Following Thursday’s announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior of the distribution of $325 million — the largest since 1979 — to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Stateside Assistance Program, Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement of $325 million in LWCF Stateside Assistance Program funding is a historic investment in our nation’s outdoor spaces, providing more access to the outdoors for more Americans and bolstering local communities’ outdoor recreation economies. This significant investment in locally led projects will ensure that communities across all 50 states can continue to enjoy and protect our cherished natural resources.
“ORR is committed to safeguarding current investments in recreation through programs like LWCF and finding innovative and collaborative solutions for sustainable funding for the backbone of our $1.1 trillion recreation economy and the millions of Americans and communities who rely on it so we can connect more Americans to nature and ensuring that outdoor recreation thrives for generations to come.”
ORR recently released a report on threats to federal funding and potential solutions.
LWCF was established by Congress 60 years ago this summer to safeguard public lands and water and cultural heritage, providing important recreation opportunities in communities across the country. Four years ago, with the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, Congress in a strong bipartisan vote permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year.
Read the DOI release here.