Rocky Mountain Front, Montana © Simon Williams
Speak Up For Land & Water
The Land and Water Conservation Fund
| Legislative Update: The lame-duck session of Congress in November and December is the next best chance to finally pass legislation to fill the urgent need for dedicated and robust funding of LWCF. |
Healthy land. Clean water. Recreational opportunities. Vibrant working landscapes.
The Nature Conservancy supports protecting America’s land and water through dedicated and robust funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
- National parks and forests
- Land by rivers, lakes and oceans
- Working farms and ranches
- Fish and wildlife refuges
- Neighborhood parks and trails
- Important recreational access for hunting and fishing
- Historic battlefields and cultural sites
- Clean water supplies
- Jobs and local economies
- Fire-fighting cost reduction
- Our common heritage of natural areas for wildlife, recreation and enjoying nature
The Land and Water Conservation Fund’s goal is to balance the loss of a natural resource – offshore oil and gas – by using a portion of drilling fees to protect important land and water resources. But despite an increase in energy production, funding for land and water protection has been low and unpredictable. The program is authorized to receive a small percentage of offshore oil and gas fee revenue – up to $900 million per year – but most of these funds have been diverted elsewhere. With America losing one million acres of working lands, including ranches, farms and forests to development each year, it is critical that we sustain strong annual funding levels for the program and guarantee permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the future.
Americans strongly support protecting our land and water.
- More than 77 percent of Americans support funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund at its authorized level of $900 million per year.1
- A full 86 percent of Americans are supportive of reinvesting funds from oil and gas fees into land and water protection.2
- Voters strongly support public investments in conservation. Over the past decade, voters have passed statewide and local open space ballot measures at an overall rate of 73 percent.3
Every State Depends on the Land and Water Conservation Fund
From the Grand Canyon National Park to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped protect some of America’s most treasured places. Over the past four decades, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has provided approximately $12.5 billion for land and water protection across every state and several of the territories.
The Nature Conservancy also supports legislation – the Land and Water Reauthorization and Funding Act of 2011 (S.1265) – to fix the LWCF program and guarantee oil and gas proceeds are diverted annually to a “true” LWCF trust fund.
Value of the Fund
- Protection of America’s most treasured natural places benefits our national heritage and the livelihoods of our children and grandchildren.
- Protection of water the old-fashioned way through watershed, forest and wetland conservation is the most cost-effective way to ensure clean and adequate water supplies.
- Visitor-driven business is important to local communities surrounding national parks and other public lands.
- Hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor recreation activities contribute a total of $730 billion annually to the economy, supporting 6.5 million jobs (1 of every 20 jobs in the U.S.) and stimulating 8 percent of all consumer spending, according to the Outdoor Industry Foundation.
- Federal investment in public lands (parks, refuges, trails, rivers, recreation areas and national forests) drives a recreation industry that supports millions of U.S. jobs. These are sustainable resource or tourism-based jobs and cannot be exported.
1 Lori Weigel, Public Opinion Strategies, 2011
2 Lori Weigel, Public Opinion Strategies, 2011
3 The Trust for Public Land, LandVote.org Database
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"Everyone should use their voices, their bodies, their minds to take action on behalf of nature."
-- Keith Schumann |
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Americans Vote "Yes" for Conservation
Americans have voted to improve water quality, protect land, and provide for outdoor recreational activities. Recent Successes
The Nature Conservancy works with a diverse group of partners and coalitions to support public policies that protect our lands and waters so the next generations of Americans can build secure and rewarding lives. Learn About Our Work
