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A teenage girl walking along a trail in the San Gabriel Mountains.
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A bill to fully fund LWCF is moving through Congress. Here's what's at stake.

by The Trust for Public Land

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Home/Blogs/A bill to fully fund LWCF is moving through Congress. Here's what's at stake.
June 18, 2020 | 17 comments

Big news for parks fans! This week the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark conservation bill that will shape the future of parks and open spaces in America for generations to come. By a 73-25 margin, Senators on both sides of the aisle united behind the dual goals of fixing the massive maintenance backlog at our national parks and other public lands, and securing full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, or LWCF.

(Read more about the Great American Outdoors Act from one of its authors, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.)

LWCF is a longstanding federal program that directs fees from oil and gas drilling to investments in parks and open space. It costs taxpayers nothing—but benefits everyone. The legislation that created LWCF back in the 1960s allocates up to $900 million to parks and conservation ever year, but that funding has never been guaranteed. Instead, for the past decade, Congress has directed more than half of that funding to other ends.

Here’s why the Great American Outdoors Act is such a big deal: if this bill passes Congress and clears the president’s desk, it’ll amount to a 240 percent increase in LWCF funding for the decade to come, compared to the decade that just passed. That means stable and predictable public funding to support big, complex land conservation deals—and a massive expansion in federal support for our goal of creating a park within a 10-minute walk of every person in America.

ct_johnsonoak_10292018_029Johnson Oak Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.Photo Credit: Nick Benson Photography

(Why is this important now? Explore ten communities that need LWCF funding to protect and create the places that matter to them.)

Trust for Public Land supporters have been fighting for this important policy for over twenty years. In the weeks to come, we’ll be keeping the pressure on our elected leaders to make sure they follow through on the promise of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

What's at stake

Wherever you go to get outside, chances are some of your favorite places were protected thanks to LWCF. The fund has been used to conserve land in all 50 states and complete more than 45,000 state and local park projects—everything from historic sites and cultural landmarks to the forests and lakes where you go to camp, hike, fish, and explore.

Explore a few recent projects whose success depends on LWCF below. The future of countless places like these is on the line right now as the House of Representatives takes up the bill in the coming weeks. If you believe everyone deserves a great place to get outside, urge your representative to support the Great American Outdoors Act.

ut_millcreek_20150506_049.jpg Photo credit: Mike Schirf
Bonneville Shoreline Trail, UT

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail offers Salt Lake City area residents easy access to the Wasatch Foothills. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped protect thousands of acres of open space along the trail—but we’re still working toward the ultimate vision of a 280-mile trail corridor through the heart of Utah.

Stand up for LWCF
Photo credit: Todd Barbee
Miranda Canyon, NM

Residents of Taos, New Mexico, know that clean water is precious. That’s why they rejected plans for a luxury subdivision in Miranda Canyon, a forested valley south of town that provides drinking water for locals. Instead, they worked with us to transfer the valley to the Carson National Forest—a project made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Stand up for LWCF
vt_mendonbrook_02132013_019.jpg Photo credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman
Jim Jeffords State Forest, VT

Just off the Appalachian Trail in central Vermont, the Jim Jeffords State Forest draws hikers, skiers, hunters, and anglers, and provides natural flood protection for the nearby town of Rutland. Without the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the land could have been lost to development forever.

Stand up for LWCF
 Photo credit: Greg Shine, BLM
Steens Mountain, OR

Steens Mountain rises from the remote desert of eastern Oregon. It's a geological oddity that harbors a spectacular array of plants and animals on its isolated slopes. The mountain was protected from mining in the early 2000s with help from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Stand up for LWCF
nh_hudsonfarm_10022013_42 Photo credit: Mim Adkins
Appalachian Trail: Hudson Farm, NH

Hudson Farm is a gateway to the Appalachian Trail, just minutes from downtown Hanover, New Hampshire. The Land and Water Conservation Fund made it possible for locals to protect these forests and fields from development by transferring the land to the National Park Service.

Stand up for LWCF
tx_balconesnwr_04092010_001.jpg Photo credit: Eric Swanson
Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, TX

The Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is an expanse of juniper forests and oak savannahs, steep limestone canyons, and sunny meadows—all in easy reach of Austin, Texas. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has protected thousands of acres in the refuge, saving habitat for songbirds like the golden-cheeked warbler, which nests only in the Texas Hill Country.

