Author Archives: ORR

ORR Executive Director Jessica Wahl Testifies Before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

ORR testified on Capitol Hill this week. Executive Director Jessica Wahl was invited to testify on the deferred maintenance backlog and potential solutions by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This hearing represented an extraordinary bipartisan opportunity to explore how we can improve recreation infrastructure essential to outdoor pursuits on our public lands and waters. While visitation to…

U.S. Senate Unanimously Declares June 2019 Great Outdoors Month

The United States Senate unanimously approved S. Res. 239, designating June as Great Outdoors Month.  The resolution action was led once again by U.S. Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who led parallel efforts in 2017 and 2018.  The full list of Senators leading this effort, literally spanning the nation from Maine to Hawai’i and appropriately…

President Proclaims June 2019 Great Outdoors Month

GREAT OUTDOORS MONTH, 2019 A PROCLAMATION Each year, millions of Americans step into our Nation’s vast and wondrous outdoors. There, they experience the miracles of creation: expansive forests, towering mountains, winding canyons, pristine waters, imposing glaciers, and soaring landscapes. These natural marvels offer limitless opportunity to experience nature and to consider the profound. During Great…

SOAR Act Introduced in Congress

Bill would simplify permitting processes for outdoor guides and outfitters Americans’ ability to participate in outdoor recreation on our public lands and waters took a major step forward this week with the introduction of the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act by Senators Martin Heinrich (D, NM) and Shelley Moore Capito (R, WV). This…

Understanding Outdoor Recreation’s Important Role in the Infrastructure Debate

by Thom Dammrich – Chair, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable & President, National Marine Manufacturers Association When someone mentions infrastructure, the first images that immediately come to mind are typically roads and bridges. However, for many people across the country, infrastructure is much more