LWCF has served as a critical tool for public land access for generations
By Mikayla Peper
Public lands provide an invaluable resource for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members, and their families and friends. We are fortunate in the United States to have a vast network of public lands where we can exercise, relax, work our dogs, hunt and let our kids play — from small urban parks to expansive national parks and wildlife refuges. Throughout the past 60 years, no program has been more critical to making this network a reality than the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
What is the LWCF?
The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act was signed into law in 1964 after passing Congress with broad bipartisan support. Since then, LWCF has gone on to conserve thousands of acres across the United States, all at no cost to the taxpayer. Funded using revenues from offshore oil and gas leases, LWCF supports increased public access to public lands and waters and provides matching grants for state and local parks and recreation projects.
In 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) was signed into law, the culmination of years of work from the conservation and outdoor recreation community to ensure permanent, dedicated funding for LWCF. Because of the GAOA, every year LWCF receives $900 million in royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf.
LWCF also provides funding for national parks, forests and wildlife refuges, critical drinking water supplies and battlefield restoration. Hunters should be aware that LWCF funds are also instrumental in opening access to secluded public areas.
LWCF dollars are administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies. In addition to federal and state land acquisition programs, LWCF funding is also used for the Forest Legacy Program, which conserves working forests in cooperation with state forestry agencies, and Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, which provides funding to states and territories for species and habitat conservation on non-federal lands.
What Does LWCF Do in Your State?
LWCF has funded a remarkable number of projects in every state. You might not realize that your favorite recreation site was made possible because of LWCF funding! Look here for specifics in your state.
Places like The Eleven Point Wild and Scenic Riverway in Missouri, Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas, The Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota and Potato Creek State Park in Indiana, are LWCF-funded sites, just to name a few.
Today on September 3, 2024, we celebrate 60 years of LWCF. We also celebrate our fantastic PF and QF government affairs team who works in Washington D.C. and our state capitals to promote and enhance wildlife habitat all across the country.