Charleston, WV – Today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced $2,850,529 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through the U.S. Department of the Interior to support and expand local outdoor recreation across West Virginia. This funding was made available through Chairman Manchin’s historic Great American Outdoors Act, which was enacted in 2020 and made the full $900 million in annual LWCF funding permanent and mandatory.

“West Virginia is one of America’s greatest outdoor playgrounds, and I am glad to see that the Land and Water Conservation Fund is continuing to benefit our beautiful state. Whether it’s rafting down the New River, mountain biking in the Monongahela National Forest, or all the other countless outdoor recreation activities that West Virginia has to offer, this funding will help ensure that our outdoor recreation economy can continue to grow and strengthen our local communities,” said Chairman Manchin.

Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF has funded $5.1 billion to support 45,000 projects in almost every county in the country. At no cost to taxpayers, the LWCF supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters – including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and recreation areas – and provides matching competitive grants to state governments for the acquisition and development of public parks and other outdoor recreation sites. This investment also helps support locally led outdoor recreation and conservation projects to protect and enhance our nation’s public lands and waters.