The House just joined the Senate in passing the Great American Outdoors Act, which includes full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund!
NVOBC thanks Representatives Dina Titus, Mark Amodei, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, as well as Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Senator Jacky Rosen, for your dedication to our public lands. You understand that funding the outdoors means supporting our communities and our economies.
Next Step: Thanking our Representatives!
Call your Congressperson today and thank them for supporting LWCF and public lands!
Rep. Dina Titus, Congressional District 1
(702) 220-9823
Rep. Mark Amodei, Congressional District 2
(775)686-5760
Rep. Susie Lee, Congressional District 3
(702) 963-9336
Rep. Steven Horsford, Congressional District 4
(702) 963-9360
As Nevada moves to diversify our economy and attract more employers to our state, we need to protect programs that grow and maintain our outdoor recreation industry.
Without the Land and Water Conservation Fund, our state would lose key funding for parks and recreational areas all Nevadans know and love. This program isn't funded through taxpayer dollars, but through offshore drilling fees, and for every $1 invested in LWCF, local economies see an estimated $4 return.
We are grateful that Congress has fully and permanently funded LWCF, and look forward to the President signing the Great American Outdoors Act into law. We can't wait to bring this funding to Nevada for parks, trails and our outdoor spaces!
Background
Hailed as “America’s most important conservation and recreation program,” the Land and Conservation Act was established in 1965 to provide funding for the conservation of special public lands for the benefit of all Americans. LWCF funds projects in national parks, wildlife refuges and habitat, historic sites, forests, neighborhood parks and recreational centers -- ensuring Nevadans can continue hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping in the outdoors.
LWCF is funded through revenue paid to the federal government from offshore oil and gas drilling leases, capped at $900 million annually. It is NOT funded by tax-payer dollars. LWCF buys pockets of private land within national parks, around national forests, wildlife refuges and other recreation areas, and conserves these lands to protect them from private development. Through its state matching grant programs, LWCF funds local parks, playgrounds, and sports fields that help grow state economies and provide families additional recreation opportunities. LWCF also supports local economies by providing grants to working ranches and farms to ensure the conservation of key waterways and forests.
Key Facts
- LWCF is the only federal program designed to finish our public lands, expand access to the outdoors, and support local parks.
- Nevada has received nearly $60 million in LWCF funding to protect and upgrade special places like Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, and the Lake Tahoe Basin. Another $40 million in LWCF state assistance grants have supported projects at well-known Nevada parks, including Sunset Park, Lorenzi Park, and the Springs Preserve.
- If LWCF is not funded, millions of jobs and millions of revenue from the outdoor recreation industry could be lost -- in addition to the possibility that Nevada families would see favorite outdoor areas and recreation projects lost to development or remain unfinished.
- February 2019 saw unity in our Congress as both the Senate and the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Natural Resources Management Act. Among other important elements, the Act permanently reauthorize the LWCF.
- LWCF has never been fully funded at the $900 million level. On June 17, 2020, the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act. This Act provides full funding for LWCF and sets aside $9.5 billion to tackle the long-standing maintenance backlog in our public lands. The next step for this Act is the House of Representatives, and from there to the President's desk to be signed.