Implementation Status

The EXPLORE Act became law on January 4, 2025. Implementation is underway across BLM, with the strongest momentum in accessibility, permitting, and visitor information systems.

Secretary’s Order 3435

Issued June 25, 2025, by Secretary Doug Burgum. Established DOI’s framework for implementing the EXPLORE Act, ensuring “strong internal management and timely compliance, meaningful stakeholder engagement and private sector coordination.”

Direct implementation milestones

Milestone	Date	Section
Digital America the Beautiful passes launched via Recreation.gov	January 1, 2026	Section 322
RAPTOR system Phase I went live (electronic SRP applications)	February 2, 2026	Title III
New categorical exclusions adopted for SRP processing	January 2026	Section 312
BLM completed nationwide shooting range inventory	September 2025	Section 123
Good Neighbor Authority recreation guidance under development	Ongoing	Section 351
Accessible recreation opportunities identification underway	Ongoing	Sections 214–215

Thomas Heinlein, Acting Utah State Director for BLM, testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on January 21, 2026, at a hearing titled “EXPLORE America250 — Celebrating One Year of the EXPLORE Act.”

Early investment and staffing

• BLM collaborated with the Foundation for America’s Public Lands on 10 recreation and access projects across Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — totaling $1 million in direct investments and $4 million in matching funds
• BLM expanded staff, formed a dedicated EXPLORE “core team,” and began developing field-office guidance
• FY2026 budget justification explicitly references Title III permitting improvements
• BLM recorded more than 80 million recreation visits in FY2024

Accessibility rollout — strongest early momentum

BLM’s accessibility implementation is the most visible and active:

• Enhanced accessibility descriptions added to more than 100 recreation sites
• Photos assembled for 76+ sites with accessibility features
• Second phase launched in Utah, updating nearly 25 Visit pages
• State-by-state accessibility stories published, tied explicitly to the EXPLORE Act
• Highlights include Phoenix District’s accessible shooting sites, Uncompahgre Field Office’s adaptive bike trail, and Idaho’s adaptive-ready trails

This accessibility focus is significant for disc golf advocacy. Proposals that frame disc golf as accessible recreation align with where BLM is already investing attention and resources.

Field-office level activity

• Northern California RAC (May 2025): BLM examining each EXPLORE Act subsection, identifying policy and regulatory changes, developing implementation guidance and timelines
• Applegate Field Office: Increased work developing recreation trails; approved Barnes Grade Recreation Area including a 9-hole disc golf course
• Eagle Lake: Recreation accomplishments reported
• Redding: Campground openings, recreation accomplishments, planning, and outreach

Implementation challenges

Winter Wildlands Alliance noted in January 2026 that “implementation is contingent on having land management agencies like the Forest Service, National Park Service, and BLM staffed and funded.” Ongoing federal workforce reductions have slowed timelines. BLM acknowledged “unanticipated challenges or growing pains” with new systems.

Bottom line for disc golf

The strongest documented EXPLORE Act implementation so far is in system and policy infrastructure — permits, accessibility, data, and passes. Meanwhile, the strongest disc-golf-specific evidence is that BLM already manages disc golf courses, publicly categorizes disc golf as a recreation use, and has at least one recent field-office disc golf development decision on the books (Barnes Grade, September 2025).

The window is open. The question is whether disc golf organizations show up with credible proposals while implementation is still being shaped.