National Park Service Awards $425,175 to Expand Pembina Gorge Recreation Area

BISMARCK, N.D. – The National Park Service (NPS) announced an award of$425,175 to the North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The funds will facilitate the acquisition of about 149 acres of land for outdoor recreation at the Pembina Gorge Recreation Area.

Since 1965, the NPS has provided more than 48,000 LWCF grants, primarily funded with federal offshore oil and gas lease revenue, to states and local communities. LWCF awards allow states to further allocate these funds to support public parks and state conservation projects and expand outdoor recreation access.

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