Support Public Lands - the Great American Outdoors Act

From some of Colorado's most iconic landscapes like the Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison, to boat launch/takeout access on the Colorado River in Eagle County, to community parks and trails in our own backyards, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has set aside and protected special places in Colorado and nationwide for more than 50 years. If you've gone fishing, hiking or camping on public lands, or picnicked at a community park in your area, there's a good chance the LWCF helped protect it. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation permanently authorizing the LWCF - the next step is to make sure it is fully funded.

LWCF doesn't rely on your tax dollars, but rather is funded by an earmarked portion of royalties paid on offshore oil and gas development. Unfortunately, that dedicated stream of revenue is regularly raided for other purposes in the annual politics of the appropriations process. More than $22 billion has been diverted from LWCF over its 54 year history! In addition, our public lands also suffer from a significant maintenance backlog - from trails, to roads, to visitor facilities, there is a great and growing need for maintenance to ensure that our lands are well-protected and that the quality of outdoor experiences is preserved.

Senators Bennet and Gardner are supporting new legislation - S.3422, the Great American Outdoors Act, which combines the elements of two earlier bills for LWCF (S.1081, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act) and parks maintenance (S. 500, the Restore Our Parks Act). This package would provide full permanent funding for LWCF and establish an additional dedicated funding program to address the great and growing needs for maintenance at National Parks and other public lands. 

The package will be a huge step forward for protecting our public lands and in supporting our critical outdoor economy as well as additional jobs in outdoor recreation development and maintenance.

In these uncertain times, our public lands and outdoor recreation are as important as ever - to our economy and to our quality of life. Please take a moment to thank Senators Bennet and Gardner for sponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act, and to encourage them and your U.S. Representative to move this important legislation forward!

Why is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison named that? Well, it's because of how little sunlight reaches some parts of the canyon's narrow and deep walls. The narrowest point is just 40 feet across, "The Narrows", and the deepest point is 2,722 feet at Warner Point. Land and Water Conservation funds (LWCF) have been essential for protecting and expanding the Black Canyon NP.