National Park Service Director Chuck Sams Highlights Infrastructure Investments And Inclusive History-Telling During Visit To Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams visited Rocky Mountain National Park this week to see how the park is working to tell a more inclusive history and to announce $20 million in Fiscal Year 2022 investments from the Great American Outdoors Act and President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will increase fire resiliency and upgrade and modernize key park infrastructure needed to support growing visitation. Sams also met with employee groups to hear directly from them on how he can best support them in Washington. 

During the visit, Director Sams announced the NPS has awarded a $19.9 million contract funded by the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund to rehabilitate water, wastewater, and electrical distribution systems and improve accessibility, address fire risk, and modernize the Moraine Park Campground. This project will also relocate electric powerlines in the campground underground to reduce system damage caused by snow, wind, falling tree branches, electrical hazards or wildfire and will add electrical hook-ups to approximately 25% of the campsites. Additionally, there will be improvements to the ranger station, entrance kiosk, accessibility and drainage in the campground. 

He also celebrated a Fiscal Year 2022 investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Rocky Mountain National Park. Fuel treatment projects, including at Deer Mountain, will build on the park’s prior fuel reduction work and further reduce the risk of catastrophic fires fueled by climate change. This is part of the $103 million investment announced by the Department for wildfire risk reduction efforts throughout the country. 

Read more from the National Park Service's website here.