March 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 54

S E C R E TA R Y J E W E L L I N T E R V I E W

Once you've helped
build a trail or cleaned
up a riverbank, you'll
never experience that
place in the same way
again.
hiring preference to the young people who have spent time working so
hard on our public lands.
From my experience in the private
sector, I know that there are many
organizations and individuals who
want to see our lands protected and
the next generation engaged. We
will work together to make these
goals a reality.

U.S. Department of the Interior/Andrew Pernick

Secretary Jewell: There's no doubt
that in order to achieve this margin
of excellence, we need to prioritize
our budgets, build off successful
programs, and work in partnership
with schools, nonprofit organizations and communities to leverage
existing resources.
Additionally, we are working
with corporations and philanthropists to raise an additional $20 million to support these youth work
and training opportunities through
nonprofit youth conservation corps,
in partnership with Department of
Interior bureaus like the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife
Service, Bureau of Land Management and others. I'm also calling
on businesses to come out and do
volunteer work themselves, with
their employees and their customers. And I'm asking them to give a

Passionate in her defense of wildlife protection and other conservation efforts, Secretary
Jewell is also cognizant of her department's role in providing for the energy needs of the
United States - a tricky balance to maintain.
52

Parks & Recreation

| M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

Tulipane: Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF), and you
have repeatedly expressed strong
support for that program. As we approach the reauthorization, what
changes do you believe should be
made to the program to ensure
that all Americans have access to
parks, recreation resources, and
conserved lands and waters?
Secretary Jewell: We have much to
celebrate on the 50th anniversary of
LWCF. The programs and projects
funded through this landmark law
have delivered significant economic,
environmental and health benefits to
every county across the U.S. But we
can and should do much more in the
program's next 50 years.
The Administration strongly supports full, permanent funding for
LWCF, which would finally realize
the original intent of the program
to invest a meaningful portion of
the nation's mineral resource revenues into permanent conservation
of lands and waters that are important to communities across the
country. Since the program was
created nearly 50 years ago, royalties have been paid into the fund far
in excess of $900 million per year
(the level at which the program was
authorized), but appropriations out
of the fund for land and water conservation projects have been a fraction of that. As a result, Americans
have not been receiving anywhere
near the full benefit they have been
promised from the fund.
If Congress passes full funding,
we will see more grants to cities
and states to support recreation,
more close-to-home parks and trails
that will reach communities underserved by public lands, easier access
to our iconic public lands and more
safe places for our children to get
outside and play. It will facilitate

March 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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