Friends' Leadership Speaks Out in Support of Capital Region Conservation Bill
May 3, 2010
Pat Noonan, vice chairman and a founder of the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources in support of legislation that would authorize up to $50 million a year for land conservation in the National Capital Region of Washington, D.C, Virginia and Maryland.
H.R. 2986, the “National Capital Region Land Conservation Act of 2009,” reauthorizes the Capper-Cramton Act of 1930 to provide up to $50 million per year for five years for the purchase of land for parks, trails and open space.
The act created a conservation program that created some of the region’s most important parks, including Rock Creek Park, Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal and Great Falls National Park.
“This bill builds on the legacy that the Capper-Cramton Act and its passage would lead to expanded outdoor recreation, scenic enjoyment, water quality and public health,” said Noonan. He said the conservation program could help develop the Capt. John Smith Trail and would provide “future generations open spaces in which to recreate and recharge.”
U.S. Representative James Moran of Virginia introduced the bill. It has been cosponsored by members of Congress from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, and received widespread support from just about every state, county, municipality and conservation group within the National Capital Region.
“We commend Representative Moran and the bill’s cosponsors for their strong leadership to conserve the region’s natural and cultural resources,” Noonan said.
For a copy of the complete testimony, please click here.
