WASHINGTON, D.C. - Recently, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act 250 (GAOA 250). More than 140 organizations have expressed their support for the legislation that will make a historic investment in our national parks, public lands and Bureau of Indian Education facilities over the next five years. Here is what non-profit partner organizations are saying:
“Our national parks are uniquely American, and their awe-inspiring landscapes, rich natural and cultural heritage, and robust economic impact depend upon sustained investment. Congress must act swiftly to pass the Great American Outdoors Act 250 to renew the Legacy Restoration Fund and its transformative impact on our national parks. Otherwise, hundreds of critical repair and maintenance projects in our national parks will go unaddressed.” – Jeffery P. Reinbold, president and CEO, National Park Foundation
“The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks supports the Great American Outdoors Act 250 and reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund. This critical funding is already improving essential infrastructure and protecting historic and natural resources in parks like Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks. We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership advancing this effort to ensure Florida’s national parks, including Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks, and Big Cypress National Preserve – and parks like ours all across the country – remain resilient, accessible and protected for generations to come.” – Lulu Vilas, CEO, The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks
“The Great American Outdoors Act 250 is crucial to ensuring our National Parks and historic sites, often described as ‘America’s best idea,’ continue to inspire all who visit them. These incredible and irreplaceable cultural and natural treasures are central to our nation’s story and must be actively protected from neglect and the ravages of time.” – David Duncan, president, American Battlefield Trust
“The Great American Outdoors Act 250 represents a visionary commitment to the future of Badlands National Park and the entire National Park System. By reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund through 2030, Congress is ensuring that we can continue to protect our most iconic landscapes while strengthening the gateway communities and local economies that depend on them. For the Badlands, this means vital support for infrastructure and preservation projects that allow us to share the park’s unique stories, ancient fossil beds, and stunning dark skies with the next generation.” – Marissa Marshall, executive director, Badlands National Park Conservancy
“Big Bend National Park’s remote, wild beauty is exactly why our national parks are worth preserving - but it also comes with real maintenance and access challenges. Through reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund, the Great American Outdoors Act 250 will help parks across the country address much-needed road, campsite and water system upgrades, connecting visitors to these epic landscapes both now and into the future.” – Loren Riemer, executive director, Big Bend Conservancy
“The Legacy Restoration Fund has delivered essential repairs at C&O Canal National Historical Park, maintaining the historic towpath and structures that attract millions of visitors every year. Whether you come to the C&O Canal to hike, fish, learn, heal or work, the future of the park depends on sustained investment. We urge our members of the House to support the Great American Outdoors Act 250, reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, and invest in the infrastructure and assets that keep parks accessible, resilient, and protected for generations to come.” – Lauren Riviello, president and CEO, C&O Canal Trust
“Chattanooga is where daily community life intersects with one of the most significant landscapes of the Civil War. The Legacy Restoration Fund has strengthened these connections, investing $8.1 million to repair the battlefield’s roadways and ensure the site’s history and lessons endure. National Park Partners supports the Great American Outdoors Act 250 and urges Congress to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, maintaining the vital infrastructure that keeps visitors connected to parks nationwide.” – Tricia King Mims, executive director of National Park Partners, Chickamauga Chattanooga Moccasin Bend
“At Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Great American Outdoors Act has addressed critical infrastructure needs and enhanced the experience of the three million people who visit each year. We applaud the introduction of the Great American Outdoors Act 250 —a critical funding source that will strengthen and ensure the legacy of national parks like Cuyahoga Valley for years to come.” – Greg Peckham, president and CEO, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
“The preservation of our nation’s treasured heritage assets – historic sites and landscapes - requires sustained, intentional investment. At Death Valley National Park, the same wild and extreme conditions that draw visitors from around the world also create unique challenges for maintaining infrastructure and ensuring public access. Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund through the Great American Outdoors Act 250 will provide essential funding to support our park’s critical needs – and parks nationwide – so that they remain safe, resilient and ready for adventures to serve and inspire this and future generations of Americans.” – Henry Golas, co-founder and executive director, Death Valley Conservancy
