The Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) represents one of the most significant investments ever made in addressing deferred maintenance on public lands. For the Appalachian Trail in New England—among the oldest, most heavily traveled, and most stewardship intensive sections of the A.T.—this funding has arrived at a critical moment. 

For decades, volunteer maintaining Clubs, agency partners, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) have worked tirelessly to keep the Trail open, well-maintained, and sustainable. Yet aging infrastructure, increasingly severe weather, and persistent use have sometimes outpaced available resources. LRF is designed to help close that gap. In New England, LRF planning and design funds have been and will continue to support data collection, geospatial analyses, construction design, and partner coordination around tread and infrastructure projects. The work done with these planning funds will define a construction plan for repairing and replacing Trail infrastructure like shelters and privies, and restoring erosion-damaged priority Trail sections that have long exceeded the capacity of volunteer maintenance alone. 

LRF has made it possible to plan and soon execute projects at a scale that simply has not been feasible under traditional funding models. By pairing the technical expertise and project management of federal agency partners with the coordination, knowledge, and on-the-ground know-how of Clubs and the ATC, LRF projects will be designed to deliver solutions that reduce longterm maintenance demands while protecting the Trail corridor and the experience of its visitors. Continued support for the Legacy Restoration Fund is an investment in the A.T.’s past, present, and future—and in the volunteers who make its care possible. 

 

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Learn more about the federal funding that the ATC advocates for, including LRF.

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