Peace Garden News

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), enacted in 2020 under President Donald Trump, established the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) with a $1.9 billion budget over five years to address maintenance issues across public land agencies. These include the National Parks Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service.

In North Dakota, projects at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) and Dakota Prairie Grassland have benefited from this funding. The South Loop Road in TRNP is set to reopen next summer following a $47 million repair project. Improvements include expanded walkways, seating, wayside exhibits, and repaved roadside pull-outs. Senator Kevin Cramer visited TRNP in August to review progress on these enhancements. The Dakota Prairie Grasslands received funding for campground maintenance, trailhead updates, and roadway repairs.

Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), along with Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), and Mark Warner (D-VA), introduced the America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the LRF with an additional $2 billion for maintenance projects.

“The Great American Outdoors Act brought real results to North Dakota’s outdoor recreation opportunities,” stated Cramer. He emphasized the importance of maintaining national treasures by supporting the America the Beautiful Act.

“Our country is home to incredible national parks and public lands—that’s what makes us America the Beautiful,” said Daines. He highlighted that the act would help manage public lands efficiently while addressing maintenance backlogs.

“People travel from every corner of the world to connect with America’s incredible natural beauty,” said King. He noted that deferred repairs could compromise safety and visitor experience but expressed confidence that this bipartisan legislation would protect public lands effectively.

Warner commented on the transformative impact of GAOA: “The passage of our Great American Outdoors Act was transformative for America’s national public lands.” He advocated for continued investment in natural treasures through reauthorization of the fund.

The America the Beautiful Act also prioritizes projects with stakeholder matches, requires agencies to maintain a project list, allows continuation under a Continuing Resolution, ensures eligibility for Fish and Wildlife Service-administered lands, encourages public donations through awareness campaigns, mandates asset disposal assessments, and demands additional reporting on Deferred Maintenance backlog reductions.