By far the most important support for marine recreation, however, 

 comes through the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 

 (L&WCF), as amended. The objective of the State portion of this act is 

 to provide financial assistance to the States and their political 

 subdivisions for the acquisition and development of outdoor 

 recreation areas and facilities. The program is administered through 

 BOR and provides acquisition and development grants that may be 

 used for a w^ide range of outdoor recreation projects. All assisted 

 areas must be open to the general public and not limited to special 

 groups. Development of basic rather than elaborate facilities is 

 favored, and priority consideration generally is given to projects 

 serving urban populations. Fund monies are not available for the 

 operation and maintenance of facilities. A State, to qualify for the 

 L&WCF program, is required to prepare and maintain a statewide 

 comprehensive outdoor recreation plan. These plans, in addition to 

 being required by the L&WCF program, have broad utility for 

 meeting all State outdoor recreation needs. Federal grants of over $1 

 billion have been made to the States, territories, and the District of 

 Columbia since the inception of the program. Well over 50 percent of 

 these monies have benefited water-oriented recreation projects, 

 with a major portion being used in the four coastal areas. 



Other Federal agencies that provide for outdoor recreation 

 opportunity in marine regions include the Forest Service in the 

 Department of Agriculture, DOD, and Department of Transportation 

 (DOT). 



The Forest Service manages extensive amounts of land on our 

 coasts, particularly on the Pacific Coast and along the Great Lakes. 

 Much of this land offers a wide assortment of outdoor recreation 

 opportunity as well as access to the coastal waters. 



DOD manages or controls coastal lands and waters on all four 

 coasts. The lands held by DOD at various military reservations 

 possess a variety of outdoor recreational attributes, although there 

 are restrictions on public access. In recent years, however, DOD has 

 made a concerted effort to make a substantial portion of their lands, 

 including some key beaches, available for public use. 



Through its program on Small Beach Erosion Control projects, 

 COE has made a substantial contribution to the outdoor recreation 

 effort in the marine environment. COE in this program offers 

 financial assistance to the States and local governments for erosion 

 control and beach stabilization projects. The States or local 

 governments must in turn provide for a part of the financial 

 assistance as well as the necessary lands, continued public 

 ownership, access roads, and maintenance. 



DOT provides assistance in a number of ways to the marine 

 recreation effort through the highway acts. Principally, these DOT 



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