EBS STAFF
HELENA – Sens. John Tester and Steve Daines have secured more than $1.6 million in federal grants that will expand access to public land and bolster Montana’s outdoor recreation economy.
The grants come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a pool of national dollars that was set aside in 1964 to provide for conservation and recreation projects across the U.S. Earlier this year, bipartisan legislation saw to the permanent refunding of LWCF at a time when the funds were close to running out. LWCF is now authorized to receive up to $900 million annually.
“The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the best conservation tool we have to expand public access to public lands and strengthen our $7.1 billion outdoor recreation economy,” Tester said in a statement. “These investments are going to do some real good for our outdoor way of life.”
Daines also praised LWCF and the fund’s contribution to the state.
“This is great news for Montana,” he said in a statement. “This LWCF funding could help increase public access to public lands, expand access to fishing sites and promote outdoor recreation.”
