A Monumental Achievement for Conservation:
The Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 5, 2020 – The signing of the Great American Outdoors Act into law on August 4 will provide full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a funding source relied upon over the past 55 years by WPC and other conservation organizations across the country to protect special lands such as parks, trails, wildlife refuges, historic resources and working forests. This is a long-awaited, historic win for conservation!Loyalhanna Gorge in Westmoreland County

This fund helped WPC to protect regional treasures such as the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve in Beaver County, Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County and Loyalhanna Gorge in Westmoreland County.

The continuation of the LWCF – along with the ongoing support of the generosity of our members and other funding sources – will ensure that WPC’s work to protect the region’s land, water and wildlife can go on.

“The passage of full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund represents a long-sought victory for conservation and public lands supporters everywhere,” says Tom Saunders, president and CEO of the Conservancy. “This fund has been historically significant to WPC and helped us secure and protect some of the most special lands and outdoor spaces in our region – public spaces that are not only important to conservation, but vital to public health and community well-being.”

The Conservancy thanks its dedicated members, elected officials, conservation partners and community advocates and funders who worked together to champion the permanent reauthorization and full funding of LWCF over the past few years. We are grateful for all their efforts and continued support.

 

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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 132 community gardens and other green spaces that are planted with the help of more than 11,000 volunteers. The work of WPC is accomplished through the support of more than 9,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.