Save the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

Increasing access to parks and public spaces is the fundamental motive behind Seattle Parks Foundation’s (SPF) priorities and mission. Our partnerships with neighborhood groups, local organizations and businesses, and government entities aim to champion thriving and equitable parks and public spaces.

SPF values what public spaces and lands offer to our communities, our region, and our entire country: from gathering spaces to places of refuge and habitat for unique wildlife and vegetation, they offer opportunities for connection to nature and to each other. Our public lands belong to all of us, and right now, they’re under attack.

The 2020 Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) was a bipartisan bill which promised nearly $9.5 billion for outdoor recreation opportunities and public lands in the United States. The legislation was a historic investment that established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Fund (LRF) and allocated billions of dollars to maintain and repair public lands and infrastructure.

The passing of the GAOA also guaranteed permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). First signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the LWCF is a bipartisan effort to protect our natural resources and encourage outdoor recreation without using taxpayer dollars. Instead, revenue generated by offshore oil and gas leasing on federal lands goes towards the nation’s trails, parks, wildlife, and land acquisition, while also supporting access to the outdoors through public recreation opportunities and cultural preservation projects.

Unfortunately, the White House’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year targets the GAOA by slashing the LWCF, arguing that nearly half of its allocated funds should instead be used to cover the costs of deferred maintenance needs for trails, visitor centers, and infrastructure—projects that are already backed by the LRF, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

Initially authorized for 25 years, the LWCF was extended for another 25 years before expiring in 2015. The fund was authorized to receive and distribute up to $900 million annually for much of its existence, but on average, saw about a third of that money each year and only reached its threshold twice: in 1998 and 2001. After receiving one last extension of three more years in 2015, the LWCF was in limbo until the 2020 GAOA ensured permanent authorization and funding.

Requesting Congress to divert critical funding and roll back on a historic promise threatens to dismantle decades of conservation efforts and jeopardizes our access to public lands and outdoor recreation opportunities.