Public Lands Package Heads to House for Consideration

On February 13, a comprehensive public lands package passed a Senate vote, and is expected to go before the House early next week.

The federal legislation includes permanent re-authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, protection for the Methow Headwaters from mining, and the establishment of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area that would span 1.5 million acres of land along I-90. WTA has been working for these protections and funding for years, along many of our partners, including The Nature Conservancy, The Mountaineers, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition and more.

With the package heading to the House of Representatives for consideration soon, your representatives need to hear from you in order to ensure it passes. 

Olympic National Park is one of the many areas in Washington that benefits from LWCF funding. Photo by WTA staff.

How you can help: A 2-Minute Call

Now is the perfect time to speak up for public lands and let your House representatives know that this is an important package for Washington's lands and trails. If you can, calling your House representative can really help to make a difference. We recommend giving your representatives a call as soon as possible to urge them to support this package in the House. You can find your Washington House representative's number using the House.gov website. 

If you've never given your representative a call before, don't worry, it's easy! Here's a few tips for when you call:

• Politely introduce yourself and identify yourself as a constituent.
• Say that you support the Senate Bill 47's public land package.
• Ask them to support it in the House.
• Optional: Add a personal reason why you care about public lands and trails.

That's it! Here's an example of how this might sound:

"Hi, my name is ________ and I live in ______. I'd like Representative ______ to know that I support Senate Bill 47, the Natural Resource Management Act. I hope you'll show your support for the legislation in the House. I am a hiker, and I really value the time my family spends on the public lands that will be supported by this legislation. Thank you for your time."

You'll most likely end up leaving your message with a staff member, but your call will still be counted and matter to your representative when the bill comes up for a vote. You are welcome to follow up on social media, but it will not matter like a call. Please only call your own representatives, and encourage your friends around the state (and country) to call theirs.

Thank you!

With all the hard work that went into seeing this bill reach the House, it's also a good time to thank the Senators who helped make that possible. Washington benefited from strong leadership from Senator Cantwell, and the support of Senator Patty Murray. Send Senator Cantwell a thank-you email!