The National Arboretum, long unjustly neglected, deserves a prominent place in the Fourth of July celebrations of 2026.

T he United States will mark 250 years of American independence on July 4, 2026. Across the country, celebrations will recall our nation’s history, rejoice in its triumphs, and look to what might be possible in our next quarter millennium of nationhood.

We are concluding a decade of acute negativity about America’s past and pessimism about its future. Our citizens want to put those times behind us and find ways to reclaim pride in America, to build and accomplish new things that can instill that pride in the hearts of the next generation.

The Trump administration seems to share these sentiments and appears keenly interested in maximizing this moment. The president himself knows he has only four years to execute on his agenda and seems committed to leaving everything out on the field. With this in mind, it’s noteworthy that one of his first actions in office was to sign an executive order establishing a White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday.

Among the order’s provisions is the reinstatement of an executive order from Trump’s first term in office, which would create “a statuary park named the National Garden of American Heroes” at a site identified by the secretary of the interior. This park would contain 250 statues depicting American heroes from the nation’s founding to the present who come from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

I would humbly suggest a perfect site for such a project at one of the most underrated places in the nation’s capital. The National Arboretum, located in the District of Columbia’s northeast quadrant, shocks first-time visitors, first due to its sheer size — more than 450 acres just a couple of miles from the Capitol building — and then because of its varied offerings. It is mostly forested, with hills overlooking the city and Anacostia River, and it possesses well-maintained gardens, old columns from the Capitol building, an impressive bonsai museum with trees maintained continuously for generations, and frequently nesting bald eagles.

Despite these appeals, the site remains underutilized and underappreciated. It lies on the other side of the Capitol from most tourist attractions, and the main entrance was closed decades ago due to crime in the city. Reopening it has been a top priority for D.C.’s nonvoting delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton. Even with the support of private donors and dozens of volunteers, much of the land remains underutilized and neglected compared with similar sites in the U.S. and abroad.

These facts got the attention of the Chinese government, which in 2017 pledged $100 million to transform the site in order to leave a lasting mark on America’s capital, similar to Japan’s gift of cherry blossom trees more than a century ago. However, China’s plan faltered due to then-President Trump’s efforts to hamper the Chinese Communist Party, as well as an FBI investigation that turned up evidence that the Chinese might use the site to install surveillance equipment.

Now, President Trump, a former real estate developer, has the opportunity to transform this site in a much more patriotic and productive way. Beyond coinciding with the semiquincentennial celebration, developing the arboretum would complement the recently approved plans to build a new NFL stadium and other works at the neighboring RFK Stadium site. It would also align with the president’s goal to “beautify public spaces” managed by the federal government and his efforts to work with the D.C. government to make the capital safer and more attractive.

In order to make the most of this opportunity, the president and Congress should take three additional steps: First, the Arboretum should become a national park. Currently, it is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, even though adjoining sites such as Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens are managed by the National Park Service within the U.S. Department of the Interior. Merging management of these sites would create efficiencies and attract more visitors to each. Interior should also explore whether access to both sites by water (via the nearby Anacostia) is possible, which would make them more available to visitors from the National Mall and other sites.

Next, management of the National Park Service in the D.C. area must be overhauled. At many existing sites, sidewalks are crumbling, weeds grow rampant, and park benches wait years to be repaired. Some will complain of a lack of money, and some dedicated funding will likely be needed for this new project, but as DOGE has shown in other areas, a reduction in waste will often free up funding for the most essential functions.

Finally, giving this underutilized site its proper due provides an opportunity to finally give needed recognition to one of America’s most unsung heroes. Norman Borlaug was born in 1914 in Cresco, Iowa. He became an agronomist who ultimately launched the Green Revolution, which many credit with saving the lives of 1 billion people from starvation. He worked in forgotten places to share better seeds and farming practices, at times breeding thousands of plants by hand to find the ones that would work best. He is a symbol of how innovation and optimism, rather than fearmongering and government control, can save humanity and move it forward.

Although Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize, Congressional Gold Medal, and Presidential Medal of Freedom, few Americans learn about him in school, and very few sites bear his name. President Trump wisely included Borlaug in his “American Heroes” executive order. He should name the Arboretum, which still conducts scientific research into plants, after him, too.

Symbols matter, and so does American optimism. That is why our nation should mark its 250th birthday by giving future visitors to our nation’s capital the gift of a beautiful site named after an American saint and an opportunity to be inspired by its many heroes.