+ State Parks

WHAT THEY ARE

Alabama has 21 state parks encompassing approximately 48,000 acres of land and water throughout the state. Alabama’s state parks provide access to a wide range of our state’s natural resources, from the Appalachian Mountains to Gulf Coast beaches. They also offer a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, biking, birding, camping and fishing. Each year there are roughly four to five million visits to Alabama’s state parks, pumping nearly $400 million into the state’s economy.

WHAT WE'VE DONE

From 2010 to 2015, the state of Alabama required administrative transfers of funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, appropriating money earned by license fees and state park entrance costs into the General Fund. As a direct result, five of Alabama’s 22 state parks closed in October 2015, and an additional six parks reduced their services and hours. Thanks to the public outcry in support of Alabama's state parks, a constitutional amendment appeared on the 2016 ballot to permanently protect parks' funding. That amendment passed with 80% of the vote, and Alabama's state parks can now keep the money they earn and reinvest it in maintaining and upgrading the properties that locals and visitors alike love.

+ Forever Wild Land Trust

WHAT IT IS

The Forever Wild Land Trust purchases land from willing sellers and preserves it using money generated from the Alabama Trust Fund, which houses revenue from offshore drilling in Alabama's waters. Forever Wild was overwhelmingly renewed for another 20 years by a statewide vote in 2012. During the 2015 legislative session, efforts were made to defund the trust but that bill was swiftly defeated thanks to hundreds of calls, emails, and letters to elected officials demanding that the state's most popular conservation program be preserved. Beyond the natural goods and services Alabama receives by preserving land, communities are able to leverage Forever Wild properties into destinations for recreational tourism. This not only brings in new visitors and new revenue, it also makes our small towns and rural areas even more attractive places to live.

WHAT WE DO

Conservation Alabama Foundation works to educate Alabama’s elected officials at the state and local level about the Forever Wild Land Trust and the intrinsic and economic value of the lands provided by the program. We defend the program at the legislative level when attacks arise, and provide the public with information on how to access Forever Wild properties and how to speak up for the program at critical points in the legislative process.

+ LWCF

WHAT IT IS

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal program providing grants to communities for the acquisition and preservation of public lands. This can include parks, sports facilities, camping areas, hiking trails, and infrastructure needed to make these places accessible for everyone. Since LWCF was created by Congress in 1964, Alabama has received more than $160 million in funding to protect places such as the Bon Secour and Cahaba National Wildlife Refuges, Little River Canyon National Preserve, and the Talladega, Tuskegee and Bankhead National Forests. LWCF was recently permanently reauthorized and fully funded with broad bipartisan support. This increase in LWCF funding is an opportunity to bring additional federal funds to Alabama and create a diverse mix of public access opportunities for Alabamians.

WHAT WE DO

Conservation Alabama Foundation works with local communities— especially low-income areas and/or communities of color— to take advantage of this federal grants program and its ability to provide purchase of lands for low-cost programs such as community playgrounds, ball parks, community parks and trails. We help Alabamians see the value of this federal program in their local communities, and encourage them to support continued investment in outdoor recreation and public lands.