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

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.

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.