Man stands outside facing a brick wall, next to him sits a table with tools on it.

Maintenance Action Teams

What are Maintenance Action Teams?

Wooden dock under construction with four workers laying horizontal planks — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Blog Post: Maintenance Action Teams Make Nature Accessible for All

Maintenance Action Teams (MATs) are led by experienced trades professionals who train and complement Wage Grade Professional crews to perform critical maintenance and repair services on public lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

With funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), MATs perform deferred maintenance and repair (DM&R) work at national parks and national wildlife refuges across the United States. As part of this DM&R work, MATs also provide training and networking opportunities to public lands employees and partnership organizations. MATs consist of in-house wage-grade professionals across a variety of trades, including heavy equipment operation, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, and historic preservation.

NPS Maintenance Action Teams Video Screenshot showing sunset scene preview — National Park Service Video: Maintenance Action Teams

MAT teams are based at field stations throughout the country and mobilized regionally and nationally to improve their skills while performing critical DM&R activities. Examples of MAT activities include earthwork, water management, trail repair, historic preservation, and constructed real property related rehabilitation activities.

In the first three years of GAOA funding, NPS is authorized to use $34.1 million for MAT activities and FWS is authorized to use $13.7 million.

Benefits of Maintenance Action Teams

DOI sees several benefits of MATs, including:

MATs provide training and hands-on educational opportunities in a variety of trades, build skillsets and professional networks, and improve morale that lasts throughout careers.

Teams are easily mobilized.

MATs provide an opportunity to put GAOA LRF dollars to work at parks and refuges.

MAT activities can be executed more rapidly, train our workforce, and reduce the cost of rehabilitation compared to contracted work.

MATs provide opportunities to strengthen relationships and enhance partnerships with targeted partner organizations, resulting in more diverse candidate pools for employment and internship opportunities.

MAT activities enable wage-grade professionals at public lands to leverage a network of MAT tradespeople when encountering specific maintenance challenges.

Upon completion of MAT activities, maintenance professionals will be better able to properly maintain assets and critical systems, which will help to extend their lifecycle and alleviate the need for unscheduled emergency repairs or comprehensive rehabilitation after years of declining condition.

Completed MAT Activities Map

Click the image below to access an interactive pinpoint map of the locations where FWS and NPS MATs completed DM&R activities with GAOA funding. Hover over each pinpoint to view the park, station, or refuge name and the bureau. Filter MAT activities by Bureau, or State or Territory. Completed MAT activities are updated as of February 2023: Click here to download the data in Excel format.

Map with pinpoints showing location of Maintenance Action Team activities. — Click on the map to view the locations of completed Maintenance Action Team activities

* Pinpoints represent approximate central locations for all activity associated with the projects.

Photo Gallery: Harry S Truman National Historic Site - Maintenance Action Team

Maintenance Action Team painting exterior of the Farm Home. Photo Credit: NPS

A Week by Week View of Maintenance Action Team Work

Harry S Truman National Historic Site - Farm Home

Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Maintenance Action Team Restoration and Repairs

NPS
Maintenance Action Team working on exterior of Farm Home. Photo Credit: NPS

Maintenance Action Teams

Maintenance Action Teams work in national parks and wildlife refuges across the country to provide skilled and specialized repairs to historically and culturally significant sites. The National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center’s Maintenance Action Teams are especially experienced in historic preservation and dedicated to preserving cultural resources in a sustainable manner.

In the winter of 2023, a GAOA-funded Maintenance Action Team worked through extremes in Missouri weather to preserve the Farm Home at Harry S Truman National Historic Site.

Working on this project, they experienced a transition from snow to balmy temperatures over the course of a few hours. For almost a century, the Farm Home has survived weather extremes on the plains and the Team preserved the Farm Home to withstand these weather events.

Follow along to see a Maintenance Action Team at work—from start to finish. 

NPS
Maintenance Action Team reconstructing the Farm Home's front porch. Photo Credit: NPS
Week One
The Maintenance Action Team consisted of three carpenters and a Facility Manager on-site. During the first week, they:

Demolished the front and dining room porches.

Reconstructed the front porch and damaged porch posts.

Primed and painted 50 percent of flooring.

The Team procured supplies locally, supporting the local economy. When possible, the Team tries to save historic or significant fabric and material for reuse or for preservation. Sometimes this isn’t possible, and such material is replaced in-kind, based on deep research and specialized knowledge.
NPS
In progress work on the trim and front porch of the Farm Home. Photo Credit: NPS
Week Two
During Week Two, the Maintenance Action Team covered a lot of ground. They:

Reconstructed the dining room porch including replacement of porch floor, trim and wainscotting

Installed preventative measures to drain water and prevent future water damage

Repaired and replaced trim as needed

Replaced the screens on the kitchen and dining room porches

Not to mention…

A grumpy ground hog left his home, and the Maintenance Action Team installed a barrier to prevent re-burrowing.
NPS
Maintenance Action Team completing external improvements on the Farm Home. Photo Credit: NPS
Weeks Three to Four
During weeks three and four, the Maintenance Action Team conducted the following activities:

Wood rot repair and structural replacements across the entire Farm Home structure.

Achieved an incredible aesthetic improvement!
NPS
Completed historical preservation of the Farm Home. Photo Credit: NPS

Week Five

The Maintenance Action Team completed the most extensive work on the Farm Home in well over 30 years to preserve the structure and cultural and historical significance of the home. The Truman Farm Home is open to the public, and thanks to the Maintenance Action Team’s skilled and efficient work, visitors will enjoy this historic home for years to come.

NPS