Dear Editor,
Close your eyes and imagine yourself at your favorite park. That park was likely funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). For me, I love going on hikes at Blueberry Hill Trail in Gibbsboro. A bit of fresh air, especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, always clears my mind.
The LWCF funds projects ranging from neighborhood parks to well-known national parks. Hundreds of millions of dollars from this program have gone towards open spaces and historical sites all around the country. However, the LWCF has never been fully funded before as Congress has raided millions from the fund. The Great American Outdoors Act has just passed which will provide full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
I want to thank Representative Donald Norcross for publicly supporting funding for New Jersey’s public lands and this historic bill. I hope he, and our other elected officials, continue to support the environment.
Katrina Chen
