Land & Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal grant program established by the LWCF Act of 1965, administered by the United States Department of the Interior (USDOI) / National Park Service (NPS) and managed in this State by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management / Division of Planning & Development. The program provides matching grants to state and local government entities for the acquisition, development, and rehabilitation of public outdoor recreation lands and facilities.

Under the provisions of section 6(f) of the Act, any property that benefits from the funds cannot be partially or entirely converted to any use other than for public outdoor recreation without the permission of the Secretary of the USDOI. Federal law requires a project sponsor to provide approved substitute property in the case of a use conversion, whether pre-authorized or retroactively. Examples of non-compliant uses include, but are not limited to, sale or surplus of land, development of unapproved indoor facilities, abutter encroachments, staging for unrelated and/or off-site construction projects, or exclusive use by a specific group or population.

Information on the federal provisions and encumbrances to such properties can be found in the Land & Water Conservation Fund Manual.

RESOURCES

• Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR 59)
• NPS LWCF Stewardship Booklet
• NPS Land & Water Conservation Fund Manual
• RIDEM LWCF RI Project Map