Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall spoke with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar during his recent visit to DU national headquarters, making the secretary aware of DU's support for the funding provisions specifically dedicated to the Land and Water Conservation Fund contained in H.R. 3534 and S. 3663.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the repository of that portion of offshore oil and gas revenues collected by the federal government that are to be used for land and water conservation. This account typically collects better than $1 billion each year, but has continually been funded far below its authorized level of $900 million.

LWCF monies are used to acquire public lands to be used for habitat conservation and for outdoor recreation. The program serves two levels of recreation—federal funding and state/local grants. It is used to protect key habitats and pay for local recreation areas and will foster more access to public lands for outdoor recreation.

The two bills pending in Congress attempt to remedy past diversion of these conservation funds for other purposes. DU supported the specific provisions of these two bills that address full funding and permanent appropriation status for the LWCF, but DU has not taken a position on either of the bills in their entirety. The House bill was passed on the House floor last Friday. It is anticipated the Senate will consider the legislation when it returns from recess in September.

"The LWCF provisions in the CLEAR Act will provide full and dedicated funding to fulfill some of the recreation needs of our country for the next 30 years," said Hall. "LWCF serves waterfowlers and the wetlands in which they hunt not only by funding acquisition of critical refuge lands in their states, but, almost more importantly, by protecting waterfowl breeding grounds through the purchase of voluntary conservation easements on private land."