Veterans Demand Congressional Support for Public Lands
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Veterans in Nevada and around the country are calling on Congress to renew the fund that supports national parks, wildlife refuges, historic battlefields and other public spaces.
The Vet Voice Foundation this week released a position paper that calls for reauthorization and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which since the 1960s has used revenue from offshore drilling to support tens of thousands of public land and water projects.
Veteran Navy aviation electronics technician Gabrielle d'Ayr said she moved to Nevada specifically because of all of the public land in the state. She said being outdoors is therapeutic for her.
"We're only really just now getting to understand the effects of PTSD, and the traumatic things that some of our soldiers see when they're actively serving their country," she said, "and a lot of them find solace in the land afterwards."
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is set to expire in September unless Congress acts. The Vet Voice Foundation has said it is critical not only to preserving historic military sites such as Gettysburg and the 9/11 Memorial, but also the outdoor recreation spaces that so many veterans and their families enjoy together.
Veterans, such as Army cavalry scout and sniper Garett Reppenhagen, have said the fund is essential to the nation they fought to protect.
"It's a really great program and it costs taxpayers zero dollars to support," Reppenhagen said. "So it's a key program and it's had bipartisan support for a long time."
According to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, more than $100 million in LWCF funding has been spent in Nevada. That includes protection for the Toiyabe National Forest, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The Vet Voice Foundation's position paper is online at vetvoicefoundation.org.
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