skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Trump Budget Pushes 98-Percent Cut to Decades-Old Public Lands Program

play audio
Play

Monday, February 19, 2018   

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 54-year-old conservation program that has helped provide outdoor recreation access across New Mexico and the nation would be all but eliminated in the 2019 budget President Donald Trump has sent to Congress.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund gets its money from offshore oil and gas leases, but the proposed budget would divert 98 percent of those funds. Land Tawney, president and CEO of the group Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said for decades, the program has been successful in increasing access to parks and public lands by diverse groups of people.

"You know, there's nothing more American than our public lands, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund helps provides opportunities for all Americans to enjoy these public lands that belong to all of us,” Tawney said. “And the idea of cutting this program doesn't make any sense to us, and I don't think it's going to make any sense to the American people."

In New Mexico, LWCF funds have helped conserve such places as the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. The budget proposal would use LWCF funding to help address the maintenance backlog in national parks instead.

In addition to funding public lands access, Susan Torres with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation said LWCF grants are used as matching money to build community soccer fields and baseball diamonds.

"There are these parks that rely on LWCF funding to maintain their access and make them safe for kids throughout the city,” Torres said. “So I think that that's one of the things that I personally think is very important about LWCF is making sure that our parks are safe and equitable for everyone to be using them."

Outdoor recreation is the nation's third-largest economic driver, generating $887 billion each year. Torres said ending the program would leave many current parcels of land unprotected and outdoor restoration projects unfinished.

"So there could be a lot of restoration programs throughout New Mexico that don't go funded - wetlands rehabilitation, increased access to places in Rio Grande Del Norte where people can go fishing,” she said. “A lot of those places where we're working to get more access, those things could just kind of fall to the wayside and cut people out from where they should have access to."

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has never received full funding, as Congress often diverts the money for other purposes. In recent years, funding has hovered around one-third of the full, authorized level.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The largest flock identified in the Great Backyard Bird Count was a group of four million bramblings in Germany. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …


Environment

play sound

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

Environment

play sound

Grasslands are considered a vital component of South Dakota's landscape. But on the heels of new research, an expert suggests they might not fare as …


More than a dozen states, including Minnesota, have created paid-leave programs to fill gaps when workers can't get paid as they or a relative recover from an illness. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is little less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027…

Social Issues

play sound

A New York City music school's faculty is back in the classroom after a weeklong strike. The Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Program faculty …

The nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves offers a mini-lesson for teachers about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, designed for grades 6-12. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A New York bill would require schools to teach about the Jan. 6 insurrection. The bill calls for all K-12 students to be taught about the event…

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Atlanta-based group is making sure more people have access to an unconventional but effective treatment for their moderate mental health challenges…

Social Issues

play sound

The Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting sponsor applications for its 2025 Summer Meal Programs. The Summer Food Service Program and the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021