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

Improvements to the Bureau of Land Management-administered Gooseberry Badlands Scenic Overlook Trail west of Worland will begin in July and continue into the fall. The site will remain open throughout the project, but sections of the trail will close temporarily while under construction. The project, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, will improve public access to the Gooseberry Badlands, including improved access for people with disabilities. “Visitation to the Gooseberry Badlands has steadily increased over the past few years, so the GAOA funding is good timing,” said BLM Worland Field Manager Mike Phillips. “I think people will enjoy the safer, more sustainable trail when the work is complete, and we’ll be able to more easily maintain it in the future.” The project will stabilize the existing natural trail; reroute sections of trail to address drainage and erosion concerns; repair the existing boardwalk; and replace culverts. A notable result of the project is that the parking lot, upper trail and boardwalk will be accessible to people with disabilities. Other improvements will include sheltered picnic areas, benches and interpretive signage.

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund recently financed a rehabilitation project of the North Enslaved Cabin/Tenant House at the Oakland Plantation Unit of Cane River Creole National Historical Park. The preservation of the cabin was a park priority as it is one of only two such buildings remaining in the quarters of Oakland Plantation. The project included, both, exterior and interior work. The work crew meticulously repaired and painted window sills and jams, re-glazed window glass and gently re-attached the historic asphalt shingle siding to the exterior. Inside the cabin the crew repaired damaged tongue and groove flooring and reset brick pavers in the fireplace hearth. During the work, the historic linoleum was discovered and preserved in place with a plexi-glass covering that allows visitors to view the historic floor covering. The work was performed by a GAOA-funded Maintenance Action Team (MAT) composed of skilled craftspeople from the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC). HPTC recruits, trains and employs people in traditional historic restoration and preservation techniques and trades. Several geographically based MATs travel to national parks to train and work alongside park staff to complete small, but critical, maintenance rehabilitation and repair projects on historic structures. MATs enable the National Park Service to complete projects that require knowledge and competency in traditional trades in a consistent and cost-effective manner.

Preservation work is taking place on the historic Commissary Building in Fort Smith National Historic Site with funding provided by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund. The Commissary Building, completed in 1839, is the oldest standing structure in Fort Smith. It has been a supply building, family dwelling, office space for Judge Issac C. Parker, and a museum for the town of Fort Smith. Restoration, preservation and repair work is being completed this year on interior features consisting of lime-wash over masonry walls, lime plaster over wood lath and lime plaster on masonry, as well as the exterior made of native stone and brick. "We appreciate the funding from GAOA and the work of the skilled and knowledgeable MAT team that are enabling the rehabilitation and preservation of one of our most important historic structures,” said Superintendent Lisa Conard Frost. The work is being performed by a Maintenance Action Team (MAT) from the National Park Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Training Center. MATs are composed of NPS staff who are trained in historic restoration and preservation work. They travel to national parks to perform smaller, but critical, maintenance rehabilitation and repair projects on historic structures. MATs enable the NPS to complete projects that require consistent high-quality work from skilled craftspeople at a time when fewer people are practicing traditional trades.

The National Park Service (NPS) is beginning civic engagement to seek public input on proposed improvements to the water system at the North Rim and inner canyon in Grand Canyon National Park. Public comments will be accepted from June 22 until midnight, July 5, 2023, and used to refine the project proposal. The water system improvements are part of a proposed Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund project called Rehabilitate the North Rim and Roaring Springs Utility Systems. The North Rim water system improvements would result in a reliable water system to meet supply needs at the North Rim and in the cross canyon corridor from Supai Tunnel to Cottonwood Campground for a projected lifespan of up to 75 years. The improvements are needed because the existing North Rim water system is past its design life resulting in frequent failures with extended periods of service outages that require continual repairs in a hazardous environment.  

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site received funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund to address a window shutter and hardware rehabilitation project at the Snee Farmhouse. The shutter system project was a park priority as it plays a critical role in the Severe Weather Emergency Action Plan by protecting both the single pane windows and the interior exhibits and contributing to the historic character of the Snee Farm residence.

The Bureau of Land Management is proud to announce the opening of new facilities in Maupin for the BLM and partners, including regional Tribes, to coordinate management of some of Oregon’s most treasured natural resources. The new facilities include an office, workshop, and seasonal housing and will serve as the operations center for recreation staff who enhance the visitor experience on the Lower Deschutes Wild and Scenic River. A decade in the making, this project was made possible through partial funding by the Great American Outdoors Act, a historic investment to address deferred maintenance needs, increase recreational access to public lands, and improve the conservation of our lands and waters. Since the act was signed in 2020 about $45 million has been invested in public lands managed by the BLM in Oregon and Washington.

A significant investment from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund has been proposed to improve recreational facilities in National Park Service sites in Southeast Washington, D.C. The funding for Anacostia Park, the Parkland area of Shepherd Parkway, and several neighborhood parks would help update playgrounds, restrooms, picnic areas, pavilions and more. Approximately $11.8 million of fiscal year 2024 GAOA funding would pay for projects in Anacostia and River Terrace parks, Fort Davis and Fort Dupont parks, Kenilworth Park, and the Parkland area of Shepherd Parkway. The projects include replacing or rehabilitating tennis and basketball courts, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, restrooms, and fencing and lighting. The NPS will also use this funding for the design of the Anacostia Park skating pavilion rehabilitation and plans to seek additional funding for the full rehabilitation.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials are excited to announce that the Wildcat Campground at Hyatt Lake will open June 9th. The Hyatt Lake Campground is located in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and was originally built in 1969. The BLM will not be opening the A, B, and C loops of the main campground for the 2023 season in order to replace aging water, sewer and electrical lines throughout the recreation area. The BLM may need to close Wildcat Campground later in the summer to accommodate construction. Funding for the repair work comes from both the Great American Outdoors Act and the BLM’s deferred maintenance fund.

The Federal Highway Administration – Western Federal Lands Highway Division awarded a $3.2 million contract to D&L Construction of Cooper Landing to replace the BLM Sourdough Creek Campground bridge north of Glennallen. Work will continue through the summer to improve public access to the campground’s 42 camp sites, interpretive trail, boat launch and the Gulkana Wild and Scenic River. Funding for this project is provided by BLM and the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law in 2020 and provides major investments to address deferred maintenance needs, increase recreational access to public lands and improve the conservation of our lands and waters. The act allotted more than $376 million in deferred maintenance and repair funds to Department of the Interior land management agencies in Alaska.

The Departments of Interior and Agriculture today announced a proposed $2.8 billion in funding for fiscal year 2024 authorized by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to improve infrastructure, recreation facilities, public lands access and land and water conservation. Enacted in August 2020, GAOA established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, authorizing up to $1.9 billion per year, from fiscal year 2021 through 2025 to reduce deferred maintenance on public lands and at Bureau of Indian Education schools. GAOA also provides permanent, full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually to secure public access and improve recreation opportunities on public lands; protect watersheds and wildlife; and preserve ecosystem benefits for local communities. Funding for the fiscal year 2024 proposed projects is subject to congressional approval.