Trust for Public Land (TPL) released a map showcasing successful conservation projects across the country, as well as ongoing initiatives that are still seeking federal funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). For more than 60 years, LWCF has been increasing access to public lands for outdoor recreation.
In 2020, the President and Congress provided a boost to LWCF by signing the largest modern investment in conservation, the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. The bill permanently guarantees $900 million in non-taxpayer funding every year to support community-driven conservation and recreation projects that create jobs and generate revenue.
“Nothing showcases America’s bipartisan commitment to conservation better than the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” said Myke Bybee, legislative director at Trust for Public Land “From ballparks and playgrounds to wildlife corridors and interstate trails, the president and congress came together five years ago to provide a historic boost to our public lands. Now the administration must ensure this legacy-defining legislation fulfills its full promise to expand conservation and outdoor recreation in communities across the country.”
In addition to highlighting successful projects made possible through LWCF, the map features projects in progress that are facing new bureaucratic hurdles. At the same time, recent proposals in the President’s Budget Request also proposed diverting dedicated LWCF funding from its intended conservation purposes. These actions threaten to undo the president’s first-term signature conservation achievement and leave the fate of many pending and future LWCF projects unclear.
The map highlights conservation and public access projects in 10 states made possible by LWCF that help create a thriving recreation economy, unlock the great outdoors, support working forests, and enhance land management to save taxpayer dollars.
The map provides details on each project and steps that individuals can take to help ensure LWCF continues to support locally-driven conservation initiatives into the future. The full interactive map is available here.
Last week TPL released a detailed assessment of private inholdings within the National Park System and the role of LWCF in completing and protecting America’s system of public lands. That report can be found here.