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News Release

Oregon Parks Forever Joins The National Park Foundation, National Park Friends Alliance, And 160 Park Partner Groups In Urging Congress To Reauthorize The America The Beautiful Act (Photo) - 07/16/26

July 16, 2026.   Oregon Parks Forever has joined the National Park Foundation,  the National Park Friends Alliance and 160 park philanthropic partners in a letter urging Congress to pass the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act (S.1547 / H.R.9250) to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF)—a critical U.S. government fund dedicated to the stewardship and maintenance of America’s greatest treasures. The LRF is meant to address deferred maintenance backlogs affecting national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands managed by federal agencies.

 

Reauthorizing the LRF would increase the amount of money available to fix crumbling infrastructure, repair trails, and ensure that public lands remain safe and accessible, to between $1.9 Billion to $2.0 Billion annually and would extend the fund availability through 2033.

 

The letter, addressed to Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries, highlights the successes of the LRF since its creation under the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, and the urgent need for reauthorization following its expiration on September 30, 2025:

 

“The LRF provided $1.3 billion annually, totaling $6.5 billion over its five-year lifespan, to undertake nearly 400 priority infrastructure projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. This landmark investment in our national parks and public lands delivered measurable results and improvements to critical park infrastructure, including road repairs, trail and campground upgrades, restoration of historic structures, rehabilitation of utility systems, and modernization of visitor facilities."  

 

“These projects preserved America’s natural and historical legacy – uniquely American places that are the envy of the world. They enhanced access, improved safety, and elevated and modernized the visitor experience. In addition, the LRF’s investment delivered irrefutable economic impact, supporting more than 72,000 jobs, injecting $5 billion into the labor market nationwide, and contributing $8 billion to the nation’s GDP. These benefits have been felt most acutely by the local communities in every state and territory that surround and depend upon healthy, thriving parks.”

 

Oregon Parks Forever's Executive Director, Seth Miller, said "As a statewide non-profit working to enhance the visitor experience and accessibility of all parks across Oregon, Oregon Parks Forever sees the critical need for - and the impact of - catching up on deferred maintenance across all of the federally managed parks in the state."

 

Federal public land management agencies operating in Oregon who will benefit from the LRF include the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Of the nearly 60% of Oregon’s land that is owned by some government agency, approximately 53% of that is the federal government. The balance is owned by State and Local agencies.

 

Unfortunately, the LRF expired on September 30, 2025, and much work remains to keep our parks and public lands safe and accessible. While the LRF made sizable dents in the National Park Service’s (NPS) and other federal agencies maintenance needs, its reauthorization is essential if we are to sustain our national commitment to stewarding these cherished places. Renewing the LRF will allow NPS and the other public lands bureaus to expand the impact of these landmark investments to date. By leveraging and improving upon the systems already in place, with a strong emphasis on support from national park partners and nonprofits to deploy dollars where needed, new LRF funding will be utilized quickly, efficiently, and effectively for the highest-need infrastructure projects across the country

 

Attached Media Files: OPF_logo_with_url.png,

Oregon Parks Forever Joins The National Park Foundation, National Park Friends Alliance, And 160 Park Partner Groups In Urging Congress To Reauthorize The America The Beautiful Act (Photo) - 07/16/26

July 16, 2026.   Oregon Parks Forever has joined the National Park Foundation,  the National Park Friends Alliance and 160 park philanthropic partners in a letter urging Congress to pass the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act (S.1547 / H.R.9250) to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF)—a critical U.S. government fund dedicated to the stewardship and maintenance of America’s greatest treasures. The LRF is meant to address deferred maintenance backlogs affecting national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands managed by federal agencies.

 

Reauthorizing the LRF would increase the amount of money available to fix crumbling infrastructure, repair trails, and ensure that public lands remain safe and accessible, to between $1.9 Billion to $2.0 Billion annually and would extend the fund availability through 2033.

 

The letter, addressed to Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries, highlights the successes of the LRF since its creation under the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, and the urgent need for reauthorization following its expiration on September 30, 2025:

 

“The LRF provided $1.3 billion annually, totaling $6.5 billion over its five-year lifespan, to undertake nearly 400 priority infrastructure projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. This landmark investment in our national parks and public lands delivered measurable results and improvements to critical park infrastructure, including road repairs, trail and campground upgrades, restoration of historic structures, rehabilitation of utility systems, and modernization of visitor facilities."  

 

“These projects preserved America’s natural and historical legacy – uniquely American places that are the envy of the world. They enhanced access, improved safety, and elevated and modernized the visitor experience. In addition, the LRF’s investment delivered irrefutable economic impact, supporting more than 72,000 jobs, injecting $5 billion into the labor market nationwide, and contributing $8 billion to the nation’s GDP. These benefits have been felt most acutely by the local communities in every state and territory that surround and depend upon healthy, thriving parks.”

 

Oregon Parks Forever's Executive Director, Seth Miller, said "As a statewide non-profit working to enhance the visitor experience and accessibility of all parks across Oregon, Oregon Parks Forever sees the critical need for - and the impact of - catching up on deferred maintenance across all of the federally managed parks in the state."

 

Federal public land management agencies operating in Oregon who will benefit from the LRF include the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Of the nearly 60% of Oregon’s land that is owned by some government agency, approximately 53% of that is the federal government. The balance is owned by State and Local agencies.

 

Unfortunately, the LRF expired on September 30, 2025, and much work remains to keep our parks and public lands safe and accessible. While the LRF made sizable dents in the National Park Service’s (NPS) and other federal agencies maintenance needs, its reauthorization is essential if we are to sustain our national commitment to stewarding these cherished places. Renewing the LRF will allow NPS and the other public lands bureaus to expand the impact of these landmark investments to date. By leveraging and improving upon the systems already in place, with a strong emphasis on support from national park partners and nonprofits to deploy dollars where needed, new LRF funding will be utilized quickly, efficiently, and effectively for the highest-need infrastructure projects across the country

 

Attached Media Files: OPF_logo_with_url.png,