If you love the outdoors you have more than likely enjoyed recreating on public lands maintained by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or Bureau of Land Management. You have experienced renovated trails, bathrooms, campgrounds, roads, and other services made possible by federal funding.
This September the US Forest Service announced they will not hire seasonal or temporary workers except those who respond to forest fires in 2025 due to a budget crisis. This means cutting more than 2,400 seasonal jobs, including trail crews, wilderness rangers, biologists, and many other types of temporary staff.
The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) is set to run out of funding at the end of 2025. GAOA has made a big difference here in Washington. Since its implementation, the Forest Service has received $75 million for 33 projects across our state. To date, 300 projects have been completed and nearly 400 are in progress for improvements on Forest Service lands nationwide.
Our partners, The Mountaineers and Washington Trails Association (WTA), have both started advocacy campaigns for robust funding for the US Forest Service. Our partners at Mountains to Sound Greenway along with WTA have started advocating to renew GAOA’s Legacy Restoration fund in 2026. We want to share these advocacy opportunities, as we know this will be important to many of our supporters.