In a sweeping executive order signed just ahead of the July 4 holiday, President Trump launched the “Make America Beautiful Again Commission,” a high-level federal panel aimed at restoring the nation’s national parks, conserving natural resources, and reopening public lands to traditional uses such as hunting, fishing, and recreation.
The move marks a major initiative by the Trump administration to pair conservation efforts with economic growth and rural revitalization, while reversing what he called “years of mismanagement, regulatory overreach, and neglect” by prior administrations.
“Our public lands belong to the American people, not to the Washington bureaucracy,” President Trump stated. “We’re restoring access, rebuilding roads and trails, and making our country’s parks and outdoor spaces more beautiful and more open than ever before.”
The executive order, issued July 3, directs federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, to expand access to public lands, cut bureaucratic red tape, and encourage “voluntary, on-the-ground conservation efforts.” The effort aligns with his initiatives to Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
Locally, residents hope the order spurs the reopening of the mansion at the William Floyd Estate in Mastic, which has been closed for the last five years for renovation. Other federal assets on Long Island that could benefit from the action include the Fire Island National Seashore and Otis Pike High Dunes Wilderness Area, Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley, Elizabeth A. Morton Refuge in Sag Harbor, and the Seatuck land on the Great South Bay in Islip.
Citing more than $33 billion in deferred maintenance across the National Park Service and Forest Service, the order positions the new commission as a force for reform and coordination across departments. According to the White House, the outdoor recreation economy now generates $1.2 trillion in output and supports 5 million jobs—proof, the administration says, that conservation and economic growth “go hand in hand.”
The commission will be chaired by Secretary of the Interior Rick Manning, with Trump’s Assistant for Domestic Policy serving as executive director. It includes senior officials from the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House economic team.
The commission is tasked with developing actionable strategies to:
- Restore degraded parks and trails;
- Recover wildlife populations through cooperative programs, not federal mandates.
- Expand public access to lands for recreation, hunting, and fishing;
- Improve clean water availability and aquatic ecosystem health;
- Promote a wide range of outdoor activities — from boating and skiing to off-roading and birdwatching.
While environmental groups cautiously welcomed parts of the plan, some expressed concern about the emphasis on deregulation and expanded access. Critics warned that increasing recreation and development in sensitive areas could put fragile ecosystems at risk.
But Trump officials insisted the order reflects a pragmatic, balanced approach. “Too often, conservation has meant locking the American people out,” said a senior White House official involved in drafting the order. “This President believes you can protect the land and enjoy it, and that conservation works best when it’s done with local communities, not against them.”
President Trump’s latest move builds on his 2020 signing of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, which allocated billions toward deferred maintenance in national parks and permanently funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The new commission is expected to monitor and expand on that progress.
“This is a moment for all Americans to come together,” President Trump concluded. “Whether you’re a hunter in Montana, a hiker in the Adirondacks, or a family heading to Yellowstone, we want you to see a country that’s clean, open, and beautiful. We are making America beautiful again.”