Local Conservation Initiatives

Today's Most Urgent Conservation Issue

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is the most important source of funding for conservation land acquisition in the nation. This 52-year old Federal program, funded with the proceeds from offshore leases, has provided billions of dollars for expanding and improving access to wild and recreational lands around the country, including many millions of dollars in Massachusetts. However the LWCF will expire at the end of the month if it is not reauthorized.

This program has broad support in Congress. The LWCF was funded at over $400M this past year, and the legislation reauthorizing the fund will almost certainly pass if brought to a vote. It  recently was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee. What is important now is that it not be forgotten in the tumult over other issues.  The LWCF needs champions to bring it to a vote. Because it has bipartisan support, Senators and Representatives from both political parties should be encouraged to vote for reauthorization.

Please urge your federal legislators to make renewal of the LWCF a top priority. Here are some actions you can take today:

• Contact  Senators  Elizabeth Warren at https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion 
• Contact Edward Markey at https://www.markey.senate.gov/contact
• If in District 1, contact Representative Richard Neal at https://neal.house.gov/contact
• If in District 2, contact Jim McGovern at  https://mcgovern.house.gov/contact

For more information, check out:

• https://www.outdoors.org/conservation-action-network/lwcf-expires
• https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2018/9/13/lwcf-passes-out-of-house-...

Page last updated 23 September 2018
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