Stand up for LWCF
wy_grosventre_081514_03.JPG
Bridger Teton National Forest, WY

The Land and Water Conservation Fund helped saved a scenic ranch along the Gros Ventre River, expanding public access to the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The ranch’s old barbed wire fences have since been removed, allowing wildlife to roam free here for the first time in generations.

Stand up for LWCF
me_timberpoint_10292007_19.jpg Photo credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, ME

Vacationers flock to the rocky shores and islands of Maine’s southern coast, but sprawling development threatens the region’s singular beauty and restricts public access. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped expand the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, which protects a network of salt marshes and shoreline along 50 miles of the coast.

Stand up for LWCF
Photo credit: Alex Diekmann
Sawtooth National Recreation Area, ID

Cowboys once gathered at this small ranch outside of Stanley, Idaho, for the Custer County Rodeo. Public access to the property, at the foot of a snowcapped mountain range, is now protected as part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It's one of many projects we’ve completed in the region thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Stand up for LWCF
vt_rolston_rest_20160928_01 Photo credit: Kurt Budliger
Appalachian Trail: Rolston Rest, VT

A cluster of scenic summits dots this forested landscape in the Green Mountains of Vermont, and a historic hiker’s hut offers a rustic shelter for thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. We have the opportunity to protect Rolston’s Rest permanently—but we need support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to seal the deal.

Stand up for LWCF
ca_kellogg_06212018_80Kellogg Park in Los Angeles, CA.Photo Credit: Annie Bang
Kellogg Park, CA

For residents of North Ventura, California, finding a safe place to play outside can be a challenge. That’s why—with support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund—we helped transform the grounds of an old factory into Kellogg Park, a four-acre community gathering place within a 10-minute walk of thousands of kids and families.

Stand up for LWCF
co_elk_workshop_01282018_026Participatory design workshop for our boulder in Montbello Park on January 28, 2018. The workshop took place at the American Mountaineering Center (710 10th St, Golden, CO 80401) with The North Face, ELK, Brown Girls who Climb, Brothers of Climbing, ID Sculpture and others.Photo Credit: Lorenzo Dawkins
Montbello Open Space, CO

Denver’s Montbello neighborhood is short on green space—so we’re working with the community to build a five-acre nature park with a restored prairie, an environmental education center, and a rock climbing wall. The land was once a vacant lot, which we helped purchase in 2014 using funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Stand up for LWCF
A man paddles at Superior National Forest
Superior National Forest, MN

The Land and Water Conservation Fund enabled the U.S. Forest Service to protect Long Island, in Minnesota's Burntside Lake. The wooded island in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is within sight of Listening Point—where celebrated conservation writer Sigurd Olson once mused on the spiritual role of wildlands in modern civilization.

Stand up for LWCF
A trail in El Cerrito Hillsides
El Cerrito Hillsides, CA

The Land and Water Conservation Fund helped us expand the Hillside Natural Area, an open space gem in the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area. A sweep of oak forest and grasslands cut by creeks and steep ravines, the park is much loved by hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, and birders.

Stand up for LWCF
View from Cat Rocks overlookPhoto credit: Trust for Public Land staff
Appalachian Trail: Corbin Hill, NY

No car? No problem! Thanks to one unusual train station in the Hudson Valley, New York City hikers can ride a commuter rail from Grand Central Station to the A.T. at Corbin Hill, protected with LWCF funding in 2018.

Stand up for LWCF
ca_Donner_Hiking-664 Photo credit:  
Tahoe National Forest, CA

Castle Valley is one of the most popular trailheads in the Sierra Nevada, but until recently, the land was actually private—and for sale on the open market. Using the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we helped protect it for the Tahoe National Forest, safeguarding public access to the Pacific Crest Trail, Castle Peak, the Donner Rim Trail, and more.

Stand up for LWCF
me_appalachiantrail_05202010_016.jpg Photo credit:  
Crocker Mountain, ME

We relied on the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect 12,000 acres—including three of Maine’s highest peaks—for the state’s system of public reserve lands. The forest is now open to hiking, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and sustainable timber harvesting. Plus, new trails are in the works!

Stand up for LWCF
ga_roswellriverwalk_06232011_015.jpg Photo credit:  
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, GA

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in suburban Atlanta grew by another 47 acres in 2016 when we helped add riverfront property near the town of Sugar Hill to the most pristine section of the park. The project, which used the Land and Water Conservation Fund, brings us closer to our goal of an eight-mile stretch of protected land along the river.

