Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper announced over $5.2 million in funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for outdoor recreation projects in Colorado.
“Colorado’s public lands shape our identity and drive our economy; that’s why I worked for years to permanently authorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” said Bennet. “This new funding will boost our outdoor recreation economy and help Coloradans leave our public lands and iconic parks in better shape for our kids and grandkids.”
“The LWCF is a proven success, bringing the federal government and local leadership together to invest in the parks, forests, and recreation areas that bring so many to our beautiful state,” said Hickenlooper.
The LWCF supports Americans’ access to public lands and provides matching grants to Tribal, state, and local governments to construct public parks and outdoor recreation projects.
Since joining the U.S. Senate, Bennet has championed the LWCF, and prior to 2020, introduced legislation to fully fund the program in every Congress since 2010. In 2020, Bennet introduced the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act to permanently and fully fund the LWCF, which was signed into law in August of that year. Last year, Bennet urged U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and other Biden Administration officials to request greater investments to the LWCF.