Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
RALEIGH, N.C. — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz concluded a visit to North Carolina, highlighting new investments aimed at creating urban parks, trails, and upgrading existing park infrastructure.
On Monday, Secretary Haaland and Assistant Secretary Estenoz toured restoration projects on the Blue Ridge Parkway funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), including Doughton Park and Laurel Fork Bridge. The Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most visited units in the National Park System, supported nearly 18,000 jobs and generated $1.7 billion for local economies along its 469-mile road in 2022. To address maintenance needs, the Blue Ridge Parkway has received $253 million from GAOA’s Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), improving visitor experience and public safety.
The GAOA represents a significant investment in public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. Since 2021, GAOA projects have supported an average of 17,000 jobs annually and generated $1.8 billion for local economies each year. The GAOA permanently authorized funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) which will celebrate its 60th anniversary on September 3. It also established the LRF to improve visitor experiences, bolster climate resilience, and create jobs in recreation areas, national parks, and wildlife refuges. The LRF funding sunsets after fiscal year 2025 unless reauthorized by Congress.
On Tuesday, Secretary Haaland joined Governor Roy Cooper to announce more than $16 million in awards through LWCF’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program to build urban parks in Raleigh. Yeargan Park received an $8.5 million grant to construct a new park with multiuse sports fields, play areas, restrooms, and more. Smoky Hollow Park was awarded nearly $8.7 million to develop a natural park space including restoring Pigeon House Branch stream.
Secretary Haaland also visited Walnut Creek Wetland Park which received nearly $1 million in ORLP funds earlier this year to create a new public outdoor recreational area aimed at increasing access for historically underserved communities.
The ORLP program is designed as a nationally competitive matching grant initiative to support disadvantaged urban communities lacking outdoor recreation spaces. Funds can be used for acquisition or development of public parks or substantial renovation of outdoor recreation spaces.
During her visit, Secretary Haaland announced economic data showing that in 2023 national park visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway communities nationwide supporting over 415,000 jobs and contributing $55.6 billion to the nation’s economy overall. In North Carolina alone, visitors spent $2.6 billion supporting nearly 39,000 jobs statewide.
Secretary Haaland emphasized how historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the America the Beautiful initiative are driving growth in the outdoor economy while ensuring equitable access to green spaces for all communities.
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