5 Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Summer Highlights

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable had a productive summer including working with Congress to address the deferred maintenance backlog on federal lands and participating in the first meeting of Interior Department’s “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. Check out these five summer highlights from ORR:

1. Meet the Federal Leaders in Outdoor Recreation – Who has hands on the wheel for decisions about America’s federal lands and waters, which hosted some 900 million recreation visits in 2017?  The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable invites you to find out more about these decision-makers with a new resource – a wiki-style listing that includes biographical and contact information for leaders at the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

2. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Releases Video Urging Action on Maintenance Backlog – It’s time to get serious about the maintenance backlog in America’s Great Outdoors.  That’s the message of a striking new video from the Department of the Interior.  The video was premiered at a Capitol Hill event hosted by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and featuring Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) July 31.

3. ORR Welcomes Outcomes from First Meeting of Interior’s Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) welcomed key outcomes from the inaugural meeting of the Interior Department’s “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. The committee discussed approaches that would allow more Americans to enjoy the nation’s great outdoors, and committee leaders were elected.  Among solutions addressed were the need for strategic public-private partnerships – a top ORR priority that will expand outdoor recreation access by improving everything from transportation to Wi-Fi access, campgrounds, lodging, boat ramps and restrooms, and better use of technology. These upgrades will significantly improve experiences for millions of visitors to America’s public lands and waterways in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

4. Zinke Proclaims “Recreation is Back,” Enlists New Advisory Committee to Help! – Secretary Ryan Zinke recently proclaimed that “Recreation is Back” in a video and is now enlisting a new “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee to assist that effort.  Its top recreation and tourism industry leaders will discuss innovative ways to help visitors access, enjoy and conserve our public lands and waters.

5. Ask Your Members of Congress to Help Restore America’s National Parks – America’s federal lands and waters face a daunting $18.62 billion backlog of deferred maintenance – resulting from years of inadequate attention to maintaining buildings, trails, roads and other infrastructure.  The problems caused by this backlog are felt daily, and the situation adversely impacts parks, visitors and surrounding communities.  Now, Congressional leaders are proposing solutions, including the United States Senate’s “Restore Our Parks Act” (S.3172) and the U.S. House of Representatives’ “Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act” (H.R. 6510).

To learn more about the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) click here!