Federal Programs

Federal Land Conservation Programs

The federal government is a vital source of funding for land and natural resource conservation in America — helping to save great parks and public lands, productive farms and ranches, vital wildlife habitat, healthy watersheds and more. Federal funding typically leverages contributions from state, local and private sources — enabling the protection of some of the highest priority resources in the country.

But public funding for conservation is never guaranteed. In fact, many of our nation’s most important conservation programs are seriously underfunded or in danger of expiring! Maintaining these programs requires dedicated, coordinated and effective political advocacy, by the Alliance and our partners. Building support for federal conservation programs is one of the Alliance’s top policy priorities.  

This overview of five major conservation programs may help you find the right match for your conservation project. You can follow the links to more in-depth information.

Farm Bill

The 2018 Farm Bill was a big win for conservation! It adopts many of the Land Trust Alliance’s highest priorities such as increasing funding for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to $450 million per year. Other Alliance priorities reflected in the final bill will make the Agricultural Land Easement program more effective and efficient — remove the Agriculture Land Easement plan requirement, allow landowner donations and expenses to satisfy match requirements, grant the secretary waiver authority from the Adjusted Gross Income limitation and allow certified entities to write their own minimum deed terms. This will result in land trusts working with willing landowners to conserve more farms and ranches.

Land and Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established by Congress in 1964 with a strong bipartisan commitment to protect natural, cultural and water resources including national parks and forests, land by rivers, lakes and oceans, working forests, farms and ranches, fish and wildlife refuges, trails, and state and local parks. Over the past five decades, LWCF has touched every state and helped protect America’s most treasured places, from the Grand Canyon National Park to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, to your favorite neighborhood park or playground. Its legacy is outstanding: more than 3 million acres enjoyed by over 500 million people every year.

The LWCF was permanently reauthorized in 2019. Unfortunately, the reauthorization did not include full and dedicated funding so it is likely Congress will continue its practice of diverting as much as two-thirds of the funding elsewhere.

North American Wetlands Conservation Act

This program protects extensive wetlands and other habitats for migratory birds — while strengthening local economies, providing clean water supplies, and protecting communities from storms and floods. It has helped to protect 26 million acres in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Grants through the program are so competitive that they leverage an average of $3.20 for every federal dollar.

Forest Legacy Program

This program helps prevent the fragmentation or destruction of environmentally significant forests, at a time when we’re losing over half a million acres of private forest land every year! The program protects privately owned forest land through voluntary conservation easements or sale of land to the U.S. Forest Service and state governments.

Endangered Species Grants

Through habitat conservation, threatened or endangered species can join the ranks of success stories like the bald eagle, the grizzly bear, and the California condor. Over half of currently listed species rely on habitats on private land — which can be protected with funding through Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act.