Alaska Region celebrates year one of Great American Outdoors Act

ALASKA—The Alaska Region is proud of its efforts related to the Great American Outdoors Act. For the first anniversary of the act’s signing, the region did all it could to promote the milestone.

Regional commemoration activities included interviews on radio shows, a first anniversary video, social media posts and proactive outreach to local media outlets.

Users of Alaska’s national forests are already starting to see benefits in the first year of the Great American Outdoors Act. More than $12 million has been awarded for nearly 40 projects on the Chugach and Tongass national forests.

Every ranger district received funds for one or more projects, including improvements and upgrades to cabins, trails, boat ramps and docks, day-use sites, campgrounds and roads that access important recreation areas.

Projects that are already in progress include trail work on the Cordova, Glacier and Juneau ranger districts, where dedicated crews are tackling deferred trail maintenance on trails popular with visitors and local Alaskans alike:

Marty Becker watches as a helicopter slings supplies for the Harbor Mountain Trail hardening project in the Tongass National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo.

• Cordova Ranger District crews are out at the Heney Ridge, Lake Elsner, McKinley Lake and Sand trails.
• Glacier Ranger District crews are addressing trail maintenance at Winner Creek and Upper Winner Creek trails.
• Juneau Ranger District crews are working to improve the Windfall Lake, East and West Glacier and Auk Nu trails.

A total of 22 trails have been identified for improvements or work under the program in Alaska so far. It is anticipated that additional trails will receive work over the life of the program.

Recreation sites that will see numerous improvements over the next five years include Russian River Campground on the Kenai Peninsula, Starrigavan Recreation Area in Sitka, and El Capitan Recreation Area on Prince of Wales Island.

Great American Outdoors Act projects improve trails, roads and recreation sites. These projects also provide much-needed jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas, while improving and protecting recreation sites and natural resources.

Stay up-to-date on the Alaska-based Great American Outdoors Act projects and related funding activity by visiting https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/home/?cid=FSEPRD853573.

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