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Earlier today, the Administration released detailed information on President Obama's FY 2010 budget proposal. The budget blueprint notes that the Department of Interior will focus its efforts on "creating a new energy frontier; tackling climate impact; protecting America's treasured landscapes and a reinvigorated Land and Water Conservation; and a 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps."
The President's 2010 budget proposal includes $419.9 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Of this amount proposed for FY 2010, $30 million is proposed for the Stateside Assistance program. This is an increase of $10 million over FY 2009 funding. The FY 2010 budget also includes $100 million for the Endangered Species Program administered through the Fish and Wildlife Service and $91.1 million for the Forest Legacy Program administered through the U.S. Forest Service. Historically, these programs have not been funded through LWCF.
The President's budget for FYs 2006-2009 recommended zero funding for the LWCF Stateside Assistance program. The fact that this year's budget recommends increased funding is an encouraging sign.
As you may recall, The Energy Security Act of 2006 dedicated 12.5 percent of new lease revenues from the Outer Continental Shelf to the LWCF Stateside Assistance program. These lease revenues will yield an additional $8.4 million in funding for FY 2009 and an estimated $10 million for LWCF Stateside Assistance in FY 2010. It is important to note that this funding is in addition to the money annually appropriated by Congress.
While the President's budget conveys the priorities of the Administration, programmatic funding is determined through the Congressional appropriations process. Therefore, Congress could provide funding for LWCF Stateside Assistance that is different from the level proposed in the President's budget. Congress will begin holding appropriations hearings next week and final mark-up of the appropriations bills are anticipated in late July. Once Congress passes the appropriations bills they will be sent to the President for his signature.
For more information
Visit the NRPA website at www.nrpa.org/advocacy
Contact the NRPA Public Policy office at 202-887-0290.
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COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION
Parks are complex elements of a city. They can serve scores of different uses, may be specialized in their function, or can simply provide visual appeal for residents. However they work, they act to define the shape and feel of a city and its neighborhoods. They also function as a conscious tool for revitalization.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Parks provide intrinsic environmental, aesthetic, and recreation benefits to our cities. They are also a source of positive economic benefits. They enhance property values, increase municipal revenue, bring in homebuyers and workers, and attract retirees. More >> |
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CREATE SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS
For those concerned that green spaces may foster crime and illegal activity, evidence now exists that the opposite may be true. When adjacent to residential areas, green spaces have been shown to create neighborhoods with fewer violent and property crimes and where neighbors tend to support and protect one another. The factors that explain these findings emphasize the importance of greenery in community and personal wellness.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with individuals and groups to achieve specific goals. For parks and open spaces, community engagement allows mayors and public officials to directly involve their constituencies in the ongoing design, planning and management of these resources. This process results in informed and engaged residents that feel better connected to their communities. While sometimes contentious, but more often productive and rewarding, community engagement is an essential ingredient of making successful urban open space.
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GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Just as growing communities need to upgrade and expand their built infrastructure of roads, sewers, and utilities, they also need to upgrade and expand their green infrastructure, the interconnected system of green spaces that conserves natural ecosystem values and functions, sustains clear air and water, and provides a wide array of benefits to people and wildlife. Green infrastructure is a community's natural life support system, the ecological framework needed for environmental and economic sustainability.
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HELP CHILDREN LEARN
Childhood is a holistic process, different for each individual child. Many children do not learn effectively exclusively within a classroom. They need alternative, hands-on learning environments to match their varied learning styles. Parks can help.
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PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH
People value the time they spend in city parks, whether walking a dog, playing basketball, or having a picnic. Along with these expected leisure amenities, parks can also provide measurable health benefits, from providing direct contact with nature and a cleaner environment, to opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. A telephone survey conducted for the American Public Health Association found that 75 percent of adults believe parks and recreation must play an important role in addressing America's obesity crisis.
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PROMOTE THE ARTS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS
Urban parks have always been an important setting for arts and cultural programs. During the late 19th centruy, parks commonly hosed musical events. By the beginning of the 20th century, dance, theatre, and even the new medium of film began to be represented in parks programming.
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TOURISM
Public parks are often the "engine" that drives tourism in many communities. In a simplified tourism model, visitors use some mode of transportation to leave their homes and travel to attractions, which are supported by various kinds of services, such as hotels/motels, restaurants, and retailing. The attractions and support services provide information and promote their offerings to target groups they have identified as potential visitors.
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SMART GROWTH
Parks are commonly thought of as the venue for "fun and games," but that is only one role they play in a metropolitan environment. Urban parks, which broadly include parkland, plazas, landscaped boulevards, waterfront promenades, and public gardens, significantly define the layout, real estate value, traffic flow, public events, and the civic culture of our communities. With open spaces, our cities and neighborhoods take on structure, beauty, breathing room and value.
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