No Take Backs on Conservation Funding

Dear AMC community,

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is America's most powerful tool for protecting nature and expanding recreation opportunities. It is wildly popular and has enjoyed bipartisan support since its inception over 60 years ago. It has invested in every state and nearly every county across the U.S., from working forests in AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative to neighborhood playgrounds and local trail networks in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands.

Now the LWCF is under attack.

Since January 20, the Trump Administration issued multiple Executive Orders and agency directives that freeze LWCF grants to states and conservation projects. This hold hurts everyone and every state. The work stoppage has the potential to kill land conservation and park development projects, delay needed public recreation access, and depress the booming outdoor recreation economy, which generates $1.2 trillion annually in economic output and provides 5 million jobs.

This pause is expected to last until the new Administration can review all federal programs. But with LWCF they shouldn’t have to. President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on August 4, 2020 to guarantee $900 million of annual funding for LWCF, forever. President Trump said that day, “We want every American child to have access to pristine outdoor spaces… And while I’m President, we will always protect the great outdoors for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and the admiration, enjoyment, and reverence of every American citizen.”

Let’s make sure our leaders keep their promises. I urge you to call or write to your representatives to ask them to keep and use the Land and Water Conservation Fund this year. There’s a lot of good work to be done in the outdoors. Let’s not keep our tools locked up. If you agree, forward this email to a friend, and help AMC get legislators’ phones ringing off the hook.

Sincerely,

Amy Lindholm

AMC Director of Federal Affairs, Conservation Funding

National Coordinator, Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition

Mental Health Toolbox

It’s more important than ever to prioritize and manage our mental health. Here are some ways to protect and promote your well-being. You don't need us to tell you how spending time in nature is good for your mental health—so let’s talk about how to get outside and reap those benefits.

The Mental Health Benefits of Nature outlines how exposure to nature helps manage stress by improving sleep, memory, attention, and creativity, and offers tips on how to spend time outdoors even if you live in an urban environment. [Mayo Clinic]

8 Health Benefits of Getting Outside dives into detail on eight ways getting outside can improve your health, from emotional well-being to improved immune systems. [Healthline]

32 Ways to Get Outside More shares options for each season of the year to help you get more ideas on how to get outside. [Backroad Ramblers]

Outdoors Connector lists the AMC activities taking place in the coming weeks, from a lodge-to-lodge ski trip in the North Maine Woods to an intro to backpacking gear workshop in Delaware. [Appalachian Mountain Club]