Adams: Save the Land and Water Fund

South Florida’s incredible wildlands are connected by an important, but not often heralded, federal program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which may soon disappear.

Congress created this program more than 50 years ago and it has provided over $220 million for restoration of the Everglades National Park and Everglades National Wildlife Refuge as well as many projects protecting water resources and improving habitat in Big Cypress National Preserve.

As a young man, I was fortunate to experience South Florida in a more natural state as I grew up exploring our wild areas. As a surveyor by trade and an avid sportsman, I have been able to encounter the profound beauty and ecological diversity of areas like the Big Cypress, the Everglades and the Florida Keys.

These areas have been near and dear to me and my family for many years and I am honored to have worked alongside many conservationists to restore and preserve some of these wildlands that have been degraded over the last hundred years.

I have been fortunate to introduce the cypress and glades country to many visitors as a charter fishing and eco-tour guide. I have volunteered over the years to take conservationists, elected officials, families and interested individuals into the Big Cypress National Preserve and Ten Thousand Islands of Everglades National Park.

Without fail, once they experience the back country of these incredibly important natural areas, that knowledge transforms their understanding of the vital importance of protecting and maintaining these natural wonders — wonders that protect our water supply and provide outdoor escapes for birding, fishing, hunting and just plain relaxing in a natural setting.

These key pieces of America’s heritage are threatened by urban sprawl, habitat loss and increased development. The support received from the Land and Water Conservation Fund has aided in the efforts to restore portions of the Everglades and also protect our vital water supply in Big Cypress. Many of these efforts to restore healthy ecosystems would not have happened without the support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

We are going through a tough time as we deal with devastating red tides and algae blooms due to water-quality issues in South Florida, and we always seem to be preparing for the next large storm — trials that test our resolve and threaten our state’s fishing and tourism economies.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund can help lessen the blow by providing essential funds to protect wildlife habitat, ensure healthier ecosystems and provide more consistent opportunities for outdoor recreation. The outdoor recreation economy in Florida is significant business, to the tune of $58.6 billion annually. This economic activity supports 485,000 jobs, which generate $17.9 billion in wages and salaries and add $3.5 billion annually to the state and local tax base.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund supports everything from national parks and wildlife preserves to local baseball fields, city parks, fishing piers and boat ramps. Nearly every community in the state has seen the benefits of the fund.

This time is pivotal, as the Land and Water Conservation Fund is set to expire on Sept. 30. We need our members of Congress to get to work on reauthorizing and fully funding this vital program.

I have watched too much of South Florida’s wildlife, habitat and way of life disappear. I ask our elected leaders to work to ensure that the Land and Water Conservation does not also disappear. I hope they are listening.

Franklin Adams has spent decades as a conservationist, educator and guide in the Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands and Big Cypress country. He continues to volunteer to conserve land and water and is a board member of the Florida Wildlife Federation.