One of Joe Biden's final acts as president will leave a lasting impact on outdoor recreation in Arizona and across the West.

State of play: The bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act is hailed as a first-of-its-kind effort to boost the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry by modernizing and improving public lands access.

• The measure, signed Jan. 4, won bipartisan support in both chambers and broke through the partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., with provisions to support hunting, fishing, climbing and other sports.
• Arizona's U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva and U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, (then a member of the House), were among the bill's 51 co-sponsors.

Why it matters: Arizona has 22 national parks, monuments and recreation areas, including the Grand Canyon, one of the most visited national parks in the U.S. and a source of great pride for the state.

• Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, said the EXPLORE Act will help get more people outdoors in Arizona's national parks, national forests and other public lands.

What they're saying: "Arizona is really blessed with an abundance of public lands. Outdoor recreation is important to our state, culturally and economically. And this act helps more people to have access to our beautiful state. What can be bad about that, right?" Bahr told Axios.

The intrigue: The modernization efforts include digital national park passes, broadband internet access at recreation sites and campgrounds, and better data collection about visitor numbers.

• Other provisions give more flexibility to guides and outfitters with permits to operate on federal lands and encourage the development of more accessible wilderness opportunities for children and those with disabilities.
• An Obama-era program that gave every fourth grader and their family free entry into federal lands was extended.

Explore the outdoors

Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company, is officially opening a $675 million coffee creamer manufacturing plant today in Glendale.

Why it matters: The project was heralded as a major economic development win when announced in 2022 — Arizona beat other states vying for the project, the Phoenix Business Journal reported — and is expected to create 300 jobs in the region.

Zoom in: The Glendale plant will produce several of Nestlé's creamer brands, including Coffee mate, natural bliss and Starbucks Coffee At Home.

• The facility will be one of the company's most "technologically advanced," Nestlé USA president of beverage Daniel Jhung told Axios via email.

The intrigue: Nestlé is going all in on at-home coffee customization, and the Glendale plant will significantly expand its capacity to do so, the company said.

• Per Nestlé's research, Americans (especially Generation Z) view home-brewed coffee as an affordable treat and are increasingly interested in personalizing their creations with syrups and creams.

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"Citizen scientists" in southern Arizona who have been documenting bat activity in their own yards helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bat Conservation International confirm the presence of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat in Arizona for the first time.

Why it matters: The discovery announced earlier this month proves that the bat species, which plays an important role in pollinating desert plants, has a further migration range than previously believed and will allow scientists to expand conservation efforts into Arizona, according to BCI.

The big picture: Bat aficionados in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico have been swabbing their hummingbird feeders and sending the samples to the "Species from Feces" lab at Northern Arizona University.

• When bats eat from the feeders, they leave traces of their DNA behind.
• The lab used the swabbed DNA to non-invasively confirm Mexican long-nosed bats had been eating from the feeders.

The intrigue: The bat is difficult to confirm visually because it looks similar to the lesser long-nosed bat, which has long been known to spend time in Arizona.

• Prior to NAU's DNA testing method, the only way to differentiate between the species was to capture and measure the bat's third finger, which could cause extreme stress for the animal.

Tell a bat lover

🎒 Republican state Rep. Matt Gress introduced legislation yesterday that would keep the Isaac Elementary School District open for the next two weeks. The cash-strapped district was placed into receivership after going over budget by millions of dollars. (AZcentral)

🛩 Peoria scrapped its plans for a possible airport in the northern part of the city. (Phoenix Business Journal)

🗳 Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has filed a statement of interest to run for attorney general. (KJZZ)

🎤 Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" will come to Footprint Center on July 12, her first concert in the Valley since 2018. (Phoenix New Times)

A growing South Korean bakery chain is now open in central Phoenix with a vast array of delicious and unique baked goods.

State of play: Paris Baguette, which already has locations in Mesa and Scottsdale, opened earlier this month at 5120 N. Central Ave., next to JINYA Ramen Bar.

Zoom in: Paris Baguette goes beyond the classics. Once you grab your tray and a pair of tongs, your head will be spinning from all the cakes, donuts, tarts, sweet and savory pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

Best bites: After wandering around and being indecisive, I settled on a pair of baked goods: a sweet potato pastry and a curry croquette.

• I've never had anything like the croquette. It was a warm, delicious glob of curry, potatoes and onions surrounded by a slightly chewy bread.
• The sweet potato pastry was a sugary, crunchy twist filled with custard cream.

Try a bite