RELEASE: Risch, Crapo Join Bill to Strengthen Public Lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2026

Contact:
Janessa Tolman (Risch)
Melanie Lawhorn (Crapo)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) today announced their support for the America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) and strengthen Idaho’s public lands.

“Public lands are central to who we are as Idahoans and our way of life,” said Risch. “Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund is a commonsense investment to ensure Idaho’s public lands and national parks are maintained and enjoyed for years to come.”

“Public lands face a growing maintenance backlog, affecting roads, bridges, campgrounds, boat ramps, water systems, visitor facilities and trails,” said Crapo. “Renewing the Legacy Restoration Fund will help ensure vital repair work continues in Idaho and across the nation. Importantly, the Fund reinvests revenue generated from responsible energy development from our federal lands and waters, which upholds the essential concept of multiple-use, while financing the upkeep of our critical public lands infrastructure.”

Risch and Crapo join 57 of their colleagues in cosponsoring this bipartisan legislation.

The America the Beautiful Act is supported by public lands, conservation, and recreation groups, including the Idaho Conservation Corps, Idaho Forest Group, Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, Idaho Recreation Council, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Trail Association, and Friends of Minidoka.

“The America the Beautiful Act will help protect and restore Idaho’s treasured public lands and waters. Additionally, it will support workforce development and conservation jobs in our gateway communities. We are grateful for Senators Risch and Crapo’s support for this important legislation,” said Jeff Parker, Idaho Conservation Corps CEO.

“Idaho Forest Group greatly appreciates Senators Risch and Crapo for their continued leadership in addressing forest health. Their sponsorship of the America the Beautiful Act is a pivotal endorsement toward improved forest health, reduction of wildfire risk, and investment in infrastructure that is critical to rural communities and sustainable forest management,” said Todd Brinkmeyer, Idaho Forest Group CEO.

“Idaho’s outfitters and guides depend on healthy, well-maintained public lands to continue connecting people with the wild places that make this state extraordinary. Since its creation in 2020, the Legacy Restoration Fund has directed over $82.9 million to Idaho alone, repairing infrastructure that outfitters, guides, and their clients depend on,” said Erik Weiseth, Executive Director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association. “The America the Beautiful Actstrengthens that legacy by helping critical trails, facilities, and infrastructure get the attention they deserve, while also giving our industry a direct way to invest in the places we love. We’re proud to support this commonsense, bipartisan effort to protect America’s outdoor heritage.”

“Idaho recreationalists stand with the America the Beautiful Act. We applaud Senators Risch and Crapo’s championing of Senate Bill 1547 as a vital step in preserving our nation’s natural heritage for generations to come,” said Dan Waugh, Executive Director for the Idaho Recreation Council.

“Backcountry Hunters & Anglers thanks Senators Risch and Crapo for standing up for America’s public lands and supporting the reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund through the America the Beautiful Act. Their leadership in supporting investment in the maintenance of our public lands and waters will ensure hunters and anglers can continue to access the places we value most for generations to come,” said Ryan Callaghan, CEO and President of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.

“Our public lands are a core part of our identity as Idahoans. But we have a backlog of deferred maintenance on our National Parks and other public lands that are putting these lands and the opportunities they provide at risk. The Legacy Restoration Fund can provide crucial funding to help support our campgrounds, trails and surrounding public lands. We applaud Senators Crapo and Risch for their support of the America the Beautiful Act, which would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund,” said John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director, Idaho Conservation League.

“Idaho Trails Association thanks Senators Risch and Crapo for cosponsoring the America the Beautiful Act. If passed, this legislation will support much-needed maintenance on public trails across the country. We are grateful that our Idaho senators are behind this effort,” said Melanie Vining, Executive Director of the Idaho Trails Association.

“Friends of Minidoka expresses our deepest gratitude to Senators Crapo and Risch for co-sponsoring the America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund. This legislation invests in key infrastructure that connects the public to Idaho’s federal lands, including National Park Service sites. Through the LRF, Minidoka National Historic Site has received $8.1 million — a critical investment in badly needed repairs that will ensure the lessons and legacy of the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII continue to be shared with Idahoans and visitors. The site’s historic barrack, mess hall, and root cellar will be stabilized and restored so visitors can better understand the lived experience of Japanese Americans incarcerated at Minidoka. Additionally, the LRF will fund the construction of a modernized maintenance and staff facility, equipping NPS staff with the tools to steward Minidoka and our nation’s history into the future,” said Janet Matsuoka Keegan, Friends of Minidoka board president and Minidoka descendant.The LRF invested over $82.9 million in Idaho across 16 projects and improved more than 100 assets statewide from 2020 to 2025. The America the Beautiful Act would reauthorize the program through 2033 and increase funding to $2 billion annually to address the maintenance backlog on federal lands.