June 24, 2026
Dear Senators,
We, organizations supporting conservation, recreation, outdoor industry, travel and tourism and historic preservation, urge you to support S. 1547, America the Beautiful Act. The bill has 66 bipartisan cosponsors and passed through the U.S. Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support. The bill extends the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (Legacy Restoration Fund) to address critical repair needs in national parks, forests, and other public lands. The funding expired in October 2026. The Trump Administration has expressed support for extension to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
To date, the Legacy Restoration Fund has successfully addressed billions of dollars in high priority deferred maintenance and repair needs in our public lands in every state throughout the country. These projects include campground restoration at Yosemite and Zion National Parks, cemetery rehabilitation at Petersburg National Battlefield, retrofit of the 30 year old Bureau of Land Management National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, water and wastewater repair at Death Valley National Park, roof restoration at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, toilet replacement at the Echo Amphitheater in Carson National Forest, water delivery system rehabilitation at Camas National Wildlife Refuge, parkway repair at Colonial National Historical Park, education and housing facilities restoration at Shonto Preparatory School.
The successes of GAOA are far-reaching, stretching from Acadia to Glacier Bay, and covering a wide range of projects from crumbling roads and trails to aging campgrounds and visitor centers. And it’s clear that local communities across the country have and will continue to see the benefits of investing in the maintenance of our public lands.
Across all federal land management agencies, Legacy Restoration Fund projects support an estimated 20,000 jobs annually and are contributing more than $10 billion to the economy over five years. These economic benefits are on top of the robust economic benefits from visitor tourism. In 2024, there were nearly 331 million visits to national parks, a record-breaking number. National parks generate over $56 billion to the national economy and support 340,000 jobs in gateway communities.
Despite the progress the Legacy Restoration Fund has enabled, the challenge persists, and the backlog of repair needs continues to grow. We urge the U.S. Senate to pass S. 1547, America the Beautiful Act.
Thank you for considering our views,
American Discovery Trail Society
American Hiking Society
American Society of Landscape Architects
American Trails
American Whitewater
American YouthWorks
Appalachian Mountain Club
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Arizona Trail Association
Arizona Trail Organization
Atomic Heritage Foundation
Back Country Horsemen of America
Back Country Horsemen of New Mexico
Bikepacking Roots
Black Diamond Designs Inc
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Inc.
Breece Robertson Consulting
Business for Montana’s Outdoors
Christopher Park Alliance
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Colorado Mountain Club
Community Training Works, Inc. and ConservAmerica
Conservation Legacy
Conservation Minnesota
The Corps Network
Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail
Cumberland Appalachian Trail Club
Delaware River Greenway Partnership
Downeast Maine National Heritage Area
Boston Harbor Now
East Bay Regional Park District
Easton Conservation Commission, Easton, MA
Environmental Action
Environment America
Environment California
Environment Georgia
Environment Texas
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance
Friends of Acadia
Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks
Friends of Blackwater, Inc.
Friends of the Breitenbush Cascades
Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore
Friends of the Cherokee National Forest
Friends of Congaree Swamp
Friends of Dyke Marsh
Friends of El Dorado Trail
Friends of Fairsted
Friends of Fire Island National Seashore
Friends of First State
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Friends of the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site Board
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
Friends of the Lost Coast
Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail
Friends of Minute Man National Park
Friends of Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
The Fund for People in Parks
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Headwaters Trails Alliance
Interior Trails LLC
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
Kyna Iman, LLC
Latino Outdoors
Love Where You Live
Mad River Path
Mahwah
Maine Appalachian Trail Club
Main Street Buena Vista
Making Tomorrow
Maryland Horse Council
Michigan central trail
The Mountaineers
Montana Audubon
Montana Trout Unlimited
Mountain Mamas
Mount Rushmore Society
National Association of Forest Service Retirees
National Coast Trail Association
National Park Friends Alliance
National Parks Conservation Association
National Wildlife Federation
Naturalist Solutions
The Nature Conservancy
Nature Is Nonpartisan
Nissequogud River State Park Foundation
North Country Trail Association
Northwest Youth Corps
Oregon Equestrian Trails
Oregon Trails Coalition
Osprey Packs
Outdoor Alliance
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
Ozark Conservation Corps
Pacific Crest Trail Association
Park County Environmental Council
Partnership for the National Trails System
Paul Revere Memorial Association/Paul Revere House Peak Design, Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Pikes Peak Outdoors
Public Lands Alliance
Public Land Solutions
Restore Oregon
Rio Grande Valley Broadband
Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association
Rock Creek Conservancy
RV Industry Association
San Diego Hiking Company
San Juan Back Country Horsemen
San Luis Valley Great Outdoors Scenic America
Shenandoah National Park Trust
Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition
Sisters Trails Alliance
Sitka Trail Works
Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen
Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association
Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Team Dirt
Trailkeepers of Oregon
Trust for Public Land
United States Tour Operators Association
Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance
Valley Forge Park Alliance
Vermont Huts Association
The Vermont Mountain Bike Association
Visit Southern West Virginia
VisitLEX
Voyageurs Conservancy
Washington Trails Association
West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club
West Virginia Land Trust
Western States Tourism Policy Council
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
West Virginia State Parks Foundation
West Virginia Trail
The Wilderness Society
Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix & Namekagon
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Wyoming Wilderness Association
Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition
Wisconsin Conservation Corps