The U.S. Department of the Interior will distribute $1,185,377 to Arkansas for outdoor recreation and conservation projects from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is funded through offshore oil and gas leasing.
This grant is part of $94.3 million distributed across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. These funds are awarded through federal matching grants that leverage public and private investment in America’s state and local public parks.
Congress established the LWCF in 1965 to ensure access to outdoor recreation resources. The funds enable state and local governments to improve existing parks and other recreation areas in their communities through rehabilitation and upgrade projects.
These funds also are used to create new parks in places that have none and to develop and expand trail systems that link communities and add recreation opportunities. The fund also protects wetlands, refuges and wildlife habitats and helps cities build stronger, healthier and more resilient communities.” Since 1965, more than $4.1 billion has been made available to state and local governments to fund more than 42,000 projects throughout the U.S.