Central ND News

The National Park Service (NPS) has awarded the North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation (NDDPR) $1,262,300 through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This funding will support the construction of additional campsites at Sully Creek State Park near Medora. The project includes renovating and reconfiguring the park's road network to increase the number of campsites and installing 50-amp utilities and water.

Since 1965, the NPS has provided more than 40,000 LWCF grants. These grants are primarily funded with federal offshore oil and gas lease revenue. They allow states to allocate funds to support local public parks projects, state conservation efforts, and expand outdoor recreation access.

In 2019, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer helped pass the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. This legislation reauthorized and reformed the LWCF program to ensure states receive at least 40 percent of its funding. Grants distributed through this program are locally determined and reviewed at the state level through a process managed by state partners of the NPS.