House Passes Historic Lands Package

Celebratory dance on the Petit Grepon, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Photo Credit: Mickey Hardt.

The American Alpine Club is psyched to share that the Natural Resource Management Act (S.47) just passed the House in a landslide vote of 363 to 62! The historic lands package passed the Senate on February 12 by a margin of 92 to 8 and is now headed to the Presidents desk where it can be signed into law. This major victory for the climbing and outdoor recreation community includes legislation like the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important conservation funding mechanism that supports climbing areas accross the country. The bipartisan package also includes important lands bills such as:

•  The Emery County Public Lands Management Act

• Methow Valley Mineral Withdrawal

• Emigrant Crevice Withdrawal – Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act

• Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Act

• Oregon Wildlands Act

• Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Conservation

• The California Desert Protection and Recreation Act

• Every Kid Outdoors

• 21st Century Service Corps Act

This is a major win for the outdoor recreation community, which has invested significant time and energy into advocating the package’s support with lawmakers. The American Alpine Club is proud to have played a supporting role in getting the bill through Congress. None of this would have been possible without your support! Hundreds of you took the time to let your Representatives and Senators know that this package of bills is important, and your voice was heard.

We’ll share more in the coming weeks as the package makes its way over to the final stop, the President’s desk. In the meantime, it would mean a lot if you let your lawmakers know you’re psyched about the decisions they made and shared a little stoke for their effort. We’ve made it easy for you to share a thank you and encourage Congress to keep supporting public lands in future efforts. Please take a minute to thank Congress for their support of the Natural Resource Management Act!

Let Congress Hear It - Climbers Want The Public Lands Package!

Moon Rising over Zion National Park, UT. Photo Credit: Taylor Luneau.

Back in November, I went to Washington D.C. to represent the American Alpine Club (AAC) as their Policy Manager in the U.S. Congress. Together with member organizations of the Outdoor Alliance, including the Conservation Alliance, we visited congressional offices and lobbied for a variety of bills supporting human-powered outdoor recreation. Importantly, on our agenda was the “Public Lands Package” (S.47), which many of you may be very familiar with by now. If you’re not, you can take a look at the Outdoor Alliance’s webpage to get caught up.

As for that particulars, the Package includes a variety of important bills for people who love outdoor recreation, including reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and protecting places like the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area, the Methow Valley, Emery County, and Oregon Wildlands. You can read the comment letter that the AAC co-signed to Sen. McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Schumer (D-NY) voicing our support for the Public Lands Package below. The Package was set to pass with bipartisan support back in December, but fell short due to an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) regarding the Antiquities Act. 

The 116th Congress is finally up and running (following the longest government shutdown in the history of the U.S.!) we are hopeful that the Package will finally get approved. Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) has already re-introduced the Package in the Senate and we hope to see a vote on it in the coming week. If the Senate approves the Package, it will be a huge step towards protecting valuable public land assets well into the future.

Now is a critical time to make your voice heard on this issue. Please take a moment to write your lawmakers and let them know that climbers want the Public Lands Package passed. Fill out the form below to take action.

Taylor Luneau

AAC, Policy Manager

AAC Advocates for LWCF in 2019

 The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is our nation's premier conservation funding source for enhancing access to public lands, safeguarding watersheds and forests and supporting local outdoor recreation economies. Across the country, every county in every state benefits from LWCF. The climbing community is no different. LWCF supports climbing areas on federal lands--from Denali to Acadia National Park--as well as on state lands, from Hueco Tanks to Custer State Park. Unfortunately, LWCF expired on September 30, 2018 and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition estimates that our National Parks have lost over $236 million dollars in conservation funding since the LWCF expired.[1] That means places like Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, and other National Parks and National Forests need to find funding elsewhere or put their conservation goals on hold.  

