Trump signs Executive Order to "prioritize conserving our great American National Parks & Outdoor Recreation Areas"
On July 3rd, The White House announced that President Trump had signed a new Executive Order to establish a Make America Beautiful Again commission. The stated goal of the commission is to "prioritize conserving our great American National Parks & Outdoor Recreation Areas.” Some of the orders include:- Expand access to public lands and waters for recreation, hunting, and fishing;
- Cut bureaucratic delays that hinder effective environmental management;
- Promote responsible stewardship of natural resources while driving economic growth;
- Develop policies to expand access to public lands, national parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges while promoting a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities like hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, climbing, boating, off-roading, and wildlife viewing.
The National Park Service and the United States Forest Service face more than $23 billion and $10.8 billion in deferred maintenance, respectively, leaving roads, trails, and historic landmarks in disrepair. Despite these challenges, our Nation has proven that conservation and economic growth go hand in hand. Since the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act (Public Law 116-152), the outdoor recreation economy has grown to $1.2 trillion in economic output, and, in 2023, comprised 3.1 percent of employees in the United States and supported 5 million jobs.
Of course, how this is implemented remains to be seen. The Secretary of Interior will chair the commission alongside other cabinet members and Directors of concerned agencies.
However, codifying “off-roading” into the Executive Order should not be taken lightly. Make no mistake about it: this is because of our collective voices and the noise we have been making.
But the work is just beginning! We will be monitoring the actions and progress of this commission very closely. And you can bet that we will do everything in our power to bring your voices to the table.
It does take a team of people to monitor, investigate, analyze and advocate to make that happen. So, if you’re not already a member, consider joining today or making a donation to assist our efforts.