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LWCF Success in Georgia

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped protect some of Georgia’s most treasured places.  Georgia has received approximately $278 million over the past four decades, protecting places such as the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River and the Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

In 1978, the Chattahoochee River NRA was established to provide water-oriented recreation opportunities for the millions of citizens in the Atlanta metropolitan area.  This urban river provides 70 percent of metro Atlanta’s drinking water.  As the pace of urban development placed increasing pressure on remaining undeveloped lands, local communities along the river worked with the National Park Service to design a linear park south of Lake Lanier to the City of Columbus.  LWCF has funded the protection of thousands of acres along the Chattahoochee and some 50 miles of river frontage are now protected; and a park system serving over 3.5 million people each year has been assembled.  For every LWCF dollar invested, nearly five dollars in local, state, and philanthropic support has been applied to this partnership effort.

Economic Benefits

Active outdoor recreation is an important part of the Georgia economy.  Each year, 1.3 million sportspersons and 2 million wildlife watchers combine to spend $3.5 billion on wildlife-associated recreation in Georgia.  This is an integral part of the American outdoor recreation economy, which contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supports 6.4 million American jobs (1 out of every 20 jobs in the U.S.), and stimulates 8 percent of all consumer spending, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.