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

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau visited Acadia National Park today where he joined federal and local leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new year-round maintenance facility at park headquarters in Bar Harbor, Maine, made possible with a new $32.6 million investment from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). Deputy Secretary Beaudreau, Senator Angus King, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and other community leaders celebrated the new building that will allow for more efficient park maintenance operations and improve universal access.

“This moment is nearly 20 years in the making – and it’s hard to believe it’s finally here,” said Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “We are all eager to see this facility come to life over the next two years. It will allow us to be better stewards of Acadia’s diverse built environment: ranging from our historic carriage roads to our visitor centers, and everything in between.”

The National Park Service awarded an approximately $17.7 million construction contract to rehabilitate the Ellis Island Main Immigration Building. Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), the project will rehabilitate exterior building components, including the masonry facade and clerestory windows. This project will preserve the historic structure and enhance the visitor experience throughout the building.

“The Main Immigration Building plays a central role in the immigration story of millions of American families,” said John Piltzecker, Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island superintendent. “The preservation work funded by the Great America Outdoors Act will enable millions of visitors each year to continue to experience the grandeur of this building’s architecture, trace their family immigration history, and walk in the footsteps of the 12 million immigrants that were processed here.”

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was in Oregon this weekend to highlight Biden-Harris administration investments to support wildland fire preparedness, water management and outdoor recreation opportunities across the state. As part of her efforts to highlight GAOA investments across the nation, Secretary Haaland visited Crater Lake National Park, which is receiving $45 million from GAOA’s Legacy Restoration Fund to rehabilitate sections of the East Rim Drive. Overall, funding for Oregon from the Legacy Restoration Fund is estimated to address $130 million in deferred maintenance across the state’s public lands. President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal includes an additional $4 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, permanently funded through GAOA, for two projects in Oregon – the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Willamette Valley Conservation Area.

Minute Man National Historical Park received approximately $27.4 million in project funds from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to address deferred maintenance and repair needs for the park’s buildings, structures, landscape, trails, signage, and monuments in order to improve the visitor experience. The first project phase focuses on rehabilitating several historic buildings, including the Jacob Whittemore House, the Elisha Jones House, Carty Barn, and the Captain William Smith House. The next phase will rehabilitate a walking trail near Battle Road Trail and Groton Road.

Thanks to the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now had access to funding to invest in habitat improvement projects which would also expand recreational access for the American public. With the newly available funds, the Service hired Maintenance Action Teams (MAT) to travel to refuges and tackle challenging habitat restoration and deferred maintenance projects like the Dusky Marsh restoration.

The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District (USACE) are developing a multimillion-dollar project to replace failing seawall bulkheads, boat ramps, walkways, and aging amenities at the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park. Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), this project aims to create an optimal visitor experience and improve safety while minimizing potential impacts on natural and cultural resources. The NPS and USACE are inviting public comment on this project through April 27. Infrastructure funding from GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive deferred maintenance and repair backlog in national parks. Supported by revenue from energy development, GAOA's Legacy Restoration Fund provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to the NPS to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.

The Great American Outdoors Act, passed in 2020, gives the Service funding – nearly $100 million annually – to reduce the list of deferred maintenance projects. That includes repairing or replacing visitor facilities – like the one at Occoquan Bay – as well as roads, trails and other critical infrastructure. By leveraging Great American Outdoors Act funding with that from other sources, we can make maintenance miracles happen in the places they’re needed most.