Polan

At dusk, an RV parked near a Michigan lakeshore can tell the story of a family’s day: sand on the steps, life jackets hung, drying from the last boat ride, and bikes leaning against a tree. The memories seem effortless, but they are not. Behind that day lies a network of public roads, trails, water systems, docks, campgrounds, and visitor facilities that must operate safely and reliably.

Before that family ever reaches the shoreline, they may have crossed a park bridge, filled bottles at a public water system, walked a maintained trail, and launched from a federal dock. Any one of those elements can determine whether the day unfolds as planned–or whether the family chooses a different destination next year.

Our associations represent two sides of that journey. RV manufacturers, dealers, and campground operators help families reach and stay near Michigan’s outdoor destinations. Boat dealers, manufacturers, and marinas help them get onto the water. From those complementary vantage points, we see the same truth: When public-land infrastructure works, families stay longer, return more often, and support businesses in communities across our state. When it fails, the consequences ripple far beyond park boundaries.

That is why the Legacy Restoration Fund matters. Created through the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, the fund was established to tackle overdue maintenance at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other federal lands. Its investments repair the roads, bridges, public campgrounds, water systems, docks, trails, and visitor facilities that make safe access possible and support the surrounding visitor economy. But its original five-year authorization expired in fall 2025. Congress must now renew it.

Michigan has already seen what this investment can do. Legacy Restoration Fund dollars are rehabilitating high-priority roads at Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes, modernizing visitor and recreation facilities at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, and supporting a $32 million project to provide safer, more reliable boat access to North and South Manitou Islands. Altogether, the fund’s first five years supported nearly $80 million in projects across Michigan’s federal lands.

These facilities are an important part of the broader network that helps families reach and enjoy Michigan’s public lands. A failed dock can limit access to an island. A public campground closure can require families to change their plans. Deteriorating roads can make a destination harder or less safe to reach. And when routine repairs are delayed, small problems grow into far more expensive ones.

The economic stakes are substantial. In 2024, Michigan’s national park sites recorded nearly 2.9 million recreation visits. Visitors spent $301 million in communities near the parks, supporting 3,090 jobs and generating nearly $435 million in statewide economic output. For many gateway communities, that activity sustains year-round livelihoods. That spending reaches restaurants, fuel stations, grocery stores, campgrounds, marinas, outfitters, and countless small businesses.

Congress has a bipartisan route forward. In June, committees in the Senate and House advanced legislation to renew the fund through fiscal year 2031, providing up to $1.9 billion annually while strengthening accountability and project selection.

Now Michigan’s congressional delegation should help get this legislation across the finish line. Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund is an investment in Michigan’s public lands, outdoor recreation, and local communities. Well-maintained public lands create safer trips, stronger gateway communities, and a more competitive outdoor economy.

At the end of that lakeshore day, a family should remember the dunes, the water, and the time together–not a site’s repair needs. The best infrastructure is often invisible. Its value is not. Congress should renew the Legacy Restoration Fund so Michigan’s outdoor memories–and the communities that help make them–can endure.

John Lindley is President & CEO of the Michigan Association of RVs & Campgrounds. Nicki Polan is Executive Director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association.