Land and Water Conservation Fund spent $600,000 in Whatcom County

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund spent $637 million on conservation and recreation projects in Washington State, including Bellingham’s Whatcom Creek Trail, according to Bryan Watt, press secretary to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

The fund, created 50 years ago with money collected from oil companies, is set to expire Sept. 30 unless reauthorized by Congress.

From 1994 to 2013, projects in Bellingham and Whatcom County received $600,000 from the fund.

The fund also helped preserve 5,000 acres along the Skagit River, where one of the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the contiguous U.S. is found.

This story was originally published August 14, 2015 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Land and Water Conservation Fund spent $600,000 in Whatcom County."