These teams are composed of NPS or FWS staff trained in a variety of trades, including heavy equipment operation, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, and historic preservation. MATs are based throughout the country and are mobilized regionally and nationally to perform critical DM&R activities. MATs serve as a valuable training and career advancement platform. MATs can also be used to strengthen relationships and enhance partnerships with groups such as public lands corps, youth conservation corps, veterans' groups, volunteers, and
interns. 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 LRF funding, NPS is authorized to use $34.1 million for MAT activities and FWS is authorized to use $13.7 million.
Interior sees several benefits of MATs, including:
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, South Carolina 
National Park Service
An NPS MAT recently completed historic preservation work on the nearly 200-year-old Snee Farmhouse at Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in South Carolina, which is architecturally significant as a surviving example of a popular building style from 19th century South Carolina’s rural Lowcountry. MAT staff worked alongside a youth crew from the Student Conservation Association to rehabilitate the building’s window shutters, which protect the interior exhibits from severe weather and contribute to the historic character of the farmhouse.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama provides 35,000 acres of wetlands, fields, and forest habitat for migrating, nesting, and wintering birds, and provides public access for wildlife-dependent recreation. A FWS MAT rehabilitated the 0.9-mile Dancy Bottoms Trail and replaced the Dancy Bottoms Boardwalk, previously closed to the public for safety concerns. Since its reopening, the trail has been used by countless visitors and received much praise.
San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, Texas 
National Park Service
Preservation, maintenance, and repair work was completed on the Espada Aqueduct— the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States at 275 years old – at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas. An NPS MAT trained in historic restoration and preservation work, repaired leaks, removed sediment and debris, and completed preservation treatments to the National Historic Landmark.
Click the image below to access an interactive pinpoint map of the locations where FWS and NPS MATs have completed DM&R activities with GAOA LRF 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 June 2023. Click here to download the data in Excel format.
* Pinpoints represent approximate central locations for all work associated with the MAT activity
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 LRF-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.
The Maintenance Action Team consisted of three carpenters and a Facility Manager on-site. During the first week, they:
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.
During Week Two, the Maintenance Action Team covered a lot of ground. They:
Not to mention…
During weeks three and four, the Maintenance Action Team conducted the following activities:
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.
