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SILVER SPRING – The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) releases the following statement from President and CEO Dan Puskar:

“Today PLA joins with many conservation leaders on Capitol Hill to ask Congress to invest in the infrastructure of America’s national parks and public lands.

“America's parks, refuges, and conservation lands represent the best of our natural, historical and cultural heritage, providing all citizens with access to recreation, education and inspiration. Yet land managers have not been given sufficient funds over decades to maintain the infrastructure critical to experiencing these public lands - from visitor centers and historic buildings to roads, trails and bridges. This chronic failure to provide sufficiently for public lands infrastructure must end.

“The nonprofit partners of these public lands have often stepped up to support ongoing and deferred infrastructure projects. Not only have these organizations leveraged private support to tackle these challenges, they also have a vested interest in ensuring that the educational, volunteer and conservation programs they offer on public lands may be held on safe, well-maintained structures.

“PLA is incredibly grateful for the outstanding leadership of House and Senate champions in authoring H.R. 1225, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, and S.500, the Restore Our Parks Act. We urge Congress to send a bill to the President’s desk that takes a huge bite out of the deferred maintenance backlogs of our public lands and offers clear opportunities to leverage private sector investment.”

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