What are Maintenance Action Teams?

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With funding from the Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA LRF), Maintenance Action Teams (MATs) perform critical deferred maintenance and repair (DM&R) work on public lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

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 four years of GAOA LRF funding, NPS is authorized to use $59.1 million for MAT activities and FWS is authorized to use $27.7 million.
 

Benefits of Maintenance Action Teams

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Interior sees several benefits of MATs, including:

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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. 

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Teams are easily mobilized.

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

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MATs execute activities more rapidly, train our workforce, and reduce the cost of rehabilitation compared to contracted work. 

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

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

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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.

Examples of Maintenance Action Team Activities

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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.
 

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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.

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San Antonio Missions National Historical 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.

Completed Maintenance Action Team Activities Map

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 2024. Download the Completed MAT Activity Location data in Excel format.

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* Pinpoints represent approximate central locations for all work associated with the MAT activity