NPS Mission - National Park Service

National Park Service FY 2013 Budget Justifications
Activity: State Conservation Grants Administration
State Conservation
Grants Administration
($000)
State Conservation
Grants Administration
FY 2011
Enacted
FY 2012
Enacted
Fixed Costs
& Related
Changes
(+/-)
LASA-28
FY 2013
Program
Changes
(+/-)
Budget
Request
Change
from FY
2012
Enacted (+/-)
2,794 2,790 +129 +581 3,500 +710
Total Requirements 2,794 2,790 +129 +581 3,500 +710
Total FTE Requirements 25 25 0 +5 30 +5
Summary of FY 2013 Program Changes for State Conservation Grants Administration
Program Changes ($000) FTE Page
• Support LWCF State Conservation Grants Administration +581 +5 LASA-28
Total Program Changes +581 +5
Mission Overview
State Conservation Grants Administration supports, through partnerships with other Federal, State, and
local agencies and nonprofit organizations, a nationwide system of parks, open space, rivers, and trails,
providing educational, recreational, and conservation benefits to the American people.
As a key component of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative, this increase also contributes to the
Administration’s goal to fund the following Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs: to
improve land health and aquatic resources; strengthen plant and animal communities; protect historical
and natural icons for future generations; and enhance outdoor recreation.
Justification of FY 2013 Programmatic Changes
The FY 2013 budget request for the State Conservation Grants Administration program is $3,500,000 and
30 FTE, a program change of +$581,000 and +5 FTE from the FY 2012 Enacted.
Support State Conservation Grants Administration (FY 2012 Base: $2,790,000 / 25 FTE / FY 2013
Request: +$581,000 / +5 FTE) – The NPS requests an increase of $0.581 million for the State
Conservation Grants Administration program. This increase would provide the staffing and administrative
costs necessary to support an increasing compliance workload as well as the increased State
Conservation Grants funding level.
From FY 2008 to FY 2011, State Conservation Grants Administration was level-funded at $2.8 million,
with additional support provided through unexpended Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program
monies. As these UPARR balances have been rescinded or expended, the ability to sustain an on-going,
appropriate level of program administration is becoming compromised. This request would provide the
staff support needed for the growing compliance workload that stems from managing more than 41,000
completed grants since 1965. This oversight is necessary to ensure that the park sites previously assisted
with LWCF grants remain in an outdoor recreation use in perpetuity as required by Section 6(f) of the
LWCF Act. This compliance workload grows steadily each year as grants are completed and the projects
are opened to the public, already requiring an estimated 70 percent of regional staff time.
State Conservation Grants are allocated by a formula outlined in the LWCF Act, with 40 percent allocated
equally among the States and 60 percent allocated proportionately based on need as determined by the
Secretary; currently it is established as a function of each State’s total and urban populations. States