Hike the Hill Report Back: Advocating for Extension of the Legacy Restoration Fund, Trails Appropriations, Recreational Trails Program and More
- Steph Noll
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Earlier this month, Oregon Trails Coalition Director, Steph Noll, joined trail advocates from around the U.S. for several days of meetings with members of Congress, Congressional committee staffers, and land management agency leadership as part of the Hike the Hill event hosted by the American Hiking Society and Partnership for the National Trails System. Catch the full recap and photos underneath the current action alert.
Take Action by March 18th: Ask Your Representative to Sign Dear Colleague letter in support of FY 2027 Trails Appropriations
Representatives Dexter, Bonamici, and Hoyle have already signed on. You can send a note that says: Thank you for signing on to the recent Dear Colleague letter in support of trails appropriations in the next budget. <Share a sentence about why trails on federal lands are important to you.>
Message to Representatives Bentz, Byum, and Salinas:
Dear Rep. _______,
I am reaching out today requesting that you sign on to a Dear Colleagues letter in support of our nation’s trails in FY27 appropriations, being led by Rep. Randall (D-WA-6) and Rep. Kiley (R-CA-3).
Our nation’s nearly 200,000 miles of trails provide many benefits including outdoor recreation access, economic growth, improved health and wellness, and connecting the country. Your support is needed to continue to ensure that trails remain open and accessible for their constituents to use.
[Optional: Add a few sentences on how funding will support your trail or a highlight from your trail over the last year in the representatives district or state]
Please use this Quill form to sign on. Please contact James Zandstra in Rep. Kevin Kiley's office at james.zandstra@mail.house.gov or Shelby Harper at shelby.Harper@mail.house.gov. The deadline to sign on is COB March 18, 2026.
Thank you,
(Note: only congressional offices will be able to access the above quill form link. It's ok to go ahead and share.)
(Photos from Top Left: Coalition Director, Steph Noll, in front of U.S. Capitol after meetings with House member offices; Steph Noll and Randy Rasmussen of the Backcountry Horsemen of America, outside of Senator Wyden's office; Hike the Hill partners join agency staff for a reception at REI store in D.C. NoMa neighborhood; WA Olympic Peninsula Rep, Emily Randall, addresses congressional staff and partners at Congressional Trails Briefing; Mike Passo, American Trails, addresses the room during Congressional Trails briefing, the nation's capitol (under bluer skies on a previous trip.)
We were proud to share the great work happening in Oregon with federal trails appropriations and Legacy Restoration Act dollars and the leadership of trails stewardship partners as well as the serious challenges caused by staffing shortages, funding instability and delays, and a legacy of failing to appropriately fund trails and recreation despite their central role in our our economies, public health, and access to public lands.
We were also happy to share our thanks with Congresswoman Bonamici, and our Senators Merkley and Wyden, for supporting direct Congressionally Directed Spending appropriations to four Oregon Signature Trails over the last three fiscal years with funding going to the Salmonberry Trail most recently, and to the Blue Mountains Trail, Oakridge Westfir Mountain Bike Center, and Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail during the 2024 budget cycle. Those previously funded projects are well underway with the new Cloverpatch Connector trail outside of Oakridge set to fully open this year.
Our advocacy this trip was focused on the following:
Extension of the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to continue investing in deferred maintenance of trails and other infrastructure on our federal public lands. LRF was part of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) that passed in 2020 and expired after 5 years in 2025. We are advocating the act be extended this year.
Full Funding for Recreational Trails Program and Transportation Alternatives. The Federal Transportation budget is due for reauthorization, and we are advocating for the two programs under the Federal Highway Administration budget that invest meaningfully in trails in Oregon. We're joining partners in requesting a major increase to the Recreational Trails Program budget inline with the OHV fuel tax that is meant to fund the program for both motorized and non-motorized trails as well as preservation of the Transportation Alternatives program that is critical for funding multi-use paths that serve double duty as both recreation and active transportation facilities.
FY 2027 Federal Trails Appropriations. The budgeting process for the next fiscal year is beginning now, and we we're joining trails partners across the country in a unified ask for the specific line items across agency budgets that support our trails system, trails access for our communities, and associated programs and infrastructure.
Restoring federal agency recreation and partnership staffing and protecting recreation lands. We also emphasized the impacts of the staffing reductions and hiring freezes on recreation access, stewardship, and public safety and shared our support for existing regulations that support sustainable recreation access and preserve treasured landscapes like the Roadless Rule and Travel Management Planning.
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