The Nation - News from Feb. 27, 1989

A coalition of conservation groups urged the Bush Administration to spend $781 million next year to buy land that might otherwise be lost to developers in and around national preserves in 46 states. The money would come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is largely funded with money from oil-drilling on the federally owned outer continental shelf, the coalition said. The purchase of land under the fund fell under former President Ronald Reagan, from $509 million in 1980 to $206 million this year. President Bush has recommended keeping spending at $206 million for the next fiscal year. Among the recommendations is the purchase of 5,000 acres in Zuma, Trancas and Corral canyons and elsewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for $30 million.