Maintenance Action Teams

Duration:

2 minutes, 20 seconds

Learn about regionally-based Maintenance Action Teams tasked with tackling deferred maintenance projects funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and Legacy Restoration Fund.

Click on the image to open the fact sheet (504KB PDF)

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The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund provides the National Park Service with up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education and enjoyment for current and future visitors. 

GAOA primarily funds large multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects in national parks. However, a percentage supports regionally based Maintenance Action Teams (MAT) managed by the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC). MATs are composed of National Park Service staff who are trained in historic restoration and preservation work. They travel to national parks to perform smaller, but critical, maintenance rehabilitation and repair projects on historic structures. MATs enable the National Park Service to complete projects that require consistent high-quality work from skilled craftspeople at a time when fewer people are practicing traditional trades.

These teams focus on the maintenance and repair needs of small and medium-sized parks allowing National Park Service to achieve geographic distribution of projects throughout the country.

This cadre of experienced craftspeople, including masons and carpenters, enables the National Park Service to complete projects that require consistent high-quality work at a time when fewer people are practicing traditional trades. They play a crucial role in tackling deferred maintenance and repairs in national parks, including projects funded by GAOA, by providing in-house, cost-effective work on historic structures in national parks. The National Park Service is dedicating over $37 million from the Legacy Restoration Fund to complete more than 270 historic preservation activities throughout the country.

View a downloadable and printer-friendly fact sheet for an overview of MAT projects in the National Park Service. (504KB PDF)

Why are MAT activities important?

The teams focus on the maintenance and repair needs of small and medium-sized parks allowing the National Park Service to achieve geographic distribution of projects GAOA throughout the country. They also emphasize a particular focus on:

Preservation

• MAT projects are part of ongoing efforts by the National Park Service to preserve, restore, and rehabilitate park infrastructure and facilities.

• MAT activities restore and protect historic structures; remediate facilities in poor condition; reduce or eliminate deferred maintenance and repair; and reduce annual operating costs.

Partnerships & Legacy

• MAT activities are also excellent partnering opportunities. A primary objective of the MAT program is to strengthen relationships and enhance partnerships with targeted organizations so the National Park Service can increase the diversity of candidate pools for employment and internship opportunities. These organizations include public land corps, youth conservation corps, veterans’ groups, volunteers, and interns. The National Park Service is currently developing a strategy to facilitate project scoping for MAT projects that are specifically targeted toward successful integration of these organizations.

• Using MATs in close coordination with field-based maintenance and preservation professionals throughout the agency further leverage the skills of our experienced workforce to train and develop the next generation of National Park Service staff.

Find more information about MAT activities, including a sortable map.

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