Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund Newsroom

The National Park Service (NPS) today celebrated the completion of the stabilization project of a historic drylaid stone wall at Mile 11 with funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund. This approximately 1,015 linear foot long wall historically called the “Log Wall” plays a critical role in supporting the towpath and the canal prism and protecting them from the waters of the Potomac River. The rehabilitated historic wall ensures future generations will continue to learn and enjoy the C&O Canal in its historical context.

Through-traffic will be limited on Dry Fork Road in south Phillips County, Montana, July 23 through mid-August, as contractors work to replace two damaged 4-feet-diameter culverts running under the road. The culvert repair project is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, helping the Bureau of Land Management provide access to public lands and the unique resources they steward.

Yosemite National Park is proud to announce the reopening of the Tuolumne Meadows Campground Aug 1, following the completion of a transformative three-year, $26 million rehabilitation project funded through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This marks the first time the Tuolumne Meadows Campground has been open since construction began in 2022. The improvements not only revitalize one of the largest campgrounds in the National Park System—with 336, 304 standard and hike-in, 21 backpacker, seven group, and four horse, sites serving up to 2,200 visitors nightly—but also reflect a commitment to preserving natural and cultural resources while enhancing the visitor experience.

Between June 30 – August 6, the NPS and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will complete pavement rehabilitation on high-priority roads through contract work. The battlefield received Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Funding to utilize proactive pavement preservation techniques, such as crack sealing, chip sealing, patching, joint and crack repair, and restriping to extend the useful surface life of parking lots and roadways within the battlefield.

The National Park Service recently awarded a contract to restore the upper plaza at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. This significant investment from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund will address critical infrastructure and safety needs and improve the visitor experience.

GAOA LRF addresses deferred maintenance and repair needs for priority facilities and infrastructure on America’s public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. One of these projects is currently in progress at Crab Orchard, where GAOA LRF is working to make significant repairs to infrastructure at the refuge.

Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site (PUHE) is demonstrating a powerful model of resourcefulness and community collaboration in its mission to restore native pili (Heteropogon contortus) grasslands. Through a strategic combination of park resources and funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Maintenance Action Team (MAT) program, PUHE launched an initiative that not only revitalizes its cultural landscape but also invests in the next generation of conservationists.

Years of storms, flooding, and shifting ground left the beloved Kuralt Trail at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge nearly unusable. A recent Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA LRF) funded Maintenance Action Team (MAT) was deployed at the site to create a new elevated boardwalk trail to ensure it would withstand future storms and flooding.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is implementing a full road closure and detour along the park’s corridor in Roanoke, Virginia, from milepost 95.9 at Montvale Overlook (south of Peaks of Otter) to milepost 106, near U.S. Route 460, beginning April 14, 2025. This nine-mile closure is the next phase in the previously announced repaving and rehabilitation, Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Funded project.

Here in Hawaiʻi, GAOA funding is being used to rehabilitate approximately 64 miles of perimeter exclusionary fencing across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, Haleakalā, and Kalaupapa National Parks. These fences are not just barriers; they are essential tools for protecting native ecosystems and watersheds from the destructive impact of non-native animals.