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Appalachian Trail Conservancy Sounds Alarm on Proposed Federal Budget Cuts
President Trump’s proposed budget cuts could have drastic consequences for the Appalachian Trail, says the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). In a statement released today, the organization outlined how cuts requested by Trump would impact the white blazes.
“Our beloved public lands and trails are already underfunded. And now the administration is proposing to cut the National Park Service budget by 33%, the USDA Forest Service budget by 75%, and to redirect funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Every mile of the AT protected since 1968 has used the LWCF — our nation’s most important tool for conserving irreplaceable lands and improving outdoor recreation opportunities.”
Land and Water Conservation Fund
The LCWF is a federal program that funds land and water acquisitions and easements for conservation purposes. As the AT traverses a patchwork of public and private lands, LWCF funds have been critical for protecting the integrity of the AT corridor.
For instance, in fiscal year 2021, a $645,00 LWCF grant was used to purchase 236 acres near Virginia’s McAfee Knob. This preserved a critical viewshed in the most-photographed area of the Appalachian Trail.
“Lands that contribute to the natural and scenic nature of the AT landscape could be lost to development without LWCF funding,” ATC said. The Conservancy also suggested that the proposed cuts would make it harder to manage lands in the AT corridor that have already been preserved. “Natural resource management along the Trail could come to a halt, impacting the AT’s iconic vistas, critical habitat conservation, and our ability to combat non-native invasive species with volunteers.
“Recreational support in our national forests would decrease while bureaucracy would increase, impacting volunteer support and the AT corridor.”
An Urgent Call to Action
The organization is urging supporters to contact their representatives. At this time, the President’s budget is still only a request and is by no means set in stone.
“Congress is writing its appropriations bills right now. Your Senators and Representatives need to hear from you on why the AT is important and that you strongly oppose these cuts,” ATC urged.
“Visit congress.gov/members/find-
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Comments 5
As deficit spending continues unabated by both parties, and the federal debt grows, interest on the debt will continue to crowd out discretionary spending.
In short, cuts are inevitable. That is the sad reality.
Thank you… I dont think folks recognize that this is a real issue. There is a lot of waste in Gov, and the only way to address is as you mentioned. Just a fact of life.
Trump is not to blame for the federal cuts, you can thank every president, senator and representative before who have spent (like drunken sailors) this country into oblivion and created a $36 trillion dollar debt.
Lay the blame where it belongs, not where the leftist delusionally believe because of the continously gaslighting by the fake news media.
Well since the Trump administration under President Trump are the ones executing these cuts they are to blame for these cuts. Talk about fake news indeed.
Especially since the tax breaks they want passed will add ANOTHER $10 trillion to the debt. And any claim they do not is just handwaving not reality.
To everyone else what you see in the prior post is what adhering to “fake news” does to you. Don’t do that.
If the debt mattered, we’d be taxing billionaires, not firing workers, selling public lands and cutting social services to help them get away with paying less.