As we celebrate our 250th birthday, let’s protect our national wonders

In the Declaration of Independence, our country’s founders made “the pursuit of happiness” one of our bedrock principles. As we celebrate our 250th birthday, it feels relevant to ask: What makes us happy today?

If there’s one thing that brings Minnesotans happiness, it’s our great outdoors. Anyone who has spent time in Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or the North Shore will know that feeling. And we aren’t alone in looking to the great outdoors to lift our spirits. Eighty-four percent of Americans say they love or like spending time in nature, with 71% associating nature with relaxation and calm, 49% with joy and 41% with gratitude.

That’s why Minnesota’s congressional delegation would be right to support The Great American Outdoors Act 250, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Arkansas. This legislation would continue the Legacy Restoration Fund, which has helped tackle the backlog of repair and maintenance projects in our national parks, wildlife refuges, forest service lands, Bureau of Indian Education schools and Bureau of Land Management lands. I can’t think of a better birthday present Congress could give to our nation than by passing this bill.

In Minnesota, the Legacy Restoration Fund has paid for improvements to the visitor center at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, as well as infrastructure repairs to levees, water control structures and storage buildings. In Voyageurs National Park, the fund has paid for essential power upgrades at the beautiful Kettle Falls Hotel, the only lodging in the park, and repairs to vital roads that allow visitors to explore the park.

Throughout America’s history, when our country was far less wealthy than it is today, our leaders have acted to protect, maintain and invest in our natural spaces. It would be beyond ironic if in 2026, when true economic scarcity is largely a thing of the past, they would fail to invest in our great outdoors.

President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Antiquities Act in 1906 (allowing presidents to protect lands or waters under federal jurisdiction); created the U.S. Forest Service; and protected approximately 230 million acres of public land. Between 1933 and 1942, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps planted more than 3 billion trees. And over the last 250 years, many state and local leaders, nonprofit groups and private philanthropists have all played an important role in protecting the special places where Americans can explore the great outdoors.

Speaking at the Grand Canyon in 1903, Teddy Roosevelt warned against actions that, “treat any part of our country as something to be skinned for two or three years for the use of the present generation, whether it is the forest, the water, the scenery.” Instead, Roosevelt urged, “handle it so that your children’s children will get the benefit of it.”

Unfortunately, Congress has already failed to heed Roosevelt’s wise advice by voting to end the 20-year moratorium on copper mining near the Boundary Waters. Hopefully, they won’t now add insult to injury by failing to support the Great American Outdoors Act 250, thereby cutting off essential maintenance funding for our natural spaces.

In 1909, Roosevelt formally established the Superior National Forest, which contains the Boundary Waters.

Today there are profound questions we need to ask: Aren’t our lives so much richer when we can access the wonders of nature, from forests filled with birdsong to peaceful, pristine lakes and wild rivers? And if so, shouldn’t we ensure we invest in and protect those spaces for ourselves and future generations? How we answer these questions will shape how Americans pursue happiness tomorrow as well as 250 years from now.

Minnesota’s U.S. House representatives would be fostering our happiness by co-sponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act 250. Minnesota is a beautiful state. America is a beautiful country. Let’s keep it that way.