STANDING AT THE TURNING POINT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, SCHUMER REVEALS VITAL HISTORIC FUND, WHICH HAS DELIVERED $6+ MILLION FOR THE SARATOGA BATTLEFIELD, JUST EXPIRED; SENATOR ANNOUNCES NEW LEGISLATION & LAUNCHES ALL-OUT PUSH TO RESTORE CRITICAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM TO ENSURE AMERICA’S HISTORY LIVES ON AS WE BEGIN AMERICA’S 250th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Battles Of Saratoga Marked America’s First Decisive Victory And Saratoga National Historic Park Is Heart Of NY’s Revolutionary War History – And For Years Benefited From Fed $$ To Enhance The Site As Key Economic Driver For Capital Region
As We Approach The 250th Anniversary Of Our Country, Schumer Says We Cannot Let This Fund Expire And Announces “America the Beautiful Act” To Bolster Historic Sites Like Saratoga Battlefield And Increase Funding To Preserve Our National Parks In Preparation For America’s Semi Quincentennial
Schumer: Restoring This Vital Fund Is Key To Protecting America’s History
Standing at the turning point of the American Revolution on the Saratoga Battlefield, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced he is pushing the America the Beautiful Act and launched his efforts to restore its critical Legacy Restoration Fund which has delivered over $6 million in vital funding to Saratoga National Historic Park. The restoration fund expired last month, and this new legislation would continue delivering vital resources to historic sites like the Saratoga Battlefield and increase funding to national parks & historic sites to ensure America’s history lives on as we approach the 250th anniversary of our great nation.
“The Battles of Saratoga were the turning point of the American Revolution, our first decisive victory in the fight for independence. With America’s 250th anniversary rapidly approaching, it is more important than ever to preserve America’s rich cultural heritage. I was proud to help establish the Legacy Restoration Fund which has delivered over $6 million for critical repairs across Saratoga National Historic Park, but that program just ran out of funding this past month, which takes away a vital resource for preserving historic sites and our patriotic history just as we ready for America’s semi quincentennial,” said Senator Schumer. “That is why I am here to announce I am pushing the America the Beautiful Act to not only restore this program that Saratoga relies on, but increase funding to protect our lands, address years of backlogs at our national parks, and preserve America’s rich history. We must ensure America’s history lives on for the next generation and the Capital Region continues to have the funds to support this site as a major regional economic driver.”
The Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) has delivered nearly $2 billion for vital National Park upgrades to infrastructure such as bridges and roads, but more resources are needed to address the significant backlog of deferred maintenance at National Parks across the country. With America’s semi quincentennial celebrations just weeks away, Schumer said passing this legislation and ensuring the continuation of the LRF is key to boosting historic sites like Saratoga Battlefield, preserving America’s history, and improving parks which are significant tourism drivers.
The Saratoga Battlefield is a key part of New York’s rich cultural history, and the Battles of Saratoga in 1777 in which British forces were forced to surrender were the turning point of the American Revolution. It was America’s first decisive victory and convinced France to join the war as an American ally. In addition, the Saratoga250 Commission, Saratoga’s commission tasked with honoring America’s semi quincentennial, is preparing for the Knox Trail 250 in the coming weeks, a program honoring the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox’s historic journey carrying the heavy cannon from Fort Ticonderoga south beside the Hudson River, past what would later become the Saratoga Battlefield to Albany, and east to Boston. This will be the first semi quincentennial event in New York State.
The Legacy Restoration Fund has already delivered $6.6 million to improve the main tour road, pathway and interpretive signs throughout the Saratoga Battlefield. However, there is still a $14 million maintenance backlog at the Saratoga National Historic Park. After establishing the LRF in 2020 through the Great American Outdoors Act, Schumer and colleagues’ America the Beautiful Act would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund through 2033 and increase its funding to $2 billion per year to help address the deferred maintenance backlog in national parks and public lands. There is currently a more than $23 billion deferred maintenance backlog at sites throughout the National Park System.
Schumer said extending the Legacy Restoration Fund is key to making much needed upgrades at historic sites like the Saratoga Battlefield across the country to increase local tourism. In the Capital Region, the Saratoga Battlefield is one of the region’s most significant economic drivers and upgrading facilities at the Saratoga Battlefield will help promote New York as the heart of Revolutionary tourism in preparation for America’s semi quincentennial. Every year, Saratoga National Historic Park welcomes more than 100,000 visitors and sees an economic output of $9 million.
In addition to fighting for more funding for repairs across the park, Schumer is also co-sponsoring legislation to rename the Saratoga National Historic Park to Saratoga National Battlefield Park.
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