From the — Summer, 2020Email: info@greenplayllc.com

On June 17th, the U.S. Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act with

a vote of 73 to 25. In a country strained by the COVID-19 pandemic and polarizing racial protests, it was a rare bipartisan breath of fresh air and one of the most significant pieces of legislation for conservation since Teddy Roosevelt.

Great for Parks and RecreationThe Great American Outdoors Act addresses a myriad of issues supported by conservationists, hunters, anglers, historic preservationists, veteran’s groups, small business advocates, healthy-living advocates, as well as cities, counties and states across the country. Kristine Stratton, President and CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association, said, “The NRPA applauds the Senate for passing the Great American Outdoors Act. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a program that is incredibly important for communities across America. This marks a huge win for our more than 60,000 members and advocates, who work tirelessly to serve the public with

parks and trails in urban and rural communities throughout the country…Now it’s time for the House to finish the job.”

What does it do?The act supports outdoor recreation in two separate ways. The first is by providing $9.5 billion over the next five years to help the National Park Service and other federal land-management agencies address their maintenance backlogs. For decades, federal public lands have been suffering from $20 billion in deferred maintenance costs, with $12 billion of that accumulated by the National Park Service. The second is to mandate that the Land and Water Conservation Fund, widely considered the nation’s single best funding tool for outdoor recreation, be permanently financed to its maximum allotment of $900 million annually.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced their version of the legislation in the House of Representatives on June 4, and passage of that version is expected in the coming weeks, clearing the way for the president to sign the bill into law, which he has said he will do.

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Great News for Mother Nature and Future Generations of AmericansEdited By John Rainey

Land and Water Conservation FundThe LWCF is a federal program that was established by Congress in 1965 to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, and easements on land and water, for the benefit of all Americans. The main emphases of the fund are recreation and the protection of national natural treasures in the forms of parks and protected forest and wildlife areas.

The primary source of income to the fund is fees and royalties paid to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement by oil and gas drilling offshore in federal water for oil and gas. However, congress has regularly diverted much of the funds from this source to other purposes.

Funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund have been utilized over the years on projects both large and small. LWCF has helped state agencies and local communities acquire nearly seven million acres (28,000 km²) of land and easements controlling further land, developed project sites including such popular recreational areas as Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia, California’s Big Sur Coast, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Montana, helped maintain Yellowstone National Park, and helped to build and maintain

thousands of local playgrounds, soccer fields, and baseball diamonds. LWCF funding has benefited nearly every county in America, supporting over 42,000 projects.

Great for the Economy“We are going to have to rebuild the economy, and this can be a really big part of that,” says democratic senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, noting that outdoor recreation contributes $778 billion in consumer spending and supports 5.2 million jobs, yet “our trails and campgrounds aren’t in the shape that they should be, which directly impacts economic activity on public lands and in gateway communities.”

“The Great American Outdoors Act is the conservation investment our country needs, creating jobs and boosting local economies by enhancing treasured natural spaces,” said Tom Cors, director of government relations for lands at The Nature Conservancy. “As the last few months have demonstrated, nature plays a vital role in our emotional and economic well-being. The investments in this bill will protect important landscapes, expand outdoor recreation opportunities nationwide and ensure our great outdoors and the communities it supports will be ready for generations of visitors to come.”

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From the — Summer, 2020Email: info@greenplayllc.com

From the — Summer, 2020Email: info@greenplayllc.com

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“The broad, bipartisan support for the bill shows widespread understanding that conservation is a part of the solution for the challenges we face.” Cors said. “We urge lawmakers to continue working together to finalize this much-needed investment in our communities and our natural world.”

Politics aside, the bill stands to benefit every American, especially now. “We are seeing during the pandemic how important walking outside is to people’s well-being,” says Heinrich. “Right now, more than 100,000 kids in this country don’t have a park within a ten-minute walk of their house,” he says, noting that the LWCF can remedy that. “The rebuilding can be as equitable as we want it to be.”

Great for Our Well-BeingAs the majority of the nation was confined at home under various COVID-19 restrictions, there was an upswing in people wanting to get outdoors. Outdoor spaces like parks and sports fields have been flooded with visitors to the point that many have been ordered closed by government officials as it was no longer possible to maintain the recommended six-foot social distance.

So why is there a sudden need to get outside? History shows that with a pandemic comes a decline in our mental health. These stresses cause you to feel anxious, sad, or helpless. This, in turn, elevates your blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension and suppresses your immune system. A natural environment reverses that, regardless of age or culture, humans find nature pleasing.

Nature healsBeing in nature reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.

Online References:

Press Release from Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado: https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-the-great-american-outdoors-act

Field & Stream Magazine: https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/blogs/conservationist/whats-the-big-deal-about-the-great-american-outdoors-act/

Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/2414708/great-american-outdoors-act

The Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/house-lawmakers-introduce-great-american-outdoors-act/

National Recreation and Park Association: https://www.nrpa.org/about-national-recreation-and-park-association/press-room/nrpa-applauds-senate-passage-of-the-gaoa-tells-house-to-finish-the-job/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_and_Water_Conservation_Fund

Ducks Unlimited: https://www.ducks.org/conservation/public-policy/federal-conservation-funding/land-and-water-conservation-fund