Environmental advocates say time is running out to save a federal fund that helps improve local parks, pools, and playgrounds.
For decades the Land and Water Conservation Fund has given a boost to improvement projects. They range as small as parking lots for local swimming pools and as large as millions of dollars in improvements for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Wayne National Forest.
Ricardo Granados of the Ohio Environmental Council says, whether they know it or not, many Ohioans have likely benefited from this fund.
“To experience nature and get outdoors, whether it’s active recreation like jogging or biking or if it’s passive recreation and just enjoying nature like bird watching or something like that,” says Granados.
The fund, which uses revenue from offshore oil and gas drilling, is set to expire on September 30.