Reauthorize LWCF to protect our outdoors for future generations
Americans who raise their right hand for military service have some common traits - not only a sense of duty and patriotism, but also an inherent connection to the outdoors. Whether you're training nationally in America's forests and deserts, or deployed internationally, a big part of the military experience is outside, for better or for worse. As a result, most veterans have an appreciation for our country's public lands, because we've gained a learned respect for these incredible parks, forests and other protected places.
Conservation has always been important to me. I don't think there are many obligations of a federal government; however, I believe the federal government has a moral obligation to protect our lands, because it is critical for people everywhere to have the ability to visit our outdoor areas and build a lasting bond with the world around them. It's part of what makes our country great, and is worth defending. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a program that has been doing much to protect America's beauty since the 1960s, and it is at risk of expiring on September 30 if Congress doesn't act.
LWCF has provided funding for conservation projects and for recreational activities across the country. It's been used to protect places from National Parks to local ball fields in every state since its inception in 1964. It has also protected critical military sites and historic battlefields, helping to tell the story of America's military history to future generations. LWCF is funded by oil and gas revenues generated by energy companies paying to drill for oil and gas offshore and doesn't receive any funds from taxed citizens.
Under the Department of Interior's current leadership, the LWCF is in danger of having enormous funding cuts, with a proposed FY19 budget of $8 million, down from $425 million last year. Congress must work to ensure that LWCF gets reauthorized, for it has protected some of America's most iconic sites.
Support for LWCF is strong in the veteran community and growing, but its success is based on the wider public understanding its importance. It would be a travesty for our members of Congress to enable the expiration of a program that has done so much for our communities without spending a cent of taxpayers' money. We must fight to reauthorize LWCF, so that future generations can truly appreciate 'America, the Beautiful'.
A former U.S. Marine combat engineer officer, Brad Kuczynski, of Round Lake, spent time throughout the United States working on infrastructure and construction projects ranging from the swamps of North Carolina to the deserts of California. He currently works as a maintenance supervisor supporting the utility and tele-com industry as a maintenance supervisor for the greater Chicago Area.