Funding for Public Lands Conservation

SAHC has a long history working with public agency partners,including the US Forest Service, the Park Service and others, to secure places like the Appalachian National Scenic Trail for people to enjoy.

“SAHC has been a national leader in advocating to buy and protect parks and public lands for all to enjoy,” says Executive Director Carl Silverstein. “Stan Murray and other SAHC founders were instrumental in Congress passing the National Trails Act in 1968, which enabled funding for purchasing land for the Appalachian Trail corridor in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Before that, significant portions of the trail existed on private lands thanks only to permissive handshake agreements, which could be revoked if the property owners decided to develop their land.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was an effective funding mechanism for public land acquisition in the 70s, 80s, and into the 90s. SAHC helped the Forest Service purchase many tracts securing the AT corridor in the Highlands of Roan during that era. In the 90s, Congress got in the habit of diverting most of the funds from the LWCF for other purposes, which resulted in fewer additions to the national forests.

“The Great American Outdoors Act fixes that. SAHC has been a leader in advocating for the passage of this legislation because we have been advocates for public land acquisition from our beginning.”

The Great American Outdoors Act – celebrated as the most important legislation for land and water conservation and public lands in the last 50+ years – was signed into law in August with broad bipartisan support. The legislation finally provides permanent funding for the LWCF.

“In the Eastern U.S., every acre of national forest land has been purchased from private landowners,” continues Silverstein. “When Congress authorized the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests as part of the Weeks Act in 1911, the land here was already privately owned – so public lands have to be purchased from private landowners. Our national forests in the Southeast have never really been completed. Within the forest planning boundaries, there are gaps in public ownership – with significant private inholdings in the national forests. This is important because parts of the national forest may be near a trail or other feature, but people can’t utilize the public lands to the fullest because private lands are interspersed. Those things were true in both of SAHC’s recent Big Creek and Tanasee Ridge acquisitions.” (p. 6-7)

“SAHC courageously borrows money to seize fleeting conservation opportunities like these when they are available,” says Silverstein. “If we were not able to do so, the land would probably end up being developed. We are only able to borrow money towards conservation acquisitions like these if we can map out how we will be able to repay the loan. For example, SAHC borrowed more than $1.2 million towards the acquisition of the Big Creek and Tanasee Ridge properties. Over the past years, there have been multiple attempts to secure these properties which didn’t work out. With the confidence that the LWCF will be available to transfer these properties to become part of national forests in the future, SAHC was finally able to protect them.”