy; Samuel Pryor, III, attorney and member of the Palisades Park Commission; Mark Rockefeller, chairman of Taconic State Park Commission; Theodore Roosevelt IV, member of the New York City State Park Commission; Klara Sauer, executive director of Scenic Hudson; H. Claude Shostal, president of the Regional Plan Association; Eric Siy, field director with Resource Renewal Institute; Alexander F. Treadwell, Secretary of State; Val Washington, executive director of Environmental Advocates; Richard White-Smith, executive director of the New York Parks & Conservation Association; and Neil Woodworth, deputy executive director and counsel with the Adirondack Mountain Club.
At its highpoint in 1979, New York received about $24 million in LWCF dollars, which was used to provide grants to municipalities and to undertake state park development and land acquisition projects. Virtually every community in New York State has acquired and/or developed outdoor recreational facilities with the help of the LWCF.