$2.5 Million for Outdoor Recreation & Conservation Projects Coming to Michigan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today reaffirmed the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for states across the country after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that Michigan will receive $2,468,616 to support conservation and recreation projects in local communities. The LWCF was founded 50 years ago and has preserved public lands and natural resources in nearly every county in the country. Dingell has been a leader in calling for Congress to permanently reauthorize the LWCF.

“LWCF funding has protected some of our state’s most critical natural resources – including the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge – and created jobs, supported our local economies, and provided countless opportunities for recreation,” said Dingell, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “There is broad bipartisan support in Congress for permanent reauthorization of the LWCF, and we will keep fighting to ensure this program continues to protect our natural resources for future generations.”

Created by Congress in 1965, the LWCF has safeguarded natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage sites in every state in the country. In Michigan, LWCF money was used to support the acquisition of the 410 acre Humbug Marsh unit to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. This investment protected the last mile of natural shoreline along the U.S. portion of the Detroit River, a deal Dingell said “never could have happened” without investment from the LWCF. A recent analysis of the Land and Water Conservation Fund found that every $1 invested in land acquisition generated a $4 return on investment for communities.

In December 2015, Congress provided a short-term three-year renewal of the LWCF, the nation’s premier recreation and conservation program, after letting it expire on September 30 for the first time in its 50 year history. Dingell is a cosponsor of H.R. 1814, legislation introduced by Natural Resources Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva, which would permanently reauthorize the LWCF. The legislation currently has more than 200 bipartisan cosponsors.

Source: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell