WASHINGTON ?EUR??,,????'??? A recently released report shows that more than 1,300 new parks have been created or developed in the last three years with help from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund state assistance program. The matching grant program was created by Congress in 1964 and is managed by the National Park Service. It provides assistance to states and communities for planning, acquisition and development of state parks and close-to-home recreation facilities that support healthy communities, smart growth, recreation for youth, open space protection and local economies throughout the country. Among the many outstanding projects recently funded by the program: Multi-use trail projects such as the East Coast Greenway in Daytona Beach, Bear Creek Trail in metropolitan Denver, and Munster Bike Trail in Munster, Indiana that support public health, improved access to parks, and safe routes to schools. Protection of ecologically significant riparian habitat and public access for boating and fishing include Elkhorn Slough in Watsonville, California and Douglas Point, Maryland, where LWCF assistance helped acquire 5500 acres of wilderness and 9.5 miles of unspoiled coastline along the Potomac River, Mattawoman Creek, and the historic Port Tobacco River. Day use and trail facilities at the Soldier Hollow recreation facilities at Wasatch Mountain State Park in Utah, host site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games biathlon and cross-country competitions. Build-A-Dream Park in Andulusia, Alabama, a community park development project inspired by the dream of neighborhood mothers that attracted over 2,000 volunteers. Copies of the ?EUR??,,????'??Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program Summary 2000-2002?EUR??,,????'?? can be requested by sending an e-mail to waso_recgrants@nps.gov or by calling the Public Inquiries Office at 202-208-4747.