The whitebark pine tree is a slow-growing pine with scraggly branches that grows natively in the mountain regions of Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and other federally protected parks and land. Climate change increases the daily average temperatures of these cool-weather parks, making these trees more susceptible to bugs such as the pine beetle. The whitebark pine is now a threatened species on the Endangered Species list.

The $2.25 million from the Inflation Reduction Act will protect existing trees and restore whitebark pines where they once grew. This includes a seed-keeping project to plant more species resistant to blister rust disease.

A significant issue found at Dry Tortugas National Park, the Virgin Islands National Park, and four other national parks that manage coral reefs is stony coral tissue loss disease. This disease can infect and kill an entire colony of coral in just three weeks.

A $5.3 million project funded through the Inflation Reduction Act mitigates the loss of coral infected by the disease. The treatment is a paste full of amoxicillin—the same antibiotic humans use to treat pneumonia. This amoxicillin paste stops the disease from spreading and can save up to 85% of an infected coral. Some national parks have created programs that allow volunteers to give infected coral this life-saving application.

Driving on the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway gives riders a parallel view of the nearly 2,900 miles of clear water streams that flow through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Many people also visit the country's most visited national park to fish for wild trout, but climate change is warming the temperatures of the streams, which alters the species of fish that can survive in the water over time, according to Lord.

These changes affect not only the natural environment but also the outdoor recreation economy built around cold-water fishing in the area. The Inflation Reduction Act includes a $1.84 million project to study the effects of warming streams in the Smoky Mountains and three other parks.

"Unlike wildlife or a tree species which can move over time, cultural resources, whether or not that's a lighthouse or a home or an important structure, they are locked on the landscape," Lord said. He notes that NPS is working to figure out what to do about the increased risk of flooding along rivers or increased sea levels near the shores in places with buildings of national importance. A total of $21.6 million is earmarked for projects that would help make these places of cultural importance more resilient.

One $2.5 million project provides care to Alaskan communities and parks. According to the NPS, Alaska has seven out of the 10 largest parks in the system, including Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Gates of the Arctic.

Parks in Alaska altogether make up 65% of all national parkland. At the same time, Alaska is home to hundreds of Indigenous communities caring for an environment that is warming twice as fast as the global average, making these funds critical for the future.

Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn.