Federal Government Passes Great American Outdoors Act

On Aug. 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), calling it the most comprehensive environmental measure a president has taken since the initiatives championed by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The measure had broad bipartisan support. U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-De Pere) called the act the “most significant conservation package in a generation and a huge win for northeast Wisconsin,” and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) of Madison said it will “protect these [environmental] traditions for future generations and safeguard the natural resources we enjoy in Wisconsin.”

The legislation contains two main parts. First, the act establishes a National Park and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund that will provide up to $9 billion during the next five years to fix deferred maintenance at national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other federal lands. Second, another $6.5 billion will be appropriated specifically to the 419 national-park units. 

The funding is needed – some say desperately – for National Park Service facilities. One of these is the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which has a terminus in Potawatomi State Park in the Town of Nasewaupee. According to Mike Wollmer, executive director of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, the Ice Age Trail is seeing record visitation at a time when its infrastructure is aging and needs repair. 

“[The GAOA] will address the most critical maintenance needs of our national parks and invest in conservation, which is good for our economy, job creation and preserving these treasures for years to come,” Wollmer said.

Funding for needed repairs in Wisconsin’s National Park Service sites totals $21.9 million, which is just a portion of the multi-billion-dollar maintenance backlog that is threatening park resources and local economies nationwide.

In addition to deferred maintenance, the GAOA will provide $900 million per year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Even though the LWCF was established with an authorization level of $900 million in 1964, Congress has appropriated that full amount only once – in 1965. The GAOA ensures that the funding will now be permanent.

The LWCF has funded more than 42,000 grants to protect lands and waters in every state and almost every county across the country. In Wisconsin alone, the LWCF has funded 1,778 projects during the last 54 years.

Wisconsin has received nearly $225.8 million in LWCF funds during the past five decades, and that dollar amount is expected to increase under the permanent reauthorization. This money has protected places such as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, the Ice Age and North Country National Scenic Trails, the St. Croix National Scenic River and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, according to the LWCF Coalition.

Forest Legacy Program (FLP) grants are also funded under LWCF to help protect working forests. The grant program has received approximately $28 million in federal funds to invest in Wisconsin’s forests to protect air and water quality, wildlife habitat, access to recreation and other public benefits that forests provide. The FLP also includes permanent conservation easements that enrich habitats for native plants and animals. 

Increased LWCF funding is also anticipated to stimulate the local economy by creating jobs and bolstering outdoor-recreation tourism – a sector that already contributes $17.9 billion annually in consumer spending to Wisconsin’s economy, supports 168,000 jobs, generates $5.1 billion in wages and salaries, and produces $1.1 billion annually in state and local tax revenue, according to Outdoor Industry Association.

Conservation organizations such as the Door County Land Trust (DCLT) will likely experience indirect benefits from the new legislation. Tom Clay, DCLT executive director, said passage of the GAOA sends a terrific message of bipartisan congressional support for conserving and enhancing Door County’s natural resources. Clay said he hopes Wisconsin lawmakers will pick up that same baton by supporting the continuation of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, which provides funding to preserve natural areas and wildlife habitat, protect water quality and fisheries, and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation.

“If that were to happen due to a measure of influence by the passage of the GAOA, its impact on Door County Land Trust is significant,” Clay said.