Today in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill to support our public lands, including permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)!
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) co-sponsored the “Lands Package” (as the bill is known for short), along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). We applaud their cooperative, bipartisan leadership and resolute focus on permanent reauthorization for LWCF, a crucial tool for protecting America’s public lands.
In addition to permanently reauthorizing LWCF, there are other great things for Washington in this bill, including:
Establishment of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area
Authorization of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan
Protection of 340,000 acres in the Methow Valley from mineral development
The permanent reauthorization of LWCF is critically important to local project sponsors doing on-the-ground conservation work. It provides much-needed predictability for local and state parks departments, city governments and land managers who rely on match funding and often have limited timelines to complete projects.
More broadly, permanent reauthorization means that this popular and successful program — a program that costs taxpayers nothing, but that touches lives in nearly every county in America — will be around for generations to come.
The bill now moves to the U.S. House for its consideration, where we hope it will pass quickly on to the president’s desk. Contact your representative in the House today to encourage swift passage of the Lands Package!
One of mother nature’s invisible superpowers, infiltration, has inspired a type of nature-based solution called Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). Read to learn more about some new resources available to help identify, plan, and prioritize GSI opportunities!
Washington shellfish growers receive funding from the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) program’s Shellfish Growers Resiliency Fund, investments in new and more sustainable solutions to common aquaculture practices.
Earth Day was born out of a movement to improve the lives of people and nature, inspiring sweeping legislative action and investments. Today, federal infrastructure funding and WA Climate Commitment Act are a continuation of this movement, investments making a tangible impact locally. As an example, Washington’s historic funding of the Floodplains by Design program is contributing to nature-based floodplain management across the state to reduce flood risk, protect communities and protect salmon habitat. These state and federal dollars are just the start of local climate action that will improve the daily lives and the future of all Washingtonians.
Meet DeAnne Hamilton: Learn how the general manager of Tacoma’s KBTC Public Television and TNC in Washington trustee, uses the power of storytelling to engage people in conservation and create a better future for the next generation.
Nestled in the cliffs in Moses Coulee is an import desert water sources that every springs attracts thousands of Pacific Tree frogs. I came to Whisper Lake for a night concert. It was anything but quiet. The chorus of frogs was soothing, calming—the quintessential sound of spring.
The Cle Elum Wildlife Project is improving our understanding of how wildlife use and move through protected forest landscapes, providing us with an opportunity to test how forest management practices impact wildlife and building an evidence base for permanent protection.
This women’s History Month, TNC Washington celebrates the accomplishments of women in conservation who offer critical contributions to the field, while simultaneously facing unique challenges of gender bias in a world dominated by men.
Meet Maud Dowdon, a visionary with the intent to transform the future of climate and the workforce.
New research identifies how forest conditions interact with snowpack in the Cascades Mountain range in Washington State. Focused on the drier eastern slopes, this research informs forest restoration strategies that both protect water supplies and reduce wildfire risk.