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2012 Legislative Session

1000 Friends of Florida is actively engaged on a number of issues this session, including Everglades Restoration, water management and a growth management glitch bill. Please check back for regular updates and sign up for email alerts to receive the latest news. Please also join us on Facebook and Twitter to find out what's happening.

Land and Water Conservation Fund

Review -- And Thanks

We wish to thank all of our partners across the country for your continuing engagement and support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund over this past year. Scroll below for a recap from the Coalition co-chairs of our LWCF campaign during the 112th Congress. Due to your collective dedication and hard work we successfully staved off program cuts and built momentum and bipartisan support in Congress for LWCF full funding that will carry into the new year. LWCF also saw a 7 percent funding increase from last year, bringing program funding to $322.9 million in the Interior appropriations portion of the FY2012 Omnibus bill -- a remarkable achievement. None of this would have been possible if not for lawmakers continually hearing from their constituents that LWCF is a priority for them... and they are watching what their representatives do and say on the program's behalf.

A big thank you to each of your who have so effectively articulated the importance of LWCF across your state and in your community. We look forward to continuing to work together in 2012. 

LWCF has now come through the FY12 process as one of the very few environmental victories of this year. Despite the budget-cutting climate that now dominates Washington, LWCF is a success story, showing that your hard work paid off.

The calendar year started with a series of short term CR's that funded the government through April. At every point during the debate, we were fighting back against serious efforts to cut and even defund LWCF. The last minute vote wrangling and our coalition efforts to defeat the floor amendment from Representative Lummis (R-WY) led to a huge victory that galvanized our House champions.

At the same time we were battling on FY 11, the Administration was releasing its FY 12 budget, urging full funding for LWCF at $900 million, the first time that has ever truly been proposed in a President's request. We successfully navigated a number of appropriations hearings where members on both sides of the aisle and Secretary Salazar fought for and made the case for the importance of LWCF.

As a result, we were able to pull together two incredibly successfully Dear Colleague letters in the House and Senate for FY 12 funding. At a time when many conservation funding letters were seeing decreased support and members were less inclined to sign them, we pulled off a House letter that had 150 members on board, including 15 Republicans, and a Senate letter with 39 members, including 4 Republicans.

Despite these efforts, the House's FY 11 draft spending bill for Interior included just $65 million for LWCF, one of the lowest proposed funding levels in the history of the program. But, due in large part to the great leadership of Representatives Bass, Frelinghuysen, Dold, Reichert, Meehan, Gerlach, Tipton, Murphy, Kind and Inslee, we achieved passage of three amendments during the House debate to restore $25 million to LWCF. These victories were truly remarkable given the fact that nearly all other amendments to increase funding in the bill were being opposed by House leadership, and a letter from many of these members to Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Simpson this fall was also hugely helpful.

Throughout the summer and fall, we echoed Secretary Salazar's message as he barnstormed the country talking about the value of conservation in local communities, specifically underscoring the need for LWCF investments to spur jobs and economic growth. That Administration support combined with your tireless efforts in working with House and Senate LWCF champs proved invaluable as the Senate released their Interior bill discussion draft in October. Their recommended funding level for LWCF was $350 million, a substantial $50 million increase over FY 11 and one of the highest proposed increases not only within the Interior bill but throughout all the federal departments and agencies. In November, the Office of Management and Budget submitted a letter to Congress urging that no harmful policy riders be included in the appropriations bill, while also singling out LWCF with a recommendation for $450 million in the final FY 12 package.

Our FY 12 efforts finally paid off just a week ago, when the omnibus appropriations package was passed which included an LWCF funding level that was only $5 million below the Senate mark and represented a 7% increase from FY 11 despite a historically difficult budget environment.

We worked diligently throughout the fall with members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the Supercommittee) to raise the profile of LWCF and ensure that it was protected in any deal being discussed. Major state letter campaigns and outreach to these members made a huge difference, and our champions on the committee came away from the exercise even more committed to finding a path for LWCF full funding in the coming year.

The year then culminated with a frantic final week House push on the Dear Colleague letter opposing any attempt to take OCS revenues away from LWCF during discussions about how to fund the transportation bill. Despite time constraints and staff exhaustion, we were still able to muster an impressive 130 members onto the letter, including 15 Republicans, which we hope will send a strong message to House leadership in 2012 that they'll need to find other ways to stabilize the Highway Trust Fund.

During each of these strategic moments throughout the year, we continued to get unprecedented media coverage all across the country on a daily basis. The diversity of voices and stories being told only added to our momentum and showed unequivocally that LWCF is truly America's most effective and well respected conservation program. Many of our advocates through the media were also participants in the two very successfully lobby fly-ins that we had in April and September. Over 80 of our best supporters took their local stories straight to the Senators and Congressmen who represent them, building strong relationships and providing an important spark to our efforts.

Through it all, and perhaps most importantly, we built incredible momentum and strength for S. 1265, the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2011. Led by Senators Bingaman and Baucus, our active co-sponsorship drive has and will continue to garner a growing list of bipartisan support that now stands at 27, including three Republicans. Our efforts on this bill continue to give us great hope and optimism going forward into 2012 that we can reach our ultimate goal by this time next year.

Looking back, this truly was an incredible roller coaster of a year, with the constant being your continued dedication and support no matter what obstacle or opportunity was put before us. 2012 will be a huge year for us in so many ways, and getting ourselves through 2011 the way we did keeps our hopes not only alive but very much within reach. So, take a well deserved rest, get recharged, and be prepared to do it again next year! We have come together to build arguably the most effective conservation coalition out there right now, and the future is bright for us no matter what challenges may come.

We wish you all a great holiday season shared with friends and family, and are looking forward our continued work together in the New Year.

-Alan and Lesley



Lindsey Levick
National Conservation Representative
The Wilderness Society | Central Rockies Regional Office
office: 303.650.5818x134| cell: 303.895.9253
Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CC76E7.6B5D6EB0 We protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places


 

Barnett at SCCF Conservation ForumJan. 31st.

February 14, 7 - 8:30 PM

" Your Yard/Our World: Why We Should Plant Native" will be the topic, presented by Stephen Brown, Lee County Agent,  at the Native Plant Society monthly meeting at Lemon Bay Park (570 Bay Park Blvd., Englewood). According to Stephen Brown, the belief that native plants are best adapted to the altered landscapes of South Florida is evidently not true. Stephen states that the often repeated reasons for planting natives are not supported by fact or observation. Instead he lays out other reasons why we should go native. This talk might challenge some of your beliefs, but whatever it does, it will educate and help you to have a deeper appreciation of south Florida native plants. Light refreshments provided. Everyone is welcome.

 http://mangrove.fnpschapters.org