The American Alpine Club (AAC) values this conservation tool for the American people and passionately advocates for the permanent reauthorization and full funding of the LWCF. While we made great strides in 2018, the LWCF was not reauthorized due to Congress’s failed attempt to pass a public lands package which included the Emery County Public Lands Management Act, LWCF, and other important legislation. We are optimistic, however, that our active lobbying in D.C., our members’ participation in action alerts, and the hard work from the conservation community-especially the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition- will result in reauthorization of LWCF in 2019 with the 116th Congress.

What is the LWCF and How Does it Work?

Congress enacted the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF) in 1965 to help conserve, develop and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities for the health and welfare of US citizens. The law sought to accomplish this goal by:

1. Providing money for land acquisition for outdoor recreation by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service

2. Matching funding for states on recreation planning, acquisition of recreational lands and waters and developing outdoor recreation facilities 

3. And funding other federal government conservation programs, like the Forest Legacy program of the Forest Service.

Congress authorized the LWCF for two 25-year periods and one 3-year period (starting in 2015) and approved the Fund to accrue up to $900 million annually.[2] The primary source of funding is derived from oil and gas leasing royalties on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Unfortunately, less than half  ($18.4 billion) of the approved $40.0 billion in total revenues have been appropriated to the Conservation Fund since the Act was passed.[3] Those lost dollars go into the general fund and are allocated however Congress sees fit, instead of supporting the climbing areas we love. It is critical that we, as a conservation-minded community, demand the full funding of the LWCF annually in order to direct the greatest amount of financial backing towards outdoor recreation areas. 

The School Room Glacier on the Teton Crest Trail, Grand Teton National Park, WY. Photo Credit: Taylor Luneau

 Where Does the Funding Go?

Of the money that has been appropriated to LWCF since the program began, 61% went to federal land acquisition, 25% to state grant programs, and the remaining 14% to other purposes (Figure 1).[4] Federal land acquisitions are particularly important to the climbing community as 60% or more of climbing areas reside on federal public lands.[5] Frog Rock on Bozeman Pass in the Gallatin National Forest, MT was one such beneficiary of these resources. With a $2.6 million contribution from LWCF, funding from the Gallatin County Open Space Program, and a land donation, the Trust for Public Land protected over 2,000 acres of land to provide clear access to Frog Rock.[6] Before this, climbers’ only option was to illegally park on I-90 and bush-whack up to the crag. 

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Figure 1: Land and Water Conservation Fund appropriations in Billions of dollars to Federal, State and other sources for the Fiscal Years of 1965 to 2018.

Other public lands will be supported by LWCF as well. Currently, 9.52 million acres of Western public lands sit entirely landlocked with no legal public entry.[7] These isolated parcels contain unique recreation resources and, if fully reauthorized, the LWCF will provide the necessary financial resources to unlock portions of these public lands. With the permanent reauthorization of the Conservation Fund, state and federal government officials can rely on the much-needed revenue for future projects. 

Political Support for the LWCF:

The return on these public land investments to local economies are well worth congress’ efforts. The Trust for Public Land found that for every $1 invested in federal land acquisition through LWCF, there is a $4 return in economic value.[8] That’s partially because the outdoor recreation economy, which generates $887 billion annually in consumer spending and 7.6 million American jobs, benefits directly from the conservation of these open spaces and outdoor recreation areas.[9] Elected officials have taken notice of this trend. Political leaders like Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) leveraged their support of  public land protection and outdoor recreation in their election bids.[10] Following his election victory, Sen. Tester joined Sens. Steve Daines (R. MT) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) in supporting the reauthorization of LWCF at a press conference at our nation's capital. Sen. Tester said that “reauthorizing the LWCF should be Congress’s top priority.”[11]

With other issues plaguing the end of the 2018 legislative agenda, public lands and their main conservation funding source fell by the wayside. We expect that our voices will be heard and LWCF will be prioritized in the next legislative session. Communities across the country will prosper from this decision for generations to come. As climbers, we can celebrate that our climbing landscapes will profit from this financial resource through the acquisition of new public lands, the securing of access to crags, and the conservation and development of important recreational resources. The AAC will continue to work with our elected officials and advocate for this critical conservation tool.

