Submitted by Shelia Hargis, FRIENDS Government Relations Director
Our Hill Country is a treasure worth preserving, and at its heart is the 23,000-acre Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. Tens of thousands of Texans depend upon the Refuge as a safe, affordable, and convenient place to enjoy the great outdoors. But this refuge and others like it are at risk of closing their doors unless our state’s congressional delegation stands up for public land conservation.
As a volunteer with the Friends of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, I’ve met many Central Texans who visit the Refuge for recreation and relaxation. They come to experience the Refuge’s remarkable views, hiking trails, and plentiful wildlife. Its prime location on a migratory bird flyway as well as breeding Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireos make the Refuge a premiere destination for birders from around the nation. The endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireos are among the Refuge’s 270 bird species that rely on the Refuge, and protection of their breeding habitat inspired the creation of the Refuge nearly twenty years ago. The unique geologic features of the Hill Country also make it ideal habitat for a broad range of unusual subterranean wildlife, and these critters have their own dedicated enthusiasts as well.
Conserving the qualities that make this place so special is tremendously important for all of us who need a place to get outdoors. And, the ecotourism dollars that visiting nature lovers spend at the businesses in the area help support these businesses even in hard economic times.
I recently traveled to Washington,D.C.to bring that message to our congressional delegation and urge their support for a little-known program that has brought enormous benefits to Texas, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Since the fund was established in 1965, LWCF has protected more than seven million acres across the United Statesundefinedfrom neighborhood playgrounds and ball fields to the grandest national parks.
What’s especially impressive is that all this has been accomplished without using taxpayer dollars. Instead, a small portion of the royalties paid by oil and gas companies to drill in public waters offshore are set aside each year to purchase conservation lands.
LWCF has conserved many of our state’s jewels in the national park and refuge system, such as Balcones Canyonlands, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and Padre Island National Seashore. Although LWCF is essential to preserving these national treasures, cuts proposed by some in Washington would decimate the program. Zeroing out funding for land acquisition would threaten public access to recreation and strand landowners who want to convey natural areas for public use.
During my trip to the nation’s capital, I also reminded our delegation that cutting LWCF means cutting local tourism revenue and jobs. Nationwide, outdoor recreation supports one in every 15 jobs, and brings in more than a trillion dollars in revenue to local economies. In our state, 2.9 million sportspersons and 4.2 million wildlife watchers combine to spend $9.2 billion on wildlife-associated recreation.
As Congress looks for ways to reduce spending, LWCF might seem like an easy target. But as I told our delegation, now is not the time to cut a program that provides so many jobs and provides so much economic benefit to our communities.
I hope that Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, and Representative Lamar Smith will defend LWCF. The places we protect today become tomorrow’s recreation jobs and tourist dollars, and they are part of the legacy of clean air and water that we’ll leave our children and grandchildren. That’s not something any of us should be willing to risk.
