Great American Outdoors Act Funds LWCF Grant Opportunities
Left: Playground at Williams Township Park. Right: Trail at Richland Township Park.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was passed by Congress in 1965, authorizing up to $900 million annually from offshore oil and gas drilling to be utilized for public land improvements and conservation. Since then, the LWCF has only received its maximum authorized funding twice and most years was less than half of that amount.
Ribbon cutting at Village Park in the Village of Sebewaing.
The recently-passed Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) guarantees full $900 million funding every year in perpetuity. Additionally, the GAOA authorizes up to $1.9 million per year for five years to fund priority-deferred maintenance projects administered by the National Park Service, Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education.
Since 2011, Spicer Group has secured more than $3 million for over 20 recreation projects using the LWCF. We assist our clients with utilizing this important funding mechanism to ensure recreation opportunities are available that would otherwise be impossible due to the budget restraints of local municipalities that simply cannot afford the scale and quality of these projects on their own. But we do not only do this to satisfy clients - we do it for our local communities and for our very own employees.
Spicer Group employs a diverse number of individuals who enjoy recreation opportunities made possible by the LWCF in many different ways. We have mountain bikers, hikers, backpackers, campers, anglers, hunters, boaters, runners, and more.
Even outings as simple as an evening with the children at the local playground or splash pad are often made possible because of LWCF-funded projects. Here is a list of places you may know that we have used LWCF grant money to improve:
Richland Township Park, Richland Township
Ford Lake Park, Ypsilanti Charter Township
Bay County Riverwalk-Railtrail, Portsmouth Township
Auburn City Park Improvements, City of Auburn
Marlette Pool, City of Marlette
Village Park, Village of Sebawaing
Coldwater Lake Park, Isabella County
Habina Park, Merritt Township
Williams Township Park, Williams Township
Ashley Village Park, Village of Ashley
Midland Township Park, Midland Township
Monitor Township Park, Monitor Township
West Park, Carson City
Splash Pad, City of Bad Axe
Memorial Park, Branch County
Burchfield Park, Ingham County
Freer Park, Ingham Township
West River Road Park, Jerome Township
Lake Lansing Park, Ingham County
Hawk Island Park, Ingham County
Thomas Township Nature Center, Thomas Township
Bay Court Park, Independence Township
Spicer Group is happy to play a role in improving the access to and quality of recreation opportunities throughout Michigan and we thank all our representatives who supported this legislation, ensuring the funds necessary for these projects to take place for years to come!
Go to https://www.lwcfcoalition.com/map-of-lwcf to see how the LWCF has been used in your area. Follow Spicer Group on social media and leave a comment telling us what LWCF-funded sites you have visited. If you are interested in applying for an LWCF grant for a public space near you, feel free to contact us.
Marlette Splash Park.