Data extrapolated from: Center for Western Priorities. “Funding America’s Conservation Future.” August, 2018. http://westernpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/LWCFReport_Aug_2018_final.pdf

[1]Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition. “#SAVELWCF” Accessed Jan. 2019. https://www.lwcfcoalition.com

[2]Congressional Research Service. “Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues.” August 17, 2018. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33531.html

[3]Congressional Research Service. “Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues.” 

[4]Id.

[5]Access Fund. “This Land Is Our Land: Climbing on Public Lands” Vertical Times. Spring 2016. Vol. 105. https://www.accessfund.org/uploads/1645_AF_VT_Spring_vWebFinal2.pdf

[6]Outdoor Industry Association. “#ICanSeeLWCF From Montana.” Accessed December, 2018. https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LWCF-Exemplary-Projects-Montana-v3.pdf

[7]Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Off Limits, But Within Reach. Unlocking the West’s Inaccessible Public Lands.” Accessed December, 2018. http://www.trcp.org/unlocking-public-lands/#!

[8]The Trust For Public Land. “Return On The Investment From The Land & Water Conservation Fund.” November, 2010. https://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/cloud.tpl.org/pubs/benefits-LWCF-ROI%20Report-11-2010.pdf

[9]Outdoor Industry Association. “The Outdoor Recreation Economy.” 2017. https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/OIA_RecEconomy_FINAL_Single.pdf

[10]  Aaron Weiss. “Winning Western candidates turned to pro-conservation messages in campaign ads.” Westwise. Nov. 19, 2018. https://medium.com/westwise/video-winning-western-candidates-turned-to-pro-conservation-messages-in-campaign-ads-8c241a6d6562?mc_cid=2542f31a80&mc_eid=702f6902aa

[11]Edward O’Brien & Nicky Ouellet. “Montana Lawmakers Push To Reauthorize LWCF Before Year’s End.” Montana Public Radio. Nov. 29, 2018. http://www.mtpr.org/post/montana-lawmakers-push-reauthorize-lwcf-years-end

2016 D.C. Lobby Day

In February 2016, a group of board members, partners and AAC member Conrad Anker, climbed Capitol Hill to talk with policymakers and advocate for the places we climb. We found that there is a high regard among many of our elected officials and their staffs—as well as from agency representatives—about the AAC and its members. We focused on the following issues:

• Land Water Conservation Fund: A bipartisan effort to protect natural treasures and outdoor recreation. For more than 50 years, LWCF has protected  5 million acres of land and supported more than 41,000 state and local park projects. We want to ensure LWCF is permanently reauthorized and fully funded in the long-term.

• Centennial Act: An effort to address critical maintenance and improvement projects in our national parks as the National Park Service prepares to celebrate its centennial next year. We want to see a bipartisan bill that builds on recent funding increases and ensures our climbing landscapes remain healthy and supported for the next 100 years.

• Recreation Economic Contribution Act (Rec Act): A bill that would require the government to officially measure the impact of outdoor recreation on the U.S. economy. We believe that the Rec Act will raise the policy profile of the outdoor community and emphasize the importance of protecting public lands.

• Bears Ears: An effort to permanently protect valuable climbing areas in southeastern Utah (includes Indian Creek, Valley of the Gods and Lockhart Basin to name a few). Whether protection is done through a national monument designation or through legislation, we are working to ensure that rock climbing is acknowledged as an acceptable activity.

• Director’s Order 41: A National Park Service order that states that climbing is a legitimate activity in Wilderness, and that fixed anchors are necessary for climbing. We are working to ensure this precedent will also be adopted by other agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.

“Meeting with staffers, leaders and decision makers on the hill makes a difference. If we don’t, who will? I’ve seen time and again where the simple act of spending time talking about what you are passionate about makes a difference.”

— Paul Gagner, former AAC Board Member