Happy 250th America!
As our nation celebrates 250 years of freedom, we reflect and show appreciation for living in a country with extraordinary public lands and the freedom to explore them.
From the rugged mountain trails of our national forests to the wide-open deserts managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and to countless world-class state parks across America, we enjoy some of the finest off-highway vehicle recreation opportunities anywhere in the world. These places don’t exist by accident. They are the result of generations of dedicated public servants, land managers, volunteers, recreation advocates, and responsible riders who have worked together to conserve access while protecting the natural resources we all cherish.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we pause to remember that the freedoms we enjoy today were envisioned by our Founding Fathers and have been preserved by the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces. Their service has protected not only our nation but also the liberties that allow us to gather with family and friends, explore the outdoors, and pass our love of recreation to future generations.
This Independence Day, whether you’re riding a favorite trail, camping under the stars, or spending time with those you love, take a moment to appreciate the privilege of living in this great nation.
Happy 250th Birthday, America! God bless our public lands, our armed forces, and the United States of America.
Congress Moves to Reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently passed S. 1547, the America the Beautiful Act (Sen. Daines, R-Mont.), with full bipartisan support. This bill reauthorizes and strengthens the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, established by the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020. In the House, a similar bipartisan bill, H.R. 9250, the Great American Outdoors Act 250 (Rep. Westerman, R-Ark.-4), has more than 155 cosponsors and passed the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously. Reliable funding is urgently needed to address the maintenance backlog on America’s public lands and waters. These bipartisan efforts also introduce reforms to make project selection more transparent, streamline reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, allow the disposal of certain federal assets associated with deferred maintenance, and encourage new public-private partnerships to improve visitor infrastructure for future generations.
The House and Senate had hoped to pass the legislation before the July 4th constituent work period, but that was not feasible. However, bipartisan progress continues, and lawmakers are still negotiating the bill’s final version. Talks will resume after the July 4th recess.
THE DOI Releases Recreation Visitation Report
The U.S. Department of the Interior released the federal government’s first unified interagency recreation visitation report, as required by the EXPLORE Act. The report establishes a standardized method for measuring recreation visits across major federal land and water agencies, including the National Park Service, the BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Outdoor recreation is a powerful economic engine and a defining part of the American way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “With the first unified interagency visitation report, we now have clearer insight into how millions of people engage with their public lands and waters. This information will help federal agencies work together to improve visitor services, support rural and gateway communities, and ensure that these opportunities remain accessible to all.”
The report establishes a common baseline for tracking 11 recreational activities, including off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, hiking, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing. The initiative also launches 40 pilot projects to test new ways to measure visits, using mobile device data, GPS technology, automated counters, game cameras, and community science. These tools aim to improve data collection for activities that are difficult to measure with traditional methods. The agencies are seeking public feedback on these pilot projects, offering recreation stakeholders an opportunity to help shape how future visitation data are collected and used to manage public lands.