Here’s What the Permanent Reauthorization of LWCF Means for You

LWCF Reauthorized

After failing to pass Congress in September, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has now passed the final step in securing permanent reauthorization. President Trump’s signature on the Natural Resources Management Act (S. 47) permanently renews the LWCF, but does not provide full funding at the $900 million proposed in the original bill. Funding is now left to Congress in the annual appropriations process.

Natural Resources Management Act Stats:

• 662 pages
• Includes more than 100 parks and public land bills
• Includes protections for 1.3 million acres of wilderness 

Current Department of Interior data shows that historically LWCF helped fund more than 40,000 state projects encompassing 2.37 million acres that are now protected; acres which are key to preserving—and growing—the $887 billion recreation economy reliant upon these very same outdoor spaces. Join us in celebrating this significant step as we look to the future and securing funding for the now permanently-reauthorized bill.

"As an employee of the outdoor recreation economy, I'm grateful for the bipartisan efforts to permanently reauthorize LWCF and expand protections for valuable public resources. Public lands are part of our American heritage and are fueling a resurgence in rural economies with the rapid growth of the outdoor industry. LWCF is a critical tool to secure public lands and the jobs that go with them."

- Lisa Nichols, onX Geographic Information System (GIS) Supervisor