Stand up for LWCF
mt_haskillbasin_10052013_015.jpg Photo credit:  
Haskill Basin, MT

Montana's Haskill Basin provides nearly 75 percent of the water supply for the town of Whitefish, located near Glacier National Park. The Land and Water Conservation Fund enabled us to protect the basin’s streams, forests, and trails from development, while maintaining a sustainable timber industry that helps drive the town’s economy.

Stand up for LWCF
md_piscataway_08262009_04.jpg 
Mt. Vernon, MD

We used the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect the historic character of Mount Vernon, George Washington’s beloved estate on the Potomac River in Virginia. Today, more than a million visitors a year come to test Washington’s claim that "No estate in the United States is more pleasantly situated."

Photo credit, Ken Sherman

Stand up for LWCF
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL

Paul Kroegel was the first manager of Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Before the island gained federal protection, Kroegel kept watch over the birds that took shelter here, guarding them against poachers. The Land and Water Conservation Fund enabled us to protect another 200 acres of the island, for pelicans—and people—to enjoy.
(photo: Warden Kroegel, Pelican Island. Courtesy of USFWS)

Stand up for LWCF
NJ_BB2020_Waretown_5.6.08_Seth Sherman_MG_2160.jpg Photo credit:  
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, NJ

We helped expand the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay. Without the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the open space in places like Reedy Creek would likely have been developed—putting lives and property at greater risk during hurricanes like Sandy.

Photo credit, Seth Sherman

Stand up for LWCF
ca_forniranch_07022014_49.jpg 
Eldorado National Forest, CA

We need support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect Forni Meadows, a peaceful expanse of sunny fields and wetlands within California’s Eldorado National Forest. When open to the public, the property could become a brand new access point to the Desolation Wilderness, one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the country.

Photo credit, Emily Scannell

Stand up for LWCF
ct_johnsonoak_10292018_029Johnson Oak Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.Photo Credit: Nick Benson Photography
Johnson Oak Park, CT

The Land and Water Conservation Fund helped us revitalize Johnson Oak Park. Once an out-of-date green space in the East End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut, we worked with neighbors to design a park with new opportunities for exercise and play, outdoor classrooms, a picnic grove, and a nature walk.

Stand up for LWCF
ga_mlk_05212017_06Martin Luther King National Historic Site in Atlanta, GA.Photo Credit: Christopher T. Martin
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, GA

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped us protect dozens of historic homes and businesses in Atlanta for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Today, millions of people visit the childhood home of the civil rights icon each year.

Stand up for LWCF
hi_kauleoli_12112015_10Kauleoli, a part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.Photo credit: The Trust for Public Land
Ala Kahakahi National Historic Trail, HI

On the Big Island of Hawaii, we’re working with the National Park Service to restore an ancient footpath that once circled the island. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped establish and grow the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, so locals and visitors can discover the island’s rich past, one step at a time.

Stand up for LWCF
mn_wolfisland_08082007_007.jpg 
Superior National Forest: Wolf Island

Wolf Island in Minnesota’s Lake Vermillion is a place of legend and lore, with significance in Native American and Voyageur history—but its proximity to the Boundary Waters also made the island a target for development. We relied on the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect this beautiful island as part of the Superior National Forest.

Photo credit, Darcy Kiefel

Stand up for LWCF
ca_bulllake_10242015_153.jpgA couple hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail near Bull Lake, part of the future Trinity Divide acquisition.Photo Credit: Rachid Dahnoun
Pacific Crest Trail: Trinity Divide, CA

With the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we protected 17 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail corridor along the Trinity Divide in Northern California, providing more options for camping and water access for the growing number of thru-hikers who attempt the trail each year.

Photo credit, Rachid Dahnoun

Stand up for LWCF
ut_zion_11012017_035It's easy to see why the Zion Narrows Trail makes it onto many hikers' bucket lists: the 16-mile route winds down an ever-deepening slot canyon. At points, the trail disappears and hikers must wade in the river itself .Photo credit: Mike Schirf
Zion Narrows Trail

The upper reaches of this classic wilderness hike into Zion National Park used to cross unprotected land. Using the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we preserved the final private properties outside the park boundary, guaranteeing public access to this special place forever.

