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Fund that protects Northwest forestland under threat

Its backers wary of possible government shutdown's impact

By Lauren Dake, Columbian Political Writer
Published: September 22, 2015, 8:01pm
2 Photos
Tedd Huffman, monument manager at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, left, and Angie Elam of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, look over a diagram of the Mount St. Helens Forest Conservation Area on Tuesday morning, Sept. 22, 2015 at the Lynch Residence in Vancouver.
Tedd Huffman, monument manager at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, left, and Angie Elam of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, look over a diagram of the Mount St. Helens Forest Conservation Area on Tuesday morning, Sept. 22, 2015 at the Lynch Residence in Vancouver. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

A federal fund crucial to protecting nearly 8,000 acres at the base of Mount St. Helens from development is set to expire at the end of the month unless Congress acts.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has protected parks and forests for the past 50 years, including playing a key role in safeguarding nearly 120,000 acres in Washington. Congress is in the midst of a budget impasse surrounding federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which has spurred talk of a government shutdown and imperiled the funding.

On Tuesday morning, a group gathered in Vancouver to highlight the role the Land and Water Conservation Fund has played in the region, including protecting large swaths of land from development at the base of Mount St. Helens through its Forest Legacy Program.

A controversial development plan in the Mount St. Helens region years ago resulted in a partnership between a conservation group, a private timber company and officials from the Skamania County government. The group landed on a goal they could agree upon: maintaining a working forest in the area while protecting sensitive habitat and staving off the bulk of development.

In 2010, the Columbia Land Trust, a Vancouver-based nonprofit, secured 6,886 acres of forestland at the base of Mount St. Helens in a conservation easement. More recently, in 2013, the trust purchased 2,330 acres of forestland and riparian habitat near Pine Creek. The trust has been working with the private landowner, Poulsbo-based timber company Pope Resources. The trust’s final goal consists of securing 7,900 acres near Swift Reservoir.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund supports the Forest Legacy Program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and fosters partnerships between states, forest landowners and conservation groups. It was established by the farm bill and provides grants and the ability to leverage non-federal funds to help ensure privately owned land can continue to help the economy and protect the environment, according to information from the Washington Association of Land Trusts.

But the partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., threatens to derail those efforts.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has introduced legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund “so that the future of our natural habitats and forests will be secure in perpetuity for every American,” Cantwell wrote in a statement.

Her colleague, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has signed on to also support permanent authorization and consisting funding.

The fund does not rely on taxpayer dollars, but instead receives oil and gas receipts paid to the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, who was active in the partnership to protect the Mount St. Helens area, supports reauthorization of the fund but not permanently.

“Given the difficulties caused by the $18 trillion debt facing our country and that nearly two thirds of our deficit is mandatory spending already, Jaime is very wary about committing mandatory spending levels to additional programs,” Amy Pennington, Herrera Beutler’s spokeswoman, wrote in an email.

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Columbian Political Writer