States Share $94 Million For Recreation Projects
Funding grants of more than $94 million from the Department of the Interior’s Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)have been announced for Fiscal Year 2003.
The LWCF grants provide assistance to the 50 states, the territories and the District of Columbia for enhancing parks and other recreational opportunities.
The states are responsible for analyzing recreational needs and setting priorities for funding, supervising the selection of projects, and the work, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created by Congress in 1964 and is managed by the National Park Service. The program is intended to create and maintain a nationwide legacy of high quality recreation areas and facilities and to stimulate non-federal investments in the protection and maintenance of recreation resources across the United States.
The LWCF provides matching grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. T Primary funding comes from royalty receipts collected from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Since 1965, more than $3.4 billion have been made available to state and local governments to invest in and improve over 39,000 outdoor and recreational projects.
States and local municipalities have matched this amount, thereby doubling the investment to a total of $6.8 billion.
Of the total number of projects, approximately 10,000 have helped states and local communities to acquire more than 2.5 million acres of additional parkland.
Allocations for fiscal year 2003 are:
Alabama $1,562,998
Alaska $835,530
Arizona $1,760,604
Arkansas $1,165,213
California $8,163,535
Colorado $1,590,503
Connecticut $1,490,890
Delaware $896,322
Florida $4,090,362
Georgia $2,216,475
Hawaii $975,429
Idaho $927,385
Illinois $3,286,244
Indiana $1,895,541
Iowa $1,197,148
Kansas $1,194,809
Kentucky $1,388,087
Louisiana $1,614,914
Maine $925,366
Maryland $1,886,043
Massachusetts $2,142,275
Michigan $2,769,402
Minnesota $1,656,407
Mississippi $1,148,937
Missouri $1,775,781
Montana $857,011
Nebraska $1,021,669
Nevada $1,119,661
New Hampshire $954,476
New Jersey $2,628,475
New Mexico $1,048,717
New York $4,823,954
North Carolina $2,183,878
North Dakota $840,210
Ohio $3,060,736
Oklahoma $1,344,663
Oregon $1,376,204
Pennsylvania $3,302,890
Rhode Island $966,770
South Carolina $1,477,640
South Dakota $847,286
Tennessee $1,781,544
Texas $4,931,742
Utah $1,165,250
Vermont $822,123
Virginia $2,127,888
Washington $1,928,926
West Virginia $1,020,340
Wisconsin $1,733,167
Wyoming $808,079
District of Col. $145,360
Puerto Rico $1,308,141
Virgin Islands $50,000
Guam $50,000
American Samoa $50,000
Northern Marianas $50,000