Montanans know a good deal when we see one. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a great deal for our state.
Over the last five decades, Montana received more than $649 million in LWCF investments. That money built local baseball fields, preserved fishing access sites, protected working lands, and opened hunting grounds — all while supporting small businesses that thrive when families and visitors get outdoors. In fact, outdoor recreation in Montana generates more than $3.4 billion annually, with everything from Main Street outfitters to small-town diners fueling our economy. The best part of all: LWCF is not another burden on local taxpayers as its funding comes from offshore oil and gas royalties.
If you want to see some of the real results of LWCF on the ground, Lolo National Forest offers some shining examples. In 2021, LWCF helped support the acquisition of a 14,800 acre property to conserve miles of the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce National Historic Trails. Previously on private land, the LWCF supported conservation project now allows for public access for recreation.
The LWCF Sportsmen Recreation Access Fund was crucial to the Beavertail to Bearmouth Project, which acquired 6,132 acres near Missoula to conserve habitat while protecting access for hunting, fishing, and motorized recreation.
LWCF delivered real results for Montana families. More than 1,900 projects across the state prove this program works and Montanans want to see it continue.
But right now, LWCF is under attack. The Trump Administration already proposed gutting LWCF by over $100 million, while at the same time cutting the National Park Service budget. Now, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order that gums up local LWCF conservation projects with D.C. red tape.
Meanwhile, they’ve refused to release a list of 2026 projects, putting efforts like protecting hunting and fishing access at Fawn Peak — a $7.5 million LWCF priority — on the chopping block.
And where is Senator Steve Daines? He’s called himself a champion of LWCF, cut ribbons when projects opened, and bragged about supporting public lands. But today, as LWCF dollars, National Park funding, and Montana’s outdoor economy are all under threat, he seems nowhere to be found. Montanans deserve leaders who will fight for us, not sit on the sidelines while Washington raids our future.
LWCF is about more than land and water. It’s about families fishing together on a Saturday, kids playing ball under the lights, and small businesses that depend on healthy, accessible public lands. It’s an incredible deal for Montana as it costs taxpayers nothing, yet delivers billions to our economy. And it preserves the places we love for future generations.
Daines won’t need to burn any political capital here in Montana to remain a champion of LWCF. In fact, speaking up to protect Montana’s public lands and outdoor way of life would earn him dividends … but maybe it’s the D.C. machine that’s keeping him quiet.
Ben Super is the executive director of the Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund.