Program Coordinator: Seth McArthur
sethmcarthur@utah.gov
(801) 538-7354
Background
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was authorized under authority of Public Law 88-578 in 1964 and took effect on January 1, 1965. This law established a funding source for matching grants to state and local governments for recreation planning, acquisition and development. Funding comes primarily from Outer Continental Shelf revenues derived from oil and gas leases. These grant monies are not available for operations and maintenance of recreation facilities, but are designed to assist in the development of new facilities. The Act also set in place requirements for state outdoor recreation planning and provided a formula for Congress to apportion annual Land and Water Conservation Fund appropriations to the states and territories based upon population. Seventy five percent of the funds received by the state of Utah has been used for local recreation projects and include picnic areas, playgrounds, swimming pools, ballfields, tennis courts, and golf courses. Properties or facilities purchased or constructed with LWCF monies must be set aside for recreational purposes in perpetuity.
Process
Land and Water Conservation Fund grant applications are available on the Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation website. Applications are updated as the need arises.
Applications are due (or postmarked) by October 15th of each year.
All applications are reviewed and the projects are ranked through an evaluation process that has been cooperatively developed by the state and the National Park Service. This process involves a site inspection, a thorough review of the application and supporting documentation, a ranking based on the evaluation, and approval by the Utah Board of Parks and Recreation.
Congressional appropriations to the state for LWCF grants generally occurs around the first of the calendar year. When the state receives notification of the amount of funding that will be available for the year, the amount is applied to the projects in the order of their ranking.
A listing of projects selected for funding is then sent to the National Park Service for their approval, and contracts between the state and federal government are signed.
Once the agreements are signed between the state and federal governments, contracts are entered into between project sponsors and the state.
With signed contracts in place, work can begin on the project.
Upon completion of the contracted work, an inspection is completed by the state. All appropriate financial documentation is submitted, and the project is closed.
Federal law requires the state to complete a Compliance Inspection on every Land and Water Conservation Fund project every 5 years to ensure perpetual use of the property or facility as a recreational facility.