During times of stress many of us turn to nature to find peace. Maybe it’s taking a walk to clear our mind in a town park, or finding tranquility on a wild river. A hike along a trail surrounded by spring wildflowers brings hope for a brighter future.
Many of the public outdoor places we escape to are made possible through funding supported by the LWCF. This government fund, which is Not tax based, provides the access and maintenance for over 500 parks, preserves, trails and other recreation and conservation projects in West Virginia alone! Five of the most popular places to go in Tucker are among those, my personal favorite is the 2010 Dolly Sods wilderness expansion and Bear Rocks preserve.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund uses royalties on offshore oil and gas production to support conservation and recreation projects across the nation. Since 1964 West Virginia has received more than $240 million from LWCF to support projects. The entire list of projects are listed here: https://wvrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/lwcfwv.pdf. You can also find many of them, including photos on this site: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.
The Great American Outdoors Act, a strong bipartisan bill introduced by our own Senator Manchin, is poised to move through Congress. If passed, it would permanently fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund – providing even more public outdoor places for us to enjoy and ensuring the lands we love receive the maintenance they deserve.
I’d like to thank Senator Manchin for his leadership on the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I encourage Senator Capito, and our Representatives Mooney, Miller and McKinley to join Senator Manchin in championing LWCF.
Our public lands are an incredible source of peace and tranquility during these troubling times. It’s time for Congress to come together and pass the Great American Outdoors Act.
Sincerely, David Ruediger
Board Of Directors, West Virginia Rivers Coalition
