Every year, community conservation organizations and local governments seeking to protect public land and provide outdoor recreation opportunities can apply for funding through America’s most important conservation program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Every year, they wait to find out if their projects will be funded. They hold in their hands plans for lighting a local ballfield so kids can play safely after dark. They hold their budgets for grading wheelchair-accessible trails so people of all abilities can enjoy the outdoors. They hope that LWCF will help them protect a special piece of land so that future generations will be able to enjoy access to the great outdoors.
Every year, they wait for Congress to go through the appropriations process and decide how much funding will go to LWCF this time. Usually, only a fraction of the projects on the LWCF list are funded in a given year.
That’s not how LWCF is meant to operate. When Congress created the Fund in 1964, it designated $900 million in royalties from offshore drilling to fill it. Unfortunately, in most years much of that money is diverted for other, non-conservation uses.
But this is the year that could change. In March, Congress made a huge commitment to LWCF, permanently reauthorizing the program by a huge bipartisan margin. We were thrilled to see them affirm the importance of public land to our and future generations, and we’re proud that Washington state’s entire Congressional delegation voted in favor of the bill. Now, efforts are underway in the House (H.R. 3195) and Senate (S. 1081) to protect funding for LWCF permanently, bringing much-needed certainty to on-the-ground project planners and saving everyone a lot of time, money and worry.
In the midst of a very busy season in Washington, DC, our members of Congress need to hear that funding LWCF is important to all of us – and as the bipartisan vote earlier this year showed, we know they believe us! Join us in calling on Washington state’s members of Congress to do what they can to #FundLWCF!
Here’s how to help:
Thank our senators. Senator Cantwell was an original cosponsor of the bill to permanently #FundLWCF, and Sen. Murray joined this fall. Thank Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray for their leadership and let them know LWCF is important to you.
Option 1: Only got a second? Click the button to send a message to both Senators and your Representative in the House:
Option 2: Got a bit more time? Want to do more and personalize your message?
Send an email of thanks to our senators. Find links to our delegation’s contact pages here, or thank them on Twitter via @PattyMurray and @SenatorCantwell.
If you don’t know who your representative is in the House, find out here. (Be sure to toggle to “Congressional” District Type.) If you know your representative, skip to step 3.
Check to see if your House member is a cosponsor of that chamber’s legislation to permanently #FundLWCF by reviewing the list of cosponsors from Washington.
If yes, say thanks! If not, ask him or her to support permanent, dedicated funding for LWCF, and explain why it’s important to you. Find links to our delegation’s contact pages here.
Thank you for speaking up for nature!
