The U.S. Forest Service is planning on investing nearly $38 million to improve recreation related infrastructure on national forests and grasslands, which includes $14.4 million specifically for projects in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests.
These investments are made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to an announcement from the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski; a piece of legislation which she helped put into law in 2021.
Of the $37.75 million announced nationwide, $18 million will go for recreational cabins and historic buildings to support improvements and construction of new cabins and $19.75 million will go for recreation sites, including for maintenance, repairs, construction of new facilities, and the installation and expansion of individual campsites, powerlines, and other related improvements.
Maintaining both heavily used and remote cabins along lakes, atop mountains and on coastal islands that are available year-round requires resources and staff capacity, which has been in short supply due to the threats that the recreation cabin program is facing currently, according to Murkowski, who specifically include a carve-out for construction, reconstruction, and operation and maintenance of recreation public use cabins in Alaska in the bill.
“Alaska is home to the best outdoor opportunities in the world, and recreation is a key part of our economy. To maintain and grow this world-class industry, we need infrastructure that is modern, safe, and accessible,” Sen. Murkowski said. “My efforts to support recreation infrastructure in Alaska – including recreational cabins and historic buildings – started long before the infrastructure bill was ever considered and date back to my time as Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The work we did there, along with the special consideration and funding that I ultimately added to the infrastructure bill, are a home run for all of us who are blessed to call Alaska home and for our visitors.”
There are more than 155 special use cabins in the Tongass and 50 in the Chugach National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service is planning a process to include local communities in determining a strategy on improving its cabins. For more information on public engagement opportunities, visit the Alaska Region Cabin Strategy here.