Hurricane Idalia's charge across Florida on Wednesday prompted more than a dozen units of the National Park System to close in the face of forecasts calling for heavy rains, high winds, storm surges, and possibly tornadoes.

There are few outward signs that Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is tucked into the middle of Macon, Georgia, surrounded by residential and commercial development. My family and I nearly drove past the entrance as our heads moved from the phone directions to the road and back again. But as soon as we followed the signature national park signs, it felt like a curtain of greenery wrapped itself around our car. We could hear sounds of the city, but all we saw were shades of emerald.

Preserving historic battlefields, purchasing inholdings, acquiring wildlife habitat, and purchased water rights are among the National Park Service projects the Biden administration wants to tackle with nearly $57 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for Fiscal 2022.