Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell:

We write to express our strong objection to the Department of the Interior’s recent decision to unilaterally end the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program. On January 19, the Department of the Interior and National Park Service released an order declaring that the department would divert funding from urban parks, blatantly disregarding congressional intent of the program.

ORLP grants are an important subset of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that are designed to provide crucial funding to urban areas that lack local access to parks. In the short time the program has been in existence, it has funded nearly 50 projects that built or upgraded green spaces in underinvested communities. In fact, the program received a historic $125 million for this fiscal year in the FY2021 Omnibus and COVID Relief and Response Act (P.L. 116-260).

Now, more than ever, the public is turning to the outdoors for the necessary emotional, physical and mental reprieve as a way to cope with immeasurable stress that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, over 82 million people across the country are unable to access a park within 10 minutes from their home, a crucial measure for positive health impacts.[1]  The quality and size of local parks also varies across communities. Research shows that parks in primarily non-white communities are half the size of parks in predominantly white communities, and five times more crowded.[2] ORLP was intended to directly address these social, economic and health inequities.

The Department of the Interior’s imprudent decision to unilaterally end the ORLP program directly contradicts the will of Congress and hurts vulnerable communities who most need green spaces.  In the final hours of the Trump administration, this secretarial order surreptitiously defies the will of elected officials who have funded this program at increasing amounts each year, and seriously disenfranchises urban communities across the country who were planning to apply for FY2021 ORLP grants.

We respectfully request that Congress permanently authorize the ORLP program to prevent such future regulatory manipulation like this from happening again. We are also urging the incoming Biden administration to immediately overturn this decision and restore the ORLP program to its original intent. Our collective goal is that all people have access to green spaces, especially in underinvested communities. Restoring and reinvesting in the ORLP program will allow the federal government to show its commitment to the goal of supporting and achieving equity in the outdoors. We look forward to working with Congress on this important issue.

Sincerely,

National Recreation and Park Association 92Blessings Abbate Designs LLC Akron Parks Collaborative Alliance for a Healthier Generation American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration American Council on Exercise American Forests American Heart Association American Hiking Society American Planning Association American Society of Landscape Architects American Trails Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Trail Conservancy Arizona Heritage Alliance Arizona Parks and Recreation Association Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Atlanta Downtown Improvement District Baldwin City Recreation Commission BBLA, Inc. Bernalillo County Community Health Council Big Reuse BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success) Brio2 Solutions Brown Girl Surf Buffalo Bayou Partnership Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront California Mountain Biking Coalition California Outdoor Recreation Partnership California Park & Recreation Society Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Champaign Park District Chicago Park District Children & Nature Network City of Greeley Culture, Parks and Recreation City of Lakewood, Colorado City of Las Vegas City of Pittsburg, KS Department of Parks and Recreation City of Wichita Park and Recreation Department City Parks Alliance Clemson University Climate for Health, ecoAmerica Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association Conservation Law Foundation Conservation Voters of South Carolina Continental Divide Trail Coalition David Brower Center Decatur Park District Derby Recreation Commission Drew Gardens E3 Washington Edgemere Coalition Community Garden Elite Soccer Environmental People of Color Environmental Professionals of Color Fight For Children Friends For Youth Friends of 4Parks Alliance, Inc Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park Friends of Dallas Parks Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Friends of the East River Esplanade (60th-120th Streets), Inc. Friends of the Public Garden Genesis Health Clubs Glenview Park District Great Basin Institute Great Rivers Greenway Green Map System Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Inc. Gulf Coast Youth Association Gurnee Park District Hispanic Access Foundation Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO) Hoosier Environmental Council Hunters Point Parks Conservancy Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District Illinois Association of Park Districts Indy Parks International Mountain Bicycling Association International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association IslandWood J Kardys Strategies, LLC KABOOM! Kansas City Parks and Recreation Latino Outdoors LeagueApps Lewis Latimer House Museum Lily Auchincloss Foundation Little League International Louisville Parks Foundation Maine Recreation and Park Association

Maryland Ornithological Society McHenry County Conservation District Merrell Merriam Parks and Recreation Missouri Park & Recreation Association Morris Township Parks & Recreation Dept. Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Musco Sports Lighting, LLC National Afterschool Association National Association for Olmsted Parks National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials National League of Cities National Parks Conservation Association National Wildlife Federation NC Recreation & Park Association New Jersey Conservation Foundation New Mexico Asian Family Center New Mexico Wild Newtown Creek Alliance NJ Audubon Oak Grove Youth Football Oregon Box Lacrosse Outdoor Afro Outdoor Asian Outdoor Industry Association Outdoor Outreach Parent-Child Relationship Association Inc. Park Pride Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota Parks and Recreation Department, City of Albuquerque Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society PeopleForBikes Portland Parks Conservancy Prevention Institute Prospect Recreation & Park District Randall's Island Park Alliance, Inc. REI Co-op Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity (RISE) Safe Routes Partnership San Diego Mountain Biking Association San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility San Jose Parks Foundation Seattle Parks Foundation SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators Sierra Club SM Watts Consulting, LLC South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association. Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association Sports & Fitness Industry Association Streamlabs Student Conservation Association Sustainable SITES Initiative TeamSnap, Inc. Tennessee Recreation & Parks Association Texas Children in Nature Texas Recreation and Park Society The Bikery The Conservation Fund The Corps Network The Mountain Pact The Mountaineers The Trust for Public Land The Venture Out Project ThinkCreate, LLC Trails and Open Space Coalition Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District U.S. Green Building Council U.S. Soccer Foundation United States Center for Coaching Excellence United States Conference of Mayors Urban Libraries Council Van Cortlandt Park Alliance Washington Association of Land Trusts Washington Recreation and Parks Association Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition Waterkeeper Alliance Watershed Science, LLC Well Being Trust WildCare of Western New York Wilderness Society Willamalane Park and Recreation District Willamette Partnership Wilmington Youth Rowing Association WT Group, LLC Accessibility Practice Young Women Empowered Youth Outside Youth Transportation Organization (Yoots)