Outdoor Alliance Advocates Take on LWCF on the Hill

Whitewater legends Charlie Walbridge and Bryan Kirk, accompanied by Outdoor Alliance policy counsel Louis Geltman, who is also an okay boater, after successful meetings with the West Virginia delegation.

In the past week, Outdoor Alliance rallied paddlers, climbers, backcountry skiers, mountaineers, and mountain bikers from 8 states to advocate for public lands with officials in Washington DC. Our outdoor enthusiasts met with lawmakers from Colorado, Montana, West Virginia, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah to talk about the impending expiration of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The LWCF has been critical in protecting public lands in all 50 states for 50 years. The program is funded by revenue from offshore gas and drilling, which is reinvested into improving and protecting public lands, from local trails to national parks. The outdoor recreation community relies on the LWCF for the creation of access points to rivers, trails, and parks. For instance, the LWCF was instrumental in creating primary put-in to the White Salmon River so that boaters could access its world-famous paddling.

Outdoor Alliance advocates met with dozens of lawmakers on September 15th and 24th to discuss the Land and Water Conservation Fund and to encourage members of Congress to take immediate action to renew it. As a result of these visits and other advocacy efforts on the hill, more than a dozen new members signed on to the Dear Colleague calling for the renewal of the Fund. These members included Representative Zinke, a crucial member of the House Natural Resources Committee, as well as Senator Capito, Senator Manchin, Senator Daines, Senator Tester, Senator Bennet, Senator Gardner, and Senator Alexander.

The program has been a bipartisan favorite for 50 years, and has contributed to local economies across the country. Renewing the Land and Water Conservation Fund should be easy. Contact your Congressperson today: