The op-ed “Maine Voices: Maine’s fabled forests enjoy long history of bipartisan support” (June 3) had a really important take-home message.

While we’re in the middle of a messy conflict between Gov. LePage and the many Mainers who love the Land for Maine’s Future Program, there’s great work being done to ensure that our forests continue to be there for everyone in Maine.

We all know how important the LMF program is – that’s why we keep voting to fund it. But not everyone knows how much good the federal Forest Legacy Program and Land and Water Conservation Fund do for our state.

Chances are that in the last month, like my family, you have enjoyed places that the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped.

Whether it’s your neighborhood playground, a favorite state park, a swimming pool, a beach, one of our great forests or wildlife refuges or even Acadia National Park, the fund and Forest Legacy are instrumental in making sure these places are there for all of us. But this won’t continue, unless our delegation acts now.

Like the column said, the Land and Water Conservation Fund will end Sept. 30 if no action is taken.

Failure to renew this landmark law will have severe consequences and unravel decades of progress conserving natural, historical, recreational and cultural resources in Maine and across the nation. We can’t sit by and let this to happen.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has a 50-year history of success and is overwhelmingly supported by the American people. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree all support reauthorization of the fund. I hope that Rep. Bruce Poliquin joins them in this effort.

We need them to work together, across the aisle, and do all that’s needed to make permanent and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Jeremy Sheaffer

The Wilderness Society

Hallowell