How can we ACT on the Great American Outdoors Act?

In August 2020, we celebrated a historic conservation win with the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, which granted full and permanent funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This law nearly doubles the opportunities for federal land conservation across the U.S., so our federal agency partners will be looking to us now more than ever to help them advance and complete more extraordinary conservation projects. To meet the growing demand that LWCF will enable, we need to scale up our funding capabilities to take full advantage of what this new law is capable of doing for America’s land, water and communities.

What is LWCF?

LWCF is a federal funding source (roughly $900 million a year) that uses offshore drilling revenue—not taxpayer dollars—to enable conservation victories across the U.S. Funding from LWCF is what allows federal agencies to purchase land from us and other partners for permanent protection and public access. LWCF enables the protection of some of our most treasured natural places, enhances recreational access nationwide, and strengthens local economies. 

Places we’ve helped protect and/or enhance with LWCF include: 

• Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 
• Fones Cliffs at the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia 
• Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama 
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado 

• Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania 

How you can help

While we’re still celebrating this historic victory, and the ability to protect even more places like these, we’re also looking ahead. Full and permanent funding for LWCF essentially doubles the amount of money our federal partners can use on conservation each year. And while this will make it possible to protect more critical land and advance conservation for wildlife, recreation, local economies and nature-based solutions to climate change, it also doubles the demand on nonprofit conservation implementors, like us, to scale up and help federal and state agencies use LWCF to its full potential. 

To meet this new demand, we need help from supporters like you. Your support allows us to act quickly on behalf of our federal partners while they acquire the federal funding needed for their future purchase and protection. Help us ACT on the Great American Outdoors Act. Consider a gift today! 

Please contact Claire Cooney for more information. 

Related reading: 

• Press Release: "A National Legacy Of Conservation Assured: The Great American Outdoors Act Is Enacted" (August 4, 2020)
• Blog post: "If You Deplete One Natural Resource, You Must Replenish Another" (June 11, 2020)