Fully fund LWCF
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, WV

The Land and Water Conservation Fund helped us protect Murphy Farm, a small West Virginia homestead with a huge historical footprint. The farm was the site of a pivotal battle in the Civil War—and later home to one of the first meetings of the NAACP. It’s now part of Harpers Ferry National Historic Park.

Photo credit, Erik Drost, Flickr

Stand up for LWCF
oh_blossommusiccenter_07032009_004.jpg Photo credit:  
Cuyahoga National Park, OH

The Blossom Music Center is a popular outdoor amphitheater within Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Land and Water Conservation Fund enabled the National Park Service to protect the beautiful grounds surrounding the venue, where thousands of concertgoers can relax and explore before the show.

Photo credit, Roger Mastroianni

Stand up for LWCF
nm_valledeoro_12102015_004Birds flocking over Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in Albuquerque, New Mexico in December 2015.Photo Credit: Chris Hinkle
Valle de Oro, NM

Valle de Oro is New Mexico’s first urban national wildlife refuge. Nearly half of the state’s residents live within a 30-minute drive of this rich river valley in southern Albuquerque, which was protected with support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Photo credit, Don J. Usner

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Comments

Mary Joyce Dixon
June 18, 2020
I do hope that this can be true.
Sharon Bartlett
June 18, 2020
We must protect this land for our children and grandchildren.
Suzanne Zook
June 18, 2020
We need to do everything we can to protect outdoor spaces for the good of all citizens.
Dorene Herrmann
June 18, 2020
Passing the Land & Water Conservation Fund impacts the physical, mental & emotional health of everyone in this country.
Sara Lee
June 18, 2020
Please do this so we have something to pass along to our kids! And to enjoy now and for the future.
Patricia Armstrong
June 18, 2020
This bill is important to each American for multiple reasons. We owe our children's children the right to visit open, preserved lands, we owe own health, both mental and physical, that these lands (big and small) provide for us. We've already lost so much that we didn't know we had until it was gone. Please please preserve and create new spaces for the future.
Michael Daigle
June 18, 2020
I only hope that it doesn’t open public land for drilling and fracking wick I know is something the current ecology hating administration is looking for because it is a good way for the mega rich to make more money and screw the middle class.
Jennifer Heggie
June 18, 2020
Maintaining open space is important. Let's ensure that that these spaces are managed in an environmentally responsible way.
Nancy Mccormick
June 18, 2020
Please pass the parks bill for the good of America.
Cheryl W. Reames
June 18, 2020
Please save our public lands. If the get destroyed, we cannot replace them.
Timothy Morgan
June 18, 2020
Were Teddy Roosevelt alive today, you can rest assured this would be a bipartisan cause.
Jimmie Lou Oneal
June 18, 2020
We need to save our public lands for future generations, it's the least we can do.
Ellen Miller
June 18, 2020
It seems that more and more people are loving the outdoors in "nonconsumptive" ways, and the so called "sports" of hunting and trapping are on the wane. It is our fervent hope that these lands will be dedicated to providing a safe space for all creatures from Prairie dogs to grizzly bears, from the less 'popular' animals to the "common" ones such as deer and moose. All deserve a safe habitat. If this movement provides that we will have left a great legacy after all.
Michael Vickers
June 18, 2020
Any and all funds needed to fund the National Parks are of great need. With everything that the Trump administration has done to destroy our parks and recreations is well known if you follow what they have done since this idiot became president. The American people all have to stand up and make their voices be heard load and strong. We all need to get the word out that the November 3rd elections for President when we will have Joe Biden as the prime the candidate for the office of President. Please tell anyone and everyone that you know that we have to get them all to the polls so that they can cast their ballots.
anne baldwin
June 18, 2020
Our national parks are our coveted gems. There are no more choices after they are abused and destroyed. Maintenance is imperative and long overdue. Chipping away segments and usages of our parklands is willful, careless disregard for what we hold dear. Yes, it takes money for maintenance and support of our parks but once lost, there will be no recovery. Let's do this!
Ed Epley
June 18, 2020
The only way this administration would be happy with this is if it opened up other lands (out of sight) for fracking and fossil fuels and timber harvesting. Beware!!!
bill kellenbeck
June 18, 2020
this is a major step forward for all of us protecting all that is the cycle of life

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