National Trust for Historic Preservation: Return to home page

The National Park System tells the story of remarkable people and events in our nation’s rich history at sites as diverse as Gettysburg National Military Park, Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, and Native American cultural sites like Mesa Verde National Park. Unfortunately, after 100 years of operation and inconsistent funding, the National Park Service has a deferred maintenance backlog of approximately $23 billion and many significant historic sites are at risk of falling into disrepair.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has long supported efforts to address the deferred maintenance backlog of the National Park Service at their historic sites, including a history of HOPE Crew support at places such as Shenandoah National Park. Named “HOPE Crew” for “Hands-On Preservation Experience,” the program links preservation projects to the national corps movement, bringing crew members from diverse backgrounds to work on hundreds of sites, learning preservation craft skills while rehabilitating historic places.

On August 4, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act—landmark legislation that invested approximately $9.5 billion to repair historic and other assets of the National Park Service and other federal agencies. The bill also fully funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually.

Despite the historic investment in our national parks and public lands from the GAOA, many projects were unable to be addressed by the five-year fund. The America the Beautiful Act, introduced in April 2025 by Senators Daines (R-MT) and Angus King (I-ME) and other bipartisan Senate cosponsors extends the implementation of the GAOA Legacy Restoration Fund at $2 billion annually for 8 years, along with other enhancements.