I hope you are well. Good news has been in short supply over the past five months, but not all is grim in the conservation world. The ink has barely dried on the Great American Outdoors Act, which, among other things, will provide full and permanent funding of $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
OSI’s team in Washington DC has aggressively advocated for this outcome for more than a decade, and it’s hard to overstate how beneficial this legislation will be for South Carolina. LWCF has touched every county in the state, from our local pocket parks to Department of Natural Resources preserves and wildlife management areas, to our many federal wildlife refuges, national forests and parks.
The value of land protection has always been clear to us, but this pandemic, for better or worse, has revealed the need for more and equitable access to open space. There is still a great deal of uncertainty with respect to many sources of conservation funding, but with this LWCF shot in the arm we are certain we will be busy long into the future making South Carolina a more beautiful and livable place.
Below are a few highlights of our recent achievements. I hope you enjoy the read, and as always, please feel to reach out to Maria, Patrick, Michelle, or me with any questions. On behalf of the South Carolina OSI team, thank you for your continued commitment and support.
Stay well,
Nate
P.S. Please feel free to share this email with fellow conservationists who would be interested in learning more about OSI’s efforts in South Carolina to protect land for people and wildlife, forever. And encourage them to sign up for future news.