Today is a day for thanks.
After decades of half-hearted funding for one of the most successful conservation projects in the country, the Land and Water Conservation Fund will finally have full and permanent authorization and funding after a signature from the President.
Passed in the 60s and funded by off-shore oil and gas royalties, LWCF has been a quiet but steady engine for making our outdoor pursuits a reality. Whether you are an angler looking for access to your local river or stream, a hunter worried about high quality habitat or a kid just looking for a place to play with friends, LWCF has benefitted every county of every state in the country.
And if our collective cup was not full enough, the Great American Outdoors Act, passed today and heading to the President’s desk for signature, also includes funding to fix the maintenance backlog on public lands, repairing roads that have been dumping sediment into our rivers and streams and blocking trout and salmon migration. While it is the quieter cousin to LWCF, it is equally important for safeguarding clean water and good fishing.
If you get a chance, be sure to pass along your thanks to your members of Congress.
And as you venture out into our great outdoors, do it knowing that more funding for conservation means better fishing, better hunting, cleaner water, healthier fish and wildlife and a better quality of life for all.
Congratulations and thank you to all who voted, lobbied, advocated and stood up for this landmark legislation. Your mark on the legacy of conservation will be felt for generations to come.