 Spotlighting the Work to Restore, Connect and Conserve 30 Percent of Lands and Waters by 2030
News and Updates
New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Illinois was established as the newest national park, commemorating the history of early 19th century Black America. New Philadelphia is the first town known to be officially registered by an African American person. Frank McWorter, once an enslaved man, bought his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members by mining in Kentucky caves, hiring his time to other settlers, and selling lots in the town he founded. The site is now the 424th park in the National Park System. This designation came from the omnibus bill that President Biden signed in the end of 2022, which also designated new mileage in the America the Beautiful initiative’s efforts to tell a more complete story of America.
The Bureau of Land Management has added two parcels of land totaling 1,600 acres in Colorado through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. These parcels at South Shale Ridge and the adjacent Little Book Cliffs include canyons, trails and hoodoos in what’s known as Colorado’s “badlands.” These additions will increase opportunities for outdoor recreation and strengthen local economies -- in 2021, outdoor recreation in Colorado was estimated to generate $11.6 billion in economic activity. These efforts were completed in partnership with The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit that works to conserve land and water resources across the nation. This announcement supports the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment in the America the Beautiful initiative to increase opportunities for outdoor recreation and improve wildlife habitat.
The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with state and Tribal wildlife agencies, published the third volume in a series of new maps of big game migration corridors throughout the western United States. The new maps provide valuable tools and resources for land managers and policy makers regarding mule and white-tailed deer, pronghorn, elk habitat and to help mitigate the impacts of development on wildlife. Enhancing wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity reflects a key area of focus within the America the Beautiful initiative.
A conservation easement on a 158-acre property, which was donated to a local trust, will help protect the Ahnapee River in Wisconsin. The area contains wetlands that slow and filter runoff before it enters the river and provides habitat to a variety of wildlife, including the red fox, white-tailed deer, turkeys and ruffed grouse. Along with this new conservation easement, the local trust continues to pursue new local conservation efforts to improve the water quality of the Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
 The Biden-Harris administration announced that veterans of the U.S. Armed Services and Gold Star Families can obtain a free lifetime pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across more than 400 million acres of public lands, including national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests. Each lifetime pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers at national parks and national wildlife refuges, as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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