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American Climbing Society • American Trails • American Motorcyclist Affiliation • Again Nation Horsemen of America • Equine Land Conservation Useful resource • Worldwide Mountain Bicycling Affiliation • Nationwide Wilderness Stewardship Alliance •Rails-to-Trails Conservancy + 251 Organizations and Entities
November 21, 2025,
Re: Path Associated Funding Ranges and Report Language in FY26 Inside and Associated Appropriations Invoice
Inside Appropriations Subcommittee Chair(s) Murkowski and Simpson and Rating Member(s) Merkley and Pingree:
On behalf of the thousands and thousands of path customers our 259 collective organizations characterize, who make investments their time and assets to get out on trails for recreation, well being and wellness, and to volunteer, we thank the Committees for advancing laws to fund our nation’s trails and public lands.
As follow-up to our Public Witness/Outdoors Witness Testimony submission from earlier this 12 months, as Congress works collectively on a last invoice, we ask you to undertake the next path particular funding ranges and report language which can be included within the respective Home and Senate variations of the Inside, Setting, and Associated Businesses funding payments.
We write in help of the topline company funding ranges proposed within the Senate invoice and the path particular packages and report language under included within the Home and Senate report language and invoice textual content.
Packages with an identical proposed funding ranges or report language have been omitted for brevity.
Forest Service
Program: Capital Enchancment and Upkeep (CMTL), Trails
Home Report: pg. 252
Funding Degree: $22M
Program: Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness
Home Report: pg(s). 76, 251
Funding Degree: $48M
Bureau of Land Administration
Program: Nationwide Conservation Lands, Nationwide Trails System
Senate Report: pg. 19, 179
Funding Degree: $11M
Report Language: “Nationwide Conservation Lands.—The Committee recommends $59,135,000 for Nationwide Conservation Lands, together with $11,000,000 for Nationwide Scenic and Historic Trails. Nationwide Conservation Lands preserve the Nation’s heritage and this funding will permit elevated stock, monitoring, and safety of cultural assets; improve correct administration of all assets; and supply a top quality customer expertise by leisure entry. Moreover, this funding ensures that models within the Nationwide Conservation Lands system are adequately staffed with land managers,
regulation enforcement officers, and cultural assets consultants.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Program: Refuge Customer Companies
Senate Report: pg. 27, 181
Funding Degree: $76M
Home Report: pg. 21-22
Report Language: The Committee directs continued administration of the greater than 2,500 miles of trails, together with important parts of 15 Nationwide Scenic and Historic trails, throughout 860 miles of public lands in 21
States that the Service oversees.
Program: Infrastructure Administration- Nationwide Partnerships
Home Report: pg. 21-22
Report Language: “The Committee encourages the Service to contemplate cooperative agreements with non-profit organizations that help trails by Infrastructure-Nationwide Partnerships.”
Nationwide Park Service
Program: Park Service Operations, Nationwide Trails System
Funding Degree: $18.856M
Home Report: pg. 27-28
Report Language: “Appalachian Scenic Path.—The Committee is conscious that many parks, together with the Appalachian Scenic Path, are experiencing elevated visitation and help wants and encourages the Service to incorporate adequate assets in future price range requests to deal with these wants.”
El Camino Actual de los Tejas Nationwide Historic Path.—The Committee notes the significance of the El Camino Actual de los Tejas Nationwide Historic Path and encourages the Service to incorporate adequate assets in future price range requests to make sure a continued
constructive customer expertise.
Senate Report: pg. 42
Report Language: “Newly-Designated Nationwide Scenic Trails.—The Committee notes the designation of three new nationwide scenic trails as models of the park system, together with the Ice Age, the New England, and the North Nation Nationwide Scenic Trails. The Committee notes that the Service has integrated ongoing funding for these newly designated trails into the Service’s base operations price range and directs the Service to make sure that commensurate entry to assets is supplied to them.”
Program: Volunteers in Parks
Funding Degree: $7.71M
Senate Report: pg. 43
Program: Youth Partnership Program, Customer Companies
Funding Degree: $14.665M
Senate Report: pg. 43
U.S. Geological Companies
Program: Nationwide Digital Path Mission
Funding Degree:$1.35M
Home Report: pg. 37
Report Language: “Throughout the quantity supplied, $1,350,000 is for the Nationwide Digital Trails challenge.”
Company Staffing
Division of Inside Staffing
Senate Report pg. 9:
“Staffing.—The Committee is enormously involved with the actions taken concerning staffing throughout the Division of the Inside and the opposite businesses funded on this invoice. The workers are the lifeblood of the Division and these businesses and the uninformed method wherein staffing reductions have been imposed within the title of effectivity is something however environment friendly. The Committee expects the Division of the Inside and the opposite businesses funded on this invoice to keep up the requisite staffing ranges to make sure that operations will not be deleteriously affected or have a unfavourable influence on the financial output and help to States, localities, and tribes.”
Senate Invoice pg. 9:
“Company Funds Employees.—The Committee notes the worth of getting a full set of price range workers maintained at particular businesses along with having department-level price range workplace workers and subsequently directs every company funded by this act to keep up its personal separate price range workplace on the company stage. The Committee notes that part 447 of the invoice restricts transfers of funds amongst accounts with the impact of shifting personnel and affirm that company price range workers is roofed inside that provision.”
