A growing collection of project profiles, video interviews, and case studies from Tribal Governments navigating the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Successes alongside the challenges, in the words of the people doing the work.
We are actively gathering Tribal project stories, video clips, and interviews to populate this section. If your Tribe has pursued LWCF funding — whether successfully or not — we want to hear from you. Stories from the field are how other Tribal Governments learn what is possible. Share your story.
We are gathering project profiles, recorded interviews, and short documentary clips from Tribal Governments who have navigated the LWCF process. Have a story to share? Reach out — we're actively building this section with our partners.
How a Tribal Government used LWCF in coordination with co-stewardship arrangements to protect a culturally significant landscape — and the structural barriers they navigated to get there.
Building Tribal park infrastructure through ORLP — what changed under the EXPLORE Act, and what the application process looked like in practice.
How a Plains Tribal Government is using LWCF acquisition funding alongside co-stewardship agreements to expand access to ancestral lands and habitat.
A Northern Plains Tribal Government navigating Section 6(f) restrictions while securing permanent public access to a culturally significant landscape.
Tribal storytelling means telling the full story — including the structural barriers that keep dollars from reaching Tribal lands. These are the recurring themes from the conversations we've had so far.
Most LWCF dollars flow through state agencies. Tribal Governments — sovereign nations — must work through structures that were not designed with them in mind.
Standard 50/50 match requirements can be prohibitive. New Mexico's S.B. 169 is one model for removing this barrier; advocacy is ongoing in other states.
Many Tribal Governments report learning about LWCF only through informal networks. Dedicated, sustained outreach from state liaisons remains uneven.
LWCF-funded sites carry permanent federal use restrictions. Tribal Governments need clarity on how these intersect with sovereignty and future land-use decisions.
Whether the application was funded or not, your experience is useful for other Tribal Governments trying to navigate the same pathways. Reach out to share a project, schedule an interview, or send media we can highlight.
Share your story
