Land and Water Conservation Fund 101: Breaking down the Stateside Program
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Stateside Program is a crucial funding stream aimed at safeguarding and enhancing natural resources, outdoor recreation opportunities, and cultural heritage within individual states throughout the United States. Established in 1964, this program plays a pivotal role in supporting state-led conservation efforts and ensuring the preservation of public lands and water resources for present and future generations.
What is LWCF Stateside?
The LWCF State and Local Assistance Program, more commonly known as “stateside,” is one of the most successful conservation programs and the only federal program dedicated exclusively to outdoor recreation. Through LWCF Stateside, the National Park Service (NPS) partners with states and local partners to provide matching grants for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities that are determined by states’ needs. The primary purpose of the LWCF Stateside Program is to assist states in conserving and enhancing their natural resources, outdoor recreational opportunities, and cultural heritage. Through partnership with state agencies and local communities, the program aims to protect and expand parks, wildlife habitats, forests, and other public lands.
How does funding work?
The LWCF Stateside Program is funded through a portion of the revenues generated from offshore oil and gas leases. The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act permanently authorized LWCF and the Great American Outdoors Act established mandatory funding for the program at $900 million funded through oil and gas revenue. However, appropriators decide each year how the different programs under LWCF should be funded within the $900 million budget.
Once appropriated, funds allocated to the Stateside Program are distributed to individual states based on a formula that takes into account population size and recreational needs. Each state's designated agency responsible for outdoor recreation and conservation administers these funds. In most cases, this is the State Park Agency or a similar department. The state agencies work closely with local governments, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders to identify and prioritize conservation and recreation projects.
What can Stateside funding go towards?
Projects under LWCF Stateside can go towards the following activities:
How does LWCF Stateside engage with other LWCF programs?
LWCF Stateside and the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program are often intertwined as both programs under LWCF fund local parks and are initiated by local communities. The biggest difference is that ORLP projects are determined by NPS and Stateside projects are determined by state government officials.
How can LWCF Stateside advocates engage?
Advocates of the program, whether State Park Directors and their team or park friends groups, can highlight recreation areas funded through LWCF. This could include inviting elected officials to the opening or sharing close-to-home LWCF sites for community members to better understand the importance of the program. We also encourage you to reach out to your congressional delegation to let them know what is working, where more funding could be used, and if you are experiencing issues with receiving the funding. The more they know, the more they can assist.
Written by: Madeline Wade, Brumidi Group