Forest Service Staffing
Senate Report pg. 138:
“The Forest Service shall keep staffing ranges by hiring, retaining, and rehiring after separations so as to fulfill the mission required beneath title 7, title 16, title 30, title 43, and title 54, United States Code, together with to guard pure and cultural assets, present and keep acceptable entry and recreation for guests, present security precautions for guests and workers, keep bodily and pure infrastructure, present data and reply to stakeholders and most people, conduct tribal session, present for administrative help, administer forestry help packages, present technical help to states, tribes and personal landowners, handle vitality and minerals assets, and perform different actions in help of successfully working the Nationwide Forest System and finishing up packages administered by the Forest Service in a well timed method.”
Bureau of Land Administration Staffing
Senate Invoice pg. 8:
“That the Bureau of Land Administration shall keep staffing ranges by hiring, retaining, and rehiring after separations so as to fulfill the mission required beneath title 16, title 30, title 43, and title 54, United States Code, together with to guard pure and cultural assets, present and keep acceptable entry and recreation for guests, present security precautions for guests and workers, keep bodily and pure infrastructure, present data and reply to stakeholders and most people, conduct tribal session, present for administrative help, handle vitality and minerals assets, and perform different actions in help of successfully managing the Nationwide Conservation Lands and different public lands in a well timed method.”
U.S. FIsh and WIldlife Service Staffing
Senate Invoice pg. 15:
“That the USA Fish and Wildlife Service shall keep staffing ranges by hiring, retaining, and rehiring after separations so as to fulfill the mission required beneath title 16, title 43, and title 54, United States Code, together with to guard pure and cultural assets, present and keep acceptable entry and recreation for guests, present security precautions for guests and workers, keep bodily and pure infrastructure, present data and reply to stakeholders and most people, conduct tribal session, present for administrative help, implement Federal wildlife legal guidelines, shield species, uphold Acts, treaties,conventions and agreements to preserve, shield, and improve fish, wildlife, crops, and their habitats, offering skilled experience to different businesses and worldwide and personal companions, and perform different actions in help of successfully working the Nationwide Fish Hatchery System and Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System and finishing up packages administered by the USA Fish and Wildlife Service in a well timed method.”
Senate Report pg. 28:
“Staffing of the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System.—Over the previous decade, the Refuge System’s full-time equal [FTE] staffing has decreased whereas the Refuge System has continued to develop. The Committee is anxious with the present stage of FTEs inside the Refuge System. Additional, inside 60 days of enactment of this act, and month-to-month thereafter, the Division and the Service are directed to transient the Committee on Refuge System operations, to incorporate staffing ranges by refuge, customer information by refuge, and different information essential to persuade the Committee that operations haven’t been and won’t be deleteriously affected in an effort to make the Refuge System function extra effectively.
Additional, the Committee directs the Service to submit, no later than 90 days after the enactment of this act, a report detailing by month: (1) what number of everlasting, probationary, and non permanent positions had been terminated throughout Fiscal 12 months 2025 and wherein refuge models or complexes they served, their titles, and whether or not they had been everlasting, probationary, or non permanent workers; (2) what number of everlasting, probationary, and non permanent positions stay crammed and wherein refuge models or complexes they serve, their titles, and whether or not they’re everlasting, probationary, or non permanent workers; and (3) which Refuge System models or complexes have two or fewer staffers, what the crammed positions at these refuges are, and if these workers are everlasting, probationary or non permanent. Throughout the funding really helpful for Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System, the Committee encourages the Service to prioritize hiring and retention of FTEs significantly to fill longstanding vacancies within the refuge system comparable to on the Northern Maine Wildlife Refuge Complicated and Chesapeake Marshlands Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Complicated.”
Nationwide Park Service Staffing
Senate Invoice pg. 23:
“The Nationwide Park Service shall keep staffing ranges by hiring, retaining, and rehiring after separations so as to fulfill the mission required beneath title 16, title 43, and title 54, United States Code, together with to guard pure and cultural assets, present and keep acceptable entry and recreation for guests, present security precautions for guests and workers, keep bodily and pure infrastructure, present data and reply to stakeholders and most people, conduct tribal session, present for administrative help, administer historic and different preservation packages, and perform different actions in help of successfully working the Nationwide Park System and finishing up packages administered by the Nationwide Park Service in a well timed method.”
Senate Report pg. 40:
“NPS Staffing.—Whereas nationwide parks generate billions of {dollars} of financial output yearly for the U.S. economic system that helps enhance States, localities, and tribes, visiting a nationwide park is commonly a ‘‘bucket checklist’’ journey or a as soon as in a lifetime alternative for some. The Committee is anxious about actions that would probably reduce People’ capacity to go to parks or have a secure expertise whereas visiting parks, and that in any other case may depreciate the worth of time spent exploring a few of America’s nice pure wonders. Inside 60 days of enactment of this act, and month-to-month thereafter, the Division and the Service are directed to transient the Committee on park operations, to incorporate staffing ranges by park, customer information by park, and different information essential to persuade the Committee that operations and pure and cultural useful resource safety haven’t been and won’t be deleteriously affected in an effort to make parks function extra effectively.”
Please contact Tyler Ray, Senior Director for Packages and Advocacy, American Climbing Society to debate additional.
Sincerely,
