Land and Water Conservation Fund Testimony

Testimony of
GARY SPRUNG
Senior National Policy Advisor
INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN BICYCLING ASSOCIATION

For the House Appropriations Committee
Subcommittee on Interior
On
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) April 2003

Dear Mr. Chairman and Committee Members:

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) strongly supports full funding of the authorized amount of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Included within that, Congress should allocate $200 million in FY 2004 for the stateside LWCF program.

Though national and international, IMBA is headquartered in Colorado, so we will offer some examples from our state. The Colorado state government, under both Republican and Democratic governors, has set many fine examples of land conservation in an effort to maintain the beauty that attracts so many people and businesses to our state.

Colorado has long received significant funds for acquisition of properties of relevance to the federal land management agencies. But those agencies manage only about one-third of this state. There are many places where public acquisition is appropriate, but not by federal agencies. Throughout Colorado, counties and municipalities, as well as state agencies, are trying to acquire lands to protect wildlife habitat, provide public recreation facilities, and maintain open spaces. Often these efforts receive strong support from private sector organizations such as land trusts or corporations.

Colorado has an excellent program, Great Outdoors Colorado, that can effectively administer any stateside allocations of LWCF money.

IMBA also wishes to remind members of Congress that the "CARA-Lite" program was a commitment by Congress for continuing appropriations. It was a compromise from the larger CARA proposal and Congress should continue to honor that solid legislative work. Please fund the Conservation Trust Fund at $2.08 billion in FY 2004.

IMBA has a program called "Sprockids" which teaches young people in school how to enjoy the great sport of mountain biking. Most young people live in cities and suburbs and they need recreation facilities close to home. We therefore believe it is appropriate for Congress to continue its assistance to urban parks and recreation through the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR), which received no funding in FY 2003. Please restore this program with an appropriation of $50 million in FY 2004.

Mountain bicyclists strongly support both land conservation and recreation. We depend on open spaces for our sport. Our sport brings significant retail, manufacturing, and tourism income to many communities, including the urban cities in Colorado's Front Range. Investments in land acquisition pay off many times over in increased business, as well as improved health for many citizens.

Again, please fund the stateside segment of LWCF at $200 million and the Conservation Trust Fund at $2.08 billion in FY 2004.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Gary Sprung
Senior National Policy Advisor