Chesapeake Bay Commission • May 2017
These proposed line-item reductions to the Federal FY 2018 budget will significantly impact Bay restoration
efforts related to land conservation and citizen enjoyment of the resource.
Fund USFWS’ Habitat Conservation –
Coastal Program at $13 million.
President’s Budget: $11.9 million
This is a voluntary habitat conservation
program that provides technical and financial
assistance, in collaboration, with partners, for
the benefit of protected species and
resources. The Chesapeake Bay is one of 24
priority coastal ecosystems.
Fund USFWS’ Cooperative
Landscape Conservation at $13
million.
President’s Budget: $0
The 22 public-private landscape cooperatives
are a recognition that successful conservation
requires voluntary, non-regulatory
partnerships that span jurisdictional
boundaries.
Fund NPS’ Chesapeake Bay
Gateways and Trails Program at
$2 million.
President’s Budget: $1 million
This program provides technical and financial
assistance to state, community, and
nongovernmental organizations in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed. NPS collaborates
with partners to increase access to the
Chesapeake and rivers, to conserve important
landscapes and resources, to promote
tourism and local economies, to engage
youth in meaningful work and placedbased
education, to improve and
connect people with recreational
opportunities, and to interpret the
natural and cultural resources of the
Chesapeake region.
Fund the National Land and
Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF) at $450 million.
President’s Budget: $64 million
LWCF provides funding for land conservation
projects to protect open space and enhance
recreation opportunities for all Americans.
Since 2015, the Chesapeake region has
received a total of $22 million for land
conservation projects across the watershed.
The Administration’s proposed budget would
cut the LWCF fund by upwards of 80%, which
would greatly hamper conservation efforts in
the watershed and would hurt the
Chesapeake’s $13 billion recreation and
tourism economy.
*See “What the Congress Must do to Address
the President’s FY 2018 Budget Shortfall” for a
list of Chesapeake Bay Commission’s 10 water
quality and fisheries Federal budget priorities.
www.chesabay.us