By Donna Nemeth

Earlier this month, the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region announced its investment of over $27.5 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to support 59 individual projects across the Rocky Mountain Region in Fiscal Year 2024. These investments are made possible by the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) established by the Great American Outdoors Act.

These projects support the recent announcement by both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior proposing a combined $2.8 billion in funding for Fiscal Year 2025 to improve infrastructure, recreation facilities, public lands access, and land and water conservation as the legislation enters its fourth out of fifth year.

“This investment allows us to provide greater access to public lands which are essential for recreation, economic development, and community well-being,” said Steve Lohr, Acting Regional Forester.

Between authorized and funded deferred maintenance projects for Fiscal Year 2024, the Rocky Mountain Region currently has 120 LRF projects in various stages of development, with 39 completed.

Since 2021, the Forest Service has completed more than 267 deferred maintenance projects across 41 states and Puerto Rico with more than 880 additional projects currently funded and in various stages of completion.

The projects listed below are a small sample of the FY24 efforts that are underway in the Rocky Mountain Region:

• Colorado Fourteeners Trail Deferred Maintenance project – This project will address severe resource damage (deferred maintenance) caused by extremely fragile alpine environment combined with user-created trails and heavy visitation (approximately 350K visitors per year) on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Rio Grande National Forest, and Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. The work completed will create sustainable trails to improve resource conditions, improve public access and visitor experience.
• Veteran’s Point Trail and Parking Lot Rehabilitation project – Veteran’s Trail is a 0.59-mile paved trail at the shore of Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills National Forest. It was built in 1987 as Challenge Cost Share with Black Hills National Forest and Disabled American Veterans. This project will repair and resurface the asphalt trail and parking lot; repair the railing; reconstruct retaining walls, replace benches and tables and interpretive panels. The transition from the parking lot to the toilet building will also be fixed for compliance with accessibility standards.
• Bighorn Forest-Wide Trailhead Improvements project – This project entails trailhead access road repairs, installation and repair of toilet facilities, construction of parking areas, installation and repairs of recreation & regulatory signing, and addressing site drainage and resource concerns at multiple, highly utilized trailhead sites across the Bighorn National Forest.
• Williams Creek Campground – This project will reduce deferred maintenance and replace campground site amenities including all use and tent pads, picnic tables and fire rings at Williams Creek Campground on the San Juan National Forest. These improvements will enhance campground amenities, increase user access and water and sewer infrastructure at a highly utilized area known for its fishing, all-terrain riding, and scenic opportunities as well as close access to Williams Reservoir for fishing and kayaking.

For additional information about the Forest Service implementation of the Great American Outdoors Act, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/gaoa.

The Great American Outdoors Act addresses the growing $8.6 billion backlog of deferred maintenance on national forest and grasslands. The Forest Service currently administers more than 370,000 miles of roads, 13,900 trail and road bridges, 160,000 miles of trails, 1,500 dams and reservoirs, 1,500 communications sites, and 30,000 recreation sites across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Donna Nemeth is Regional Press Officer for the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Regional Office.