Historic Conservation Victory in the U.S.: Land & Water Conservation Fund to Receive Full, Permanent Funding

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota | Photo credit: National Park Service

After passing both the U.S. Senate and House with broad, bipartisan support, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law today by President Trump, guaranteeing full, permanent, and dedicated funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). 

Often called America’s most important parks program, LWCF was first established in 1964 to conserve, restore, and protect access onto America’s public lands and waters. While Congress had intended to direct $900 million annually from offshore oil and gas royalties to fund LWCF, which provides funding to local communities to establish parks and trails and to federal agencies to conserve open spaces, only twice in the program’s 56-year history did Congress appropriate the full amount.

With today’s victory, the Land & Water Conservation Fund will no longer be short changed. This is an historic conservation victory and an important step towards meeting the science-based goal of conserving and restoring 30% of U.S. lands and waters.

The Wyss Campaign for Nature issued the following statement from Molly McUsic, President of the Wyss Foundation:

“Together, we have achieved full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The decades of work that went into achieving the law that was signed today is truly a credit to the scores of people and organizations who have overcome obstacle after obstacle to fulfill this long overdue promise. This victory gives me confidence that we will look back on today not as a stand-alone accomplishment, but as the dawn of a new era in conservation leadership by the United States.”