On this fifth anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, Preservation Maryland celebrates one of the most significant bipartisan investments in the protection of our nation’s public lands, parks, and historic sites.
This landmark legislation, signed into law in 2020, ensures dedicated funding to restore and maintain America’s most treasured places — from natural landscapes to cultural landmarks. We know that protecting the great outdoors also means preserving the places that tell our shared American story. But saving these places takes more than policy. It takes people — skilled hands trained in the specialized work of historic preservation.
That’s where The Campaign for Historic Trades, powered by Preservation Maryland, comes in. The national workforce development initiative creates pathways for individuals to explore, build, or expand careers in the traditional trades. Across the country we’re working to develop the workforce needed to steward historic places well into the future.
Many of these hands-on training opportunities take place at the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) in Frederick, Maryland. HPTC’s mission aligns directly with the goals of the Great American Outdoors Act by supporting the skilled workforce needed to carry out the maintenance and rehabilitation of aging historic resources within the National Park system. As the demand for preservation work grows, so too does the need to expand HPTC’s capacity — which is why we were proud to support the Frederick Jobs and Historic Preservation Training Center Land Acquisition Act,
So today, celebrate with no entrance fees to over 400 National Parks in honor of the Great American Outdoors Act — and we’ll continue building on its legacy through investment in the people and places that preserve our past.