More than $23 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act will go to projects in New Mexico and Arizona. An estimated 27 projects across the two states will share the funding, announced by the USDA Forest Service.
“We are excited for the continued opportunities to collaborate on these large-scale Great American Outdoors Act projects,” Forester Michiko Martin of Southwestern Regional told KRQE. “With our communities and partners, we are improving visitor access, land and water conservation, and recreation infrastructure.”
The GAOA previously funded New Mexico projects including improvements to the Sandia Crest Recreation Complex. The project featured enhancing the visitor experience and accessibility of the recreation site. The GAOA currently is working to address the backlog of deferred projects on national forests and grasslands throughout the U.S.
Steve Hattenbach, Forest Supervisor at the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands
| USDA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/cibola/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1043451
The Great American Outdoors Act, according to its website, is “a historic investment in the protection and sustainment of our public lands and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools.” The Act established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address overdue maintenance needs.
“By addressing the maintenance backlog, we are ensuring that visitors and staff are safe and comfortable as they access our national parks, public lands and roads, national wildlife refuges, and BIE-funded schools,” the website reads. “We’re excited about the important work the Interior Department and bureaus are planning and executing through the Great American Outdoors Act.”
The USDA Forest Service is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that manages 193 million acres of land, roughly the size of Texas.
Established by Congress in 1905, the Forest Service provides quality water and timber for the nation’s benefit. Congress later directed the Forest Service to broaden its scope for additional multiple uses and benefits and for the sustained yield of renewable resources such as water, forage, wildlife, wood, and recreation.
