On the heels of Congress passing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the conservation community has achieved another legislative victory with enactment of the America's Conservation Enhancement Act.

As land trusts continue to navigate the hardships posed by the coronavirus, the Land Trust Alliance is stepping up to help its members in a big way.

And with the stroke of a pen, it became official: The Land and Water Conservation Fund now has full and dedicated funding. That means that $900 million will be committed each year to protecting important land, water and recreation areas that benefit all Americans.

For land trusts interested in combating climate change using the carbon storage capacity of their natural and working lands, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is working to make the path a little easier.

With all that is occurring in our world, we could all use a bit of good news these days. Today, we received some courtesy of the U.S. Senate.

On June 5, the president signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 7010) into law. The bill passed the House on May 28, 417-1; the Senate passed it June 3 by unanimous consent.

Last month, I told you about Paycheck Protection Program loans and how they can help land trusts meet payroll during the pandemic.These loans are forgivable if certain conditions are met. Now we know more about those conditions.

As part of our ongoing response to the current pandemic, the Land Trust Alliance is taking new steps to ensure federal emergency response measures to include resources for land trusts.

Recent changes to federal law have significantly altered medical leave benefits for many employees. It's important that land trusts are aware of and are prepared to act on changes that apply to them and their employees.