TRCP.org  by Randall Williams

 The following was distributed by the LWCF Coalition, an umbrella  group of more than 1,000 state and local land owners, small businesses,  ranchers, sportsmen, veterans, outdoor recreationists and conservation  organizations working to protect America’s public lands and safeguard  our shared outdoor heritage for future generations.

Senators Manchin and Gardner propose bill to provide full dedicated funding to LWCF, make critical investments in National Parks

With the support of President Donald J. Trump,  Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced today  during a press conference new legislation that will provide full  dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).  The  new proposal combines two bills that would fully fund LWCF  (S. 1081 – the LWCF Permanent Funding Act) and address the maintenance backlog at National Parks (Restore America’s Parks Act ROPA – S.500).

“Sportsmen and women are thrilled to see bipartisan momentum building behind the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “It  has a proven track record of supporting hunting, fishing, and our  booming outdoor economy. We urge the full Senate to invest in the future  of LWCF and the conservation of our natural resources.”

“This is a historic deal reflecting the tremendous bipartisan support  for our public lands. It is the once-in-a-generation chance we have  been waiting for to solidify our investments in the outdoor economy and  put an end to the constant raiding of LWCF. We applaud our congressional  champions and the Administration for demonstrating that bipartisan  cooperation can achieve great things, and for finding common ground in  the fight to ensure that future generations will continue to have access  to close-to-home recreation,” said Tom Cors, Director of Government Relations for Lands at The Nature Conservancy and a spokesman for the LWCF Coalition.

About the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important  conservation program, responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges  and recreation areas at the federal, state and local level.  For 50  years, it has provided critical funding for land and water conservation  projects, recreational construction and activities and the continued  historic preservation of our nation’s iconic landmarks from  coast-to-coast.

LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars – it is funded using a small  portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor  recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities contribute  more than $887 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 7.6  million jobs.

About the LWCF Coalition

The LWCF Coalition is the umbrella group of more than 1,000 state and  local land owners, small businesses, ranchers, sportsmen, veterans,  outdoor recreationists and conservation organizations working to protect  America’s public lands and safeguard our shared outdoor heritage for  future generations.

The Coalition is united in its advocacy for full funding of the Land  and Water Conservation Fund, which will ensure the continued  conservation of our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges,  wilderness, civil war battlefields, as well as state and local parks.

For more information on LWCF and the places in each state that have been protected using LWCF funds, visit www.lwcfcoalition.com