With a rare show of bipartisan support, in late July Congress passed legislation to improve boating and preserve parks.

The Great American Outdoors Act – expected to be signed by President Trump as Waterfront Times went to press — comes after years of advocacy efforts led by conservationists and boating industry stakeholders.

The bill addresses two long-standing issues: It fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program initially created in 1964 to fund outdoor recreational access.

Secondly, it funds a $12 billion maintenance backlog on public lands and waters by investing in boating infrastructure including docks, marinas, ramps and parking facilities.

In South Florida, funding is expected to help pay for projects at Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas and Cypress National parks.

“With more Americans flocking to boating in the era of social distancing, the Great American Outdoors Act is the shot in the arm we need to continue delivering the memorable experiences and significant economic impact our industry provides, including more than 35,000 businesses and 700,000 American jobs,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the nonprofit National Marine Manufacturers Association, which has long advocated for the bill.

Billions of dollars channeled by the bill, including a required $900 million a year, will fund maintenance projects and park land acquisition without dipping into taxpayer dollars.

South Florida has benefitted greatly from the fund. In 2012 $30 million in LWCF funding was allocated to Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades

National Park to protect land vital to South Florida’s water quality.

In recent years, lack of funding has left many national parks with closed roads and facilities, poor campground accommodations, non-reachable hiking trails and nonworking restrooms.

Parks were supposed to benefit from oil and gas drilling royalties paid to the government, but through the years Congress often shifted funding elsewhere.

July’s legislation, which finalizes how federal dollars will be spent thereby giving the program teeth, was easily approved in a bipartisan 310-to-107 vote at a time when the Covid-19 has many people turning to secluded outdoor activities.