Scott Condon/The Aspen Times
The unprecedented use and occasional abuse of the Independence Pass corridor last summer will produce a highly visible result this summer.
The U.S. Forest Service and partners decided after flushing out all the issues to install a permanent bathroom at the Upper Lost Man Trailhead.
The Lost Man Loop hike has always been popular but visits soared in the COVID-19 summer as people from Colorado’s Front Range and other urban areas fled to the mountains to find relief from the pandemic.
“Last year saw more use on the Pass than any year in history, is the bottom line,” Karin Teague, executive director of the nonprofit Independence Pass Foundation, said Tuesday. “The Pass felt the impacts.”
Conditions at virtually all 423 National Park sites have worsened in recent years.
Presidential Administrations and Congress have continually shortchanged parks capital budgets. The result is crumbling roads and bridges, neglected historic buildings and threatened environmental resources.
According to a recent National Park Service (NPS) report, there is nearly a $12 billion backlog to get parks into good shape.
In Northeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWG), Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UD), and Steamtown National Historic Site in President Joe Biden s hometown of Scranton are among the 19 national park sites situated in the Commonwealth.
In these three parks alone there is a need for over $113 million in upgrades to historical properties and cultural landscapes.
Mar 17, 2021
Shoshone National Forest in Cody, Wyoming, is among the national forest and grasslands slated for infrastructure projects this year.
U.S. Forest Service
The $9.5 billion Great American Outdoors Act is kicking into gear in 2021, marking the largest investment in national parks and public lands in 65 years.
As part of that plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it has $285 million worth of U.S. Forest Service infrastructure projects it is planning this year. There are more than 500 deferred-maintenance projects the USDA has listed for fiscal year 2021 for national forests and grasslands.
“Project investments in 2021 will improve recreation facilities, visitor centers, dams and trails,” the agency says. “Other projects aim to increase public access by restoring and repairing roads, trails, bridges, tunnels and parking areas.”
Outdoor Act funds maintenance projects on Lolo, Bitterroot forests
Kyle Hansen/MTN Sports
and last updated 2021-03-16 10:29:55-04
MISSOULA â More than 50 maintenance projects on Montanaâs national forests have been selected to receive funding through the Great American Outdoors Act, including six on the Bitterroot National Forest and a dozen on the Lolo National Forest.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a list of more than 500 infrastructure projects selected nationwide to receive money from the Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. The restoration fund is part of the Great American Outdoors Act passed in July, which provides up to $9.5 billion for public land maintenance over the next five years and fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund with $900 million annually.