BISMARCK, N.D. – The National Park Service (NPS) announced the North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation (NDDPR) received an award of $1,262,300 through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) supporting the construction of additional campsites at Sully Creek State Park, located near Medora. The funding will allow the NDDPR to renovate and reconfigure the road network at Sully Creek State Park to increase the number of campsites, including the installation of 50-amp utilities and water.
Since 1965, the NPS has provided more than 40,000 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 local public parks projects and state conservation, 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 locally determined and reviewed at the state level through a process designed and managed by state partners of the NPS.