200 Trail Organizations and Partners Voice Support for Federal Trail Funding (Senate)

American Hiking Society • American Trails • American Motorcyclist Association • Back Country Horsemen of America • Equine Land Conservation Resource • International Mountain Bicycling Association • National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance • Partnership for the National Trails System •Rails-to-Trails Conservancy + the 191 Organizations Below

Chair Merkley , Ranking Member Murkowski, and members of the subcommittee, on behalf of American Hiking Society and the millions of trail users our 200 collective organizations represent who spend their time, money and energy to get out on trails for recreation, health and wellness, and to volunteer, we thank the Committee for the opportunity to provide testimony on the importance of adequately funding our nation’s trails and public lands to ensure access for all. We ask the Committee to adopt the following funding requests so the federal government can continue to leverage private contributions and benefit from volunteer labor as well as provide inexpensive, healthy outdoor recreation options for your constituents and all Americans. Appropriations for federal land management agencies requested herein, coupled with the significant resources provided by non-profit partners, serve to accelerate collective stewardship of our nation’s public lands and waters and enhance climate adaptability.

Summary of Requests

Forest Service:

• Capital Improvement and Maintenance (CMTL), Trails at $24M, including $11.957M for National Scenic and Historic Trails, and funding for the National Forest System Trail Stewardship Trail Partner Funding. In order to support adequate funding for all Forest Service trails and to avoid a reduction in the existing budget for all other Forest Service managed trails, increases for all other Forest Service Trails should occur in parity with the rate of increases for National Scenic and Historic Trails;

• $58.575M to fund Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness;

• At least $15M to fund Legacy Roads & Trails, with support for Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative (WWRI) coalition request of $100M.

Bureau of Land Management:

• Funding at $13.75M for National Trails System Line Item

• National Conservation Lands at $78.145M, but a minimum level funding of FY23 at $61.499M;

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

• Refuge Visitor Services at least $86.114M

National Park Service:

• Rivers, Trails, & Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program at $15M;

• Park Service Operations for the National Trails System at a minimum of $20.964M;

• Volunteers in Parks programs at a minimum of FY23 levels, including dedicated funding to the National Trails System;

• Visitor Services sub-activity, Youth Partnership Programs at a minimum of $10.95M, including an acknowledgment of the benefits for trails;

• Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program, at a min $135M

US Geological Survey:

•       $1.5M to fully fund the National Digital Trail Project (NDTP)