“Friends of Acadia is thrilled to see the introduction of the Great American Outdoors Act 250, a bipartisan House companion to the Senate’s America the Beautiful Act. Support for our national parks and public lands has long transcended partisan politics, reflecting a shared commitment to preserving America’s natural and cultural heritage for future generations. We commend the bipartisan leadership behind this effort, including that of Maine’s congressional delegation, and look forward to working with lawmakers, park partners and communities to advance legislation that strengthens our parks, supports local economies and safeguards our shared public lands legacy.” – Eric Stiles, president and CEO, Friends of Acadia
“The Legacy Restoration Fund created by the Great American Outdoors Act was critical to making improvements to the water, firefighting and communications systems in Canyonlands National Park. The fact is, these kinds of improvements are essential to protecting our parks and the stories they tell - especially as visitation numbers continue to show that people love experiencing these places. There's still much work to do to bring our parks' infrastructure up to the level needed to handle modern-day realities. The Great American Outdoors Act 250 is the next step.” – Steve Evers, executive director, Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks
“Friends of Charleston National Parks is thrilled to thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Huffman for their leadership in advancing the Great American Outdoors Act 250 to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund through 2030. These vital investments make a real difference on the ground in our national parks, helping preserve and enhance places like Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie for the millions who visit each year. We are proud to support this bipartisan commitment to protecting America’s most iconic natural and historic treasures.” – Cheri Yates, executive director, Friends of Charleston National Parks
“Friends of Minidoka expresses our deepest gratitude to Representatives Westerman and Huffman for introducing the Great American Outdoors Act 250 to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). Through the LRF, Minidoka National Historic Site has received $8.1 million to stabilize and restore historic structures so visitors can better understand the lived experiences of Japanese Americans unjustly incarcerated at Minidoka. Additionally, the LRF will fund the construction of a modernized maintenance and staff facility, equipping NPS staff with the tools to steward Minidoka and our nation’s history into the future.” – Janet Matsuoka Keegan, board president, Friends of Minidoka
“Friends of Vicksburg applauds Representatives Westerman and Huffman for their bipartisan championship of the Great American Outdoors Act 250. Reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund will ensure the continued preservation of our parks, cementing the legacy of America's historic battlefields as places of reflection, education and remembrance. We strongly support continued investment in the accessibility of America's public lands and look forward to seeing this vital work continue in Mississippi, Louisiana and across the nation.” – Bess Averett, executive director, Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park
“At Gateway Arch National Park, we have seen the benefits of the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) in full. The Old Courthouse, one of our country’s most historic buildings, is getting needed deferred maintenance addressed through the LRF. When Congress approves funding through LRF, it leverages and strengthens the ability of philanthropic organizations like ours to do more. This is truly an example of how public-private partnerships work to make big things happen in our National Parks.” – Ryan McClure, executive director, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, and board chair, National Park Friends Alliance
“The Independence Historical Trust proudly supports the America the Beautiful Act and the continued success of the Great American Outdoors Act. At Independence National Historical Park, GAOA funding made possible the restoration of the First Bank of the United States and an Energy Savings Project that will save the park nearly $1 million annually in utility costs. These investments preserve our nation's history, strengthen park operations, and demonstrate that this is money well spent.” – Jonathan Burton, director of development, Independence Historical Trust
“The Legacy Restoration Fund created by the passage of The Great American Outdoors Act in 2020 has already demonstrated its value here in San Antonio through critical preservation investments at the Espada Aqueduct, the only functioning Spanish Colonial aqueduct within the National Park System, and the San Juan Acequia, the oldest water right in the State of Texas. The National Park System is ‘America’s Best Idea.’ Millions of Americans visit a national park every year. The reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund will continue to enhance the visitor experience by providing necessary and critical funding to repair and restore treasured structures across the park system, including here at the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.” – Seth K. Bell, chairman of the board of directors, Mission Heritage Partners
“Nestled within one of the nation's most densely populated regions, Sandy Hook encompasses 2,044 acres of extraordinary natural and cultural resources, including seven distinct ecosystems, pristine oceanfront beaches, maritime forests and miles of hiking and biking trails. Significant progress is being made to preserve these invaluable resources, with millions of LRF dollars in use to rehabilitate aging water infrastructure, stabilize the park’s scenic shoreline and protect the peninsula from storms and coastal erosion. Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund through the Great American Outdoors Act 250 is essential to sustaining this work, preserving Sandy Hook as both a reminder of our past and a commitment to our future.” – Laurie Bratone, executive director, Sandy Hook Foundation
“Our Indiana Dunes National Park has already seen significant benefits from funding provided through the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), but the need to continue investing in our public lands remains. We are grateful to Representatives Westerman and Huffman for their bipartisan leadership in advancing legislation to continue this important program. The Indiana Dunes National Park serves as a living record of America’s commitment to protecting both our natural landscapes and cultural heritage. The GAOA provides critical resources to preserve the historic buildings, cultural sites and landscapes that tell the story of our region and our nation. By investing in these places, we ensure that future generations can continue to learn from, experience and value the history connected to our public lands.” – Betsy Maher, executive director, Save the Dunes
“Shenandoah National Park faces $191 million in deferred maintenance — the kind of critical, behind-the-scenes infrastructure that philanthropy simply cannot fund alone. Yet the park's three wastewater treatment plants are essential to a safe and positive experience for the 1.7 million visitors who come to Shenandoah each year. The reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act ensures this infrastructure and more gets the federal investment it requires.” – Jessica Cocciolone, executive director, Shenandoah National Park Trust
“The Trust for the National Mall is proud to support the Great American Outdoors Act 250 (GAOA 250). This measure is the latest iteration of important legislation that would continue critical funding to support the National Mall and other national parks as our country celebrates the 250th anniversary of our founding. The proposed legislation builds upon the incredible investment and impact of the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, which provided the largest funding allocation to the Tidal Basin for critical repairs and rehabilitation of its structural seawall. The continuation of this historic investment and associated job creation across our nation’s front yard will positively impact generations to come. Private philanthropy, coupled with federal investments like the GAOA 250, helps preserve and care for every monument and memorial on the National Mall. The Trust is proud to support this important bipartisan legislation.” – Trust for the National Mall
“The first five years of investment from the Legacy Restoration Fund have had a transformative impact on Pennsylvania's historic sites, preserving the living history that connects modern Americans with the birth of our nation. The Great American Outdoors Act 250 will build on this momentum, ensuring national icons like Valley Forge are ready to welcome another 250 years of visitors. Thank you to Representative Westerman and Representative Huffman for making the stewardship of our parks and public lands a national priority.” – Molly Duffy, executive director, Valley Forge Park Alliance
“America’s national parks are so much more than beautiful places to explore - they are part of our shared heritage. They tell the stories of those who came before and of the natural wonders that are waiting to be discovered. The Legacy Restoration Fund has repaired and revitalized the critical infrastructure that brings visitors to these special places - but the work is not yet done. Western National Parks supports the Great American Outdoors Act 250 and urges Congress to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, continuing a sustained national investment in the roads, bridges and trails that connect us to parks across the country.” – Marie Buck, president and CEO, Western National Parks
“Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation is dedicated to remembering the past as we build for the future. The Legacy Restoration Fund serves our core mission of preserving America's historic battlefields and heritage sites, ensuring landscapes in Missouri and across the country have the resources needed to serve the American public both now and into the future. We support the Great American Outdoors Act 250 and urge Congress to continue investing in the special places that hold our national story.” – Melissa Adler, executive director, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation
For more information about GAOA 250, click here.
