Proposed Federal Budget Threatens the Greenway and Public Lands
The FY26 federal budget proposals include deep funding cuts and other actions that could severely impact the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area and public lands nationwide. If enacted, these various proposals would roll back decades of conservation progress, eliminate essential funding, sell off millions of acres of public lands, and jeopardize public access to the lands and stories that define our region.
Congress can stop this—but only if they hear from you. Take a moment to read about the proposed actions and use the links below to contact your representatives and urge them to protect these essential programs.
What’s At Risk?
Proposed Sell-Off of Public Lands
The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee budget reconciliation bill released June 11, and updated June 14, includes language that would open millions of acres of public land to private sale, including here in Washington. More than 5 million acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in our state could be affected. This includes areas within the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area that we’ve spent decades working to protect.
The Greenway Trust is deeply concerned that this proposal could undo years of collaborative conservation work—breaking apart critical wildlife corridors, threatening clean water, impacting tribal treaty rights, and jeopardizing public access. The draft bill could move quickly through the Senate this week, making this a critical moment to speak up.
Contact your members of Congress now using this quick action form from our friends at The Mountaineers.
Elimination of National Heritage Area Funding + More Cuts to the National Park Service
The budget proposal would cut $900 million and 4,500 staff from the National Park Service, completely eliminate funding for the National Heritage Area (NHA) Program, and slash historic preservation grants—putting 62 NHAs and critical projects across the country in jeopardy. In the Greenway NHA, each federal NHA dollar is matched 4:1 by local, state, and private investments—and supports an array of education, recreation, habitat restoration, and historic preservation projects across the region.
Click here to contact your Congressional delegates and tell them you want to see full funding ($33.5 million) for 62 National Heritage Areas across the country in the FY26 budget. Need help with what to say? We have you covered:
“This message is for Representative______________. Thank you for your work to support public lands in our state. I am calling today to share that I am concerned about the cuts to the National Park Service budget by this administration, including the elimination of funding for National Heritage Areas. With two National Heritage Areas in Washington state that rely on congressional appropriations to complete their work, I am calling to request full funding at $33.5million for all National Heritage Areas in the FY26budget. [Feel free to add a personal sentence about the importance of the Mountains to Sound Greenway NHA and/or Maritime Washington NHA]. Thank you for your time and your work.”
Rollback of the Great American Outdoors Act + the Land and Water Conservation Fund
The budget proposal would also roll back the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), bipartisan legislation passed just five years ago that fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
For over 55 years, LWCF has helped safeguard millions of acres using royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling—at no cost to taxpayers. In the Greenway NHA, LWCF has conserved more than 115,000 acres, including iconic places such as Snoqualmie Point Park, stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail, areas in the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, water access along the Yakima River, beautiful Gas Works Park in Seattle, Seahurst Park in Burien, and so many more that provide access to nature today and for future generations.
Since 2020, GAOA has also funded 17 local recreation improvement projects in the Greenway NHA, including trail repairs at Snow Lake, upgrades at Denny Creek/Franklin Falls, safety work at Annette Lake, and access improvements in the Middle Fork Valley.
Our partners at the Trust for Public Land have a quick and easy way for you to contact lawmakers in support of LWCF.
