Resolution 7444 - Laserfiche WebLink

In EVERETT WASHINGTON RESOLUTION NO. 7444 A RESOLUTION declaring the City of Everett to be in support of fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund WHEREAS, 1. Public lands in Washington and throughout the country are a treasure to Washingtonians due to their stunning beauty, wildness, recreation opportunities, and intrinsic value; and 2. protecting public lands is essential to preserving America's biodiversity, especially at a time when the U.N. has reported that 75%of all terrestrial environment has been "severely altered" by human action; and 3. 5.6 gigatons of annual CO2 emissions are sequestered in marine and terrestrial ecosystems making the protection of lands an essential resource in local, state and national efforts to fight global warming; and 4. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), created by Congress 54 years ago, is one of the most successful government programs in preserving our country's precious natural and cultural resources and improving access to the outdoors in urban and rural communities; and 5. The LWCF has been a critical tool in creating, enhancing and conserving national parks and historic sites, national wildlife refuges,watersheds,forests, wildlife areas and state and local parks, trails, and ball fields, all of which are essential to the people of Washington and our health, culture, economic opportunity, and the future of our children and grandchildren; and 6. Over the last 54 years, LWCF funding has preserved and enhanced public lands that are critical to Washington and Everett including: Howarth Park, Lions Park, Kasch Park, Langus Riverfront Park, Hauge Homestead Park, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Olympic National Park, and Mt. Rainier National Park among other federal projects; and 7. Sustained stewardship requires funding, and LWCF takes a portion of royalties from offshore oil and gas development and invests that money in protecting America's important public lands for future generations--be that an iconic national park or an urban playground; and 8. While LWCF is authorized to receive$900 million annually, this threshold has been met only twice during the program's existence and, instead of being fully funded, nearly every year substantial sums of funding are diverted to non-conservation related projects; and