The Senate’s passage of the Great American Outdoors Act is a victory for all Americans. The U.S. House of Representatives should quickly follow suit to help protect wildlife, restore national parks and other public lands, expand outdoor recreation opportunities, and create jobs to boost our economy. The act will permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provide up to $9.5 billion over five years to address badly needed repairs and maintenance on America’s public lands.
Update on Public Lands
A year ago this week, War was declared on America’s lands when President Trump signed Executive Order 13792. This unprecedented action put 26 National Monuments on the chopping block for review and possible reduction in size. The President had already appointed Ryan Zinke as Interior Department Secretary, and he became the point person for carrying out the executive order. Over the past year, Secretary Zinke has expanded the war on numerous fronts through his political appointments, his department re-organization fumbling, his shunning of wildlife management and sound science and his devotion to energy conglomerates and large-scale agriculture.
SCWF Goes to DC
SCWF board member Calvert Huffines of Walterboro (center) recently joined Audubon South Carolina's Matt Johnson (left) and Conservation Voters of South Carolina member Tom Erwin (right) in Washington DC. They met with Senator Lindsey Graham, and also with staff from the offices of Senator Tim Scott, Representative Mark Sanford, and Representative Jim Clyburn. Topics discussed included our opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to selling of public lands for mining, and our support of full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
NWF Blasts Move to Shrink Monuments
Celebrate Our Refuge Event
SCWF was elated to team up with Waccamaw River Blue Trail to host an event to honor the 20th anniversary of the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge to celebrate our #PublicLands on Friday, December 1st. Attendees of this free event enjoyed refreshments and a free kayaking tour. Thank you to Craig Sasser for opening up your beautiful refuge to us and for speaking at the event, Gator Bait Adventure Tours for the use of your kayaks and guiding the tour, and of course, thanks to the supporters who came out! #saveourrefuge
End Misguided Assault on Federal Land Preservation
Read our op-ed in the Post and Courier about the act granting presidents the authority to designate public lands as national monuments.
SC Sportsmen Send Letter in Support of Public Lands
Our public lands and waters are an American birthright and are the foundation of America’s $887 billion outdoor economy. Almost a dozen groups representing more than 100,000 sportsmen in South Carolina sent this letter to our senators and representatives in support of public lands across America. Please read and share.