The Trump administration is set to dramatically shift the focus of the Land and Water Conservation Fund—one of the nation’s most impactful conservation tools—away from its original purpose of acquiring land and toward routine maintenance of existing parks and public lands.
This would effectively end LWCF’s mission of increasing access to public lands and protecting wildlife habitat through the purchase of private lands, such as the recent acquisition of the “Kelly parcel” near Grand Teton National Park. The Trump plan would transform LWCF into a slush fund aimed at mitigating the consequences of budget and staffing cuts enacted by the administration across federal land management agencies. Redirecting the LWCF funds is also inconsistent with the law that created it.
In 2020, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act, which permanently and fully funded the LWCF at $900 million annually. It has funded the acquisition of over 8.5 million acres, all now accessible to the public.
Live Grand Junction podcast up now!
In this live episode of The Landscape recorded at the Keep Parks Public stop in Grand Junction, local public lands advocates discuss the importance of keeping our parks and monuments staffed and funded. Guests include Ken Mabery, former superintendent of Colorado National Monument, Cole Hanson, Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition board member and Gear Junction co-owner, Jessy Nuckolls, public lands advocate and Western Colorado Alliance member, and Tracy Coppola, Colorado Senior Program Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association.
Quick hits
Trump looks to suffocate public lands
Federal agents arrest firefighters working on Washington wildfire
Tribes call on Trump to ‘do right for Indian country,’ return federal land within Wind River Reservation’s bounds
Rep. Titus: If a federal lands bill doesn’t specify affordable housing, it won’t create any
After sell-off threat, Idaho filmmaker directing documentary on America’s public lands
Visitors are overwhelming Glacier National Park’s toilets
Opinion: I’ve helped manage Utah’s public lands. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is a far-reaching assault
Parks and museums emerge as new culture war battlegrounds
Quote of the day
These efforts at cutting the budget, cutting the workers, and ruining morale are a cynical attempt to make public lands management in America fail… And that becomes the justification for those who want to seize and sell off public lands.”
—Scott Braden, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Picture This
Golden hour spreads warm light across the desert foothills beneath the rugged peaks of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico.
On this evening, a sort of cloud inversion created a dramatic scene. After a cloudy, rainy, and humid day, the setting sun lit only the base of the mountains while the peaks remained in shadow beneath a lingering cloud.
Visitors can enjoy spectacular sunsets like this along with a wide range of recreational opportunities. The monument is home to multiple hiking trails, including four designated National Recreation Trails, a popular campground, off-highway vehicle routes, and opportunities for mountain biking and climbing.
Photo by Kelly Brinker
Feature image: Kelly parcel, purchased using LWCF funds; Source: Grand Teton National Park Foundation video screengrab