The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 (GAOA) made a historic investment in protecting and maintaining popular federal lands in part by establishing the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address billions of dollars in overdue maintenance needs. From 2021-2025, the LRF provided more than $9 billion to tackle priority repairs in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, BLM areas and more. Unfortunately, the fund expired in August 2025, and the combined deferred maintenance backlog across federal land agencies is now estimated at over $35 billion.
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, lawmakers have an opportunity to renew the fund and support continued repair of our most beloved landscapes and historic places. During its five-year lifespan, the LRF supported more than 1,500 Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service projects across all 50 states and D.C., reaching every corner of the country. Pew’s Rebecca Knuffke talks about the importance of renewing the LRF if we want to protect America’s greatest idea.
Rebecca joined The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Restore America’s Parks campaign in 2016 and helped advance the GAOA. With experience in strategic environmental advocacy, budget and appropriations, and public lands policy, she now works with Pew’s U.S. Conservation campaign to support reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund. Before joining Pew, she worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where she focused on public lands policy, historic and cultural resources, and protection of lands sacred to Tribal Nations.