National conservation program renewed

After allowing one of the nation’s cornerstone conservation programs to expire in the fall of 2018, Congress came together in rare bipartisan fashion and renewed the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program in February.

Since the program’s inception more than 50 years ago, LWCF has funded thousands of critical conservation programs across the U.S., including more than 1,500 in Pennsylvania, totaling more than $315 million. LWCF has funded such iconic outdoor places as Gettysburg, Valley Forge and the Flight 93 Memorial.

PennEnvironment worked hard to convince the state’s congressional delegation to press for the speedy renewal of LWCF and vote in its favor, collecting thousands of petition signatures and phone calls to legislators, and garnering dozens of media stories about the program’s successes. When the dust settled, every member of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation except Rep. Scott Perry and Sen. Pat Toomey voted to renew LWCF.

Photo: Gettysburg national park, one of the many national parks funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Credit: NPS, Public Domain.