“As we passed on, it seemed those scenes of visionary enchantment would never have an end.” So said Meriwether Lewis as he and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery through territory obtained from the Louisiana Purchase all the way to the Pacific. As they journeyed, the Corps of Discovery crossed vast prairies, followed the mighty Missouri to its headwaters, scaled the Rocky Mountains, and finally wintered on the banks of the Columbia.
Then, as now, the grandeur of America’s natural beauty resonated deeply with the men who saw it. More than two centuries later, that same landscape remains one of America’s greatest inheritances. But the parks, trails, and historic sites allowing millions of Americans to collect their inheritance have fallen into disrepair after decades of deferred maintenance.
Recognizing both the beauty of these public lands and the growing backlog of repairs threatening access to them, President Donald Trump launched a renewed effort to improve America’s parks through his “Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks” initiative. The president argues conservation and stewardship are essential components of preserving the nation’s heritage.
Today, Congress can codify President Trump’s initiative and ensure our natural beauty remains protected for generations of Americans to come.
The Great American Outdoors Act 250 (GAOA 250) would invest nearly $1.9 billion annually for five years to restore America’s decaying national parks and public lands in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The bill would build on the original 2020 Great American Outdoors Act by creating a legacy restoration fund to ensure national parks would have the money they need to perform routine maintenance and repairs.
It has bipartisan support, marking it as a rare across-the-aisle win in an increasingly polarized country. And beyond support in Congress, the GAOA 250 is backed by organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association and Pew Charitable Trusts.
Perhaps best of all, the funding would be partially offset by visitors from other countries through increasing and standardizing fees for foreign tourists. After all, America’s treasures belong first and foremost to her own people who support upkeep through their taxes. It is common sense that international visitors should also contribute to their upkeep.
President Trump himself ordered the Department of the Interior to “preserve these opportunities for American families in future generations by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, and expanding opportunities to enjoy America’s splendid national treasures.”
For some conservatives, conservation carries uncomfortable associations with environmental alarmism, expansive regulation, and activist politics.
Yet, conservation is not the Left’s domain. Historically, conservatives have been the faithful posterity. Effective stewardship demands accountability, though not through the Left’s preferred endless taxpayer subsidies or ever-expanding bureaucratic bloat.
The GAOA 250’s funding model reflects conservative priorities by demanding international visitors contribute realistic sums to maintenance commensurate with their usage, rather than asking American taxpayers to shoulder the burden alone.
The original Great American Outdoors Act embraced this principle by addressing long-neglected maintenance needs in national parks and public lands, ensuring future generations can experience the same grandeur Lewis and Clark encountered two centuries ago.
This is conservation rooted in common sense. Protect our parks. Preserve our history. Maintain our public lands. And do so in a way that respects taxpayers while strengthening the places defining the American story.
The same spirit that carried the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific should guide us today. Congress must pass the GAOA 250 and pass America’s natural heritage to a whole new generation of Americans.
Lewis and Clark were fortunate enough to witness those scenes of visionary enchantment firsthand. Our responsibility is to ensure that 250 years later, Americans still can.
