As with all things US politics lately, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and its renewal have been no different. As of Sunday, the program expired. I was pretty bummed, wildly confused, and, as OIA (Outdoor Industry Association) put it, I felt LWCF'ed. I tried to put something together yesterday, but I was still too angry and didn't want to bring a mess load of politics into this space.

If you still don't know what LWCF is, it's a program that takes non-taxpayer money from drilling royalties and helps to fund our wild places and give us clean water. If you live in the US, you've most likely benefited from this program, it's active in almost every county in the country. So, losing it was a pretty big deal.

Then, out of nowhere, two hours ago, both the House and Senate voted to renew! Talk about ups and downs! Whew!

As overjoyed as I am, it's important not to forget that as of right now, we are kinda LWCF'ed. No budget has been set and therefore no money is being collected, the fight is far from over. I urge you to take the time to call, email, deliver a handwritten note via carrier pigeon, and let your representatives know how important this program is. We need to fight just as hard to get this program funded by the end of the year.

But, for now, do a little happy dance! Because as crazy as it's been, enjoy the win!