Land and Water Conservation Fund: Saved!

Since its establishment in 1964, LWCF funds have helped build and improve trails, ball fields, river put-ins, and climbing areas, benefiting everything from city green spaces to National Parks. In total, the program has invested more than $16 billion towards conservation and recreation.

LWCF is funded from offshore oil and gas revenues. Every year, $900 million of these revenues are put into a fund, intended to be used for conservation and recreation projects. Although this money is intended to protect national parks, build playgrounds, and conserve forests, nearly every year Congress diverts much of this funding to other non-conservation uses. As a result, there is a substantial backlog of local and federal conservation needs.

Permanent Authorization

In March 2019, the President signed a sweeping public lands package, which includes a bill to permanently authorize the LWCF! We'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who answered calls-to-action on behalf of this issue. Achievements like this require the constant voice of public lands champions. You all helped highlight the importance of the outdoor experience to legislators, and they listened.

permanent funding

In August 2020, the President signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, which finally ensures full and permanent funding for the LWCF. This bill guarantees full funding for LWCF each year, essentially doubling the amount of funding available for parks and public lands. 

A Timeline

LWCF has been on rocky ground for years, before Congress finally ensured permanent authorization and funding.

• 1964: With broad bipartisan support, Congress establishes the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The program takes a small portion of the revenue from offshore oil and gas drilling and puts it towards recreation and conservation. 
• 1965-2014: Over the years, the program faces different Congressional challenges, such as not receiving full-funding. 
• 2015: Despite the LWCF's overwhelming public support and benefits, Congress lets the program expire for the first time. Due to public outcry, Congress then pulls off a stopgap solution, temporarily renewing the LWCF for three years.
• 2019:  The President signed a sweeping public lands package, which includes a bill to permanently authorize the LWCF.  But Congress still needs to fully fund the program.
• 2020:  Against all odds, LWCF is permanently funded as part of the Great American Outdoors Act!

Learn More

Our partners at Outdoor Alliance have set up an awesome interactive map, showing the broad impacts of LWCF - Take a look! You can also look through our previous pieces to see how we've been engaging on this issue: