Big Oil Spills into Preservation

More than $40 million in big oil spoils have been directed toward national forest preservation, with the Land and Water Conservation Fund recently announcing its state-by-state list of land purchases spanning Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Tennessee, Montana, Utah, and more. The effort stems from Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors agenda, which taps into fees from off-shore and land-based drilling.

“We’re intending to pay for it with existing oil and gas revenues,” Obama said. “Our attitude is, if you take something out of the earth, you have a responsibility to give something back to the earth.”

Some highlights include:

— Misty Fiords National Monument, Tongass National Forest: Reduces private inholdings and reduces development within an area known for its scenic waters. $500,000

— Deer & Mill Creek, Lassen National Forest: Extends protection of fish and wildlife habitat along 30 miles of Deer Creek, a dam-free stream that is one of the top salmon producers in the Sacramento Basin. $1.5 million

— Ophir Valley, Uncompahgre National Forest: Provides new public access to areas for hunting, fishing, rock climbing, camping, hiking, horseback riding and four-wheel driving. $1 million

— Salmon-Selway Initiative Area, Salmon-Challis and Sawtooth National Forests: Purchases an old homestead within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, protecting streams where three protected fish species live. $3.5 million

— Washington Cascade Ecosystem, Wenatchee National Forest: Helps consolidate ownership of fragmented lands in the Central Cascades containing important wildlife corridors. $1.5 million

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