Outdoor Recreation Roundtable

NEW: The Western Governors' Association and the 19 states and 3 territories they represent just released a letter throwing their support behind the EXPLORE Act to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate ENR Chairman Joe Manchin, and Senate ENR Ranking Member John Barrasso. From the letter: "The West's world-class outdoor recreation destinations draw increasing numbers of visitors each year. However, these areas need support, infrastructure, and tools to manage increasing levels of recreation while maintaining these resources for the enjoyment of all, and for future generations. We urge the Senate to pass comprehensive outdoor recreation legislation to address these challenges."

📈 ⛰ 🛥 Research is clear: Outdoor recreation drives national, state, and local economies! Our mailbox is bursting with new economic impact statistics from National Park Service showing that last year broke records nationwide. Here are some of the headlines that caught our eye: - "Utah’s national parks brought $1.9B in 2023," KUER - "Lake Mead Gives Nevada $358 Million Boost," Newsweek - "Tourism to Haleakalā National Park contributes $72.1 million to local economy", Maui Now - "Report finds visitors spent $716M in Montana communities near NPS sites in 2023", Daily Montanan - "Visitors to Acadia National Park spent $475M last year in gateway regions, report shows," Spectrum News

🌊 🌲 ⛷ How can outdoor recreation infrastructure play an important role in climate resilience? TODAY at 3 PM EST, ORR's Senior Vice President Whitney Potter Schwartz is speaking on a Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals webinar alongside other outdoor recreation policy and industry experts who are working to ensure that outdoor recreation infrastructure supports proactive solutions and disaster response and recovery, and that access to outdoor recreation remains a priority for public lands agencies in the face of a changing climate. Make sure to register here: https://lnkd.in/gBTSVx7i

🎉 NEW GRANTEES: We're awarding five rural communities – from New England and the mid-Atlantic to Appalachia and Alaska – new implementation grants to carry out their Recreation Economy for Rural Communities plans. These grants are made possible thanks to the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The 2024 awardees are: - Beverly, Ohio (install lighting in its marina and bike trail facilities to promote greater accessibility) - Claremont, New Hampshire (fund a design study for a pedestrian path connecting Wall Street in downtown Claremont to the existing rail trail bridge along the south side of the Sugar River) - Giles County, Virginia (provide signage and interior graphics to the Giles Trail Center) - Haines, Alaska (create a Community Outdoor Initiative to experience various outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, birdwatching, packrafting, kayaking, and camping) - Poultney, Vermont (create redevelopment scenarios and conceptual architectural renderings for a new outdoor recreation hub) Thanks to the leadership at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USDA Forest Service, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) who make this program possible! Stephanie Bertaina Cora Gnegy Sarah Pelkey Cindy Zuluaga Jimenez Justin Martin Read more about this year's grantees here: https://lnkd.in/gs7Tq39v

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cassie Elrod as its new Program and Administrative Director. Elrod brings a wealth of experience in the outdoor recreation industry, legal expertise, and a deep passion for sustainability and outdoor recreation policy to the ORR team.    “We are incredibly excited to welcome Cassie to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. Her unique blend of legal expertise, project management skills, and passion for the outdoors will be invaluable as we continue to advocate for policies that enhance outdoor recreation opportunities across the nation. We look forward to the fresh insights and innovative approaches she will bring to our organization,” said Jessica (Wahl) Turner, President of ORR.   Elrod joins ORR from Outside Interactive, Inc., where she served as Commercial Counsel. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in project management and legal support for the inaugural Outside Festival in June 2024. Her extensive experience in the outdoor recreation industry includes providing legal risk analysis and business expertise across various business streams, negotiating commercial agreements, and managing the intellectual property portfolio for over ten brands. Please join us in welcoming Cassie!

🏕 Rural recreation leaders, this is for you! The third cohort of the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program is NOW OPEN for applications until October 16. RERC provides a year of technical assistance to rural communities seeking to grow their outdoor recreation economies. To celebrate the announcement of the new cohort, we're pleased to share new impact stories from the five RERC communities ORR granted last year to implement their RERC action plans, with the support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation and The VF Foundation. Stephanie Bertaina

We're proud to announce a new event to help sustain the outdoor recreation economy: the National Leadership Forum on Rural Economic Development through Outdoor Recreation. This invite-only event, presented in partnership with PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship and Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation, will convene 50+ national presidents, CEOs, and other leaders in economic development, outdoor recreation, and conservation to discuss the critical role of outdoor recreation in rural economic development, community identity, jobs, and resilience. Emmy-nominated, renowned storyteller, and New York Times bestselling author Baratunde Thurston (host of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston) will keynote the event. Ta Enos Nathan Reigner Read more: https://lnkd.in/drnF55ph

NEW RESOURCE: Over the past year, governors have been creating state offices of outdoor recreation every few months—it's hard to keep up! That's why we put together this new resource with Confluence of States to help outline ways to make an office of outdoor recreation in your own state. Here's "Pathways and Structures for State Offices of Outdoor Recreation," generously supported by The VF Foundation, REI, and Outdoor Industry Association: https://lnkd.in/gX4fX7cr

🚵🏻♂️🌵🏕️ Rural Recreation Development in Action: Communities across New Mexico are utilizing ORR's acclaimed Rural Development Toolkit to integrate outdoor recreation into their economic development priorities. James Glover, partner of Santa Fe-based Once a Day Marketing LLC, brings the Toolkit with him to help rural communities in New Mexico struggling to find viable economic development solutions to create new jobs and keep young people gainfully employed in town. "Prior to the release of the ORR Toolkit, we were blazing unknown trails as to identifying the best ways for communities to grow and expand their outdoor recreation economies," said Glover. "Now with the ORR Toolkit, we have 12 best practices to review and assess with each community and a common language to share with community leaders, making it easy to score how well a community is doing and prioritize future direction and resources." Read more about Glover's impressive work in the Gallup Sun: https://lnkd.in/gEUP8MpK

Outdoor entrepreneurship runs through Arkansas! The University of Arkansas Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) just announced seven new outdoor recreation startups that will receive workshop training, team mentoring, and dedicated business development consulting to help them scale. From a new campfire starter and firearm training technology to bike repair and modular storage, this cohort represents the best and brightest in outdoor innovation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gGcWqS7P Katherine Andrews Zoe Buonaiuto, Ph.D. Windy Elstermeier Phil Shellhammer