Letter: Congress needs to reauthorize conservation fund

As president of an organization with deep ties to Eastern Washington’s outdoor heritage, I was glad to see the recent articles supporting the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This is our country’s most important national conservation program, ensuring that the wild places that make our state special do not succumb to the pressures of development.

The fund’s projects protect and restore the clean waterways critical for our fish stocks and wildlife populations. The projects ensure that generations to come will be able to fish and hunt these waters and adjacent lands, while embracing their role as stewards of our public lands. Funding for projects in our local area has improved public access to and along the Columbia and Yakima rivers.

After 50 years, the fund will expire this month unless reauthorized by Congress. In the face of all the partisanship and divisiveness in today’s political landscape, the fund is a program that cuts across ideological lines.

I encourage Rep. Dan Newhouse to draw on his understanding of the importance of our outdoor heritage and do everything in his power to save the fund so we can continue to pass on that legacy to future generations.

Kennewick

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letter: Congress needs to reauthorize conservation fund."