Recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced its investment of just over $35.6 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act. These additional funds will support 35 projects across 16 of the 18 national forests in California for fiscal year 2024. These investments are made possible by the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, established by the Great American Outdoors Act.
The projects support a recent announcement by both the Department of Agriculture and Department of the 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 year of a five-year term.
On the Lassen National Forest, a project will replace nine vault toilet buildings and repair one across many sites on the Battle Creek Campground and Ashpan Snowmobile Trailhead. Project work also includes updates to fixtures and plumbing at the Almanor Boat Launch flush restrooms and replacement of the wastewater systems.
On the Plumas National Forest, a project will decommission and replace lookout pit toilets with new vaults. It will also include a new roof, paint and interior cabinets at several lookout points on the Plumas National Forest. Additionally, these upgrades include new stairs, roofing, windows and siding. All these repairs have long-term future value as fire lookouts can be transferred into recreation rental opportunities if decisions are made not to continue staffing.
“Quality infrastructure in our national forests preserves their current use and their legacy for future generations. By addressing deferred maintenance with help from our partners, we not only enhance outdoor recreation but also bolster rural economies — creating a win-win for our public lands and communities,” said Jody Holzworth, deputy regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region.
Including authorized and funded deferred maintenance projects for fiscal year 2024, the Pacific Southwest Region currently has 148 Legacy Restoration Fund projects in various stages of development, with 39 completed.
Overall, 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 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.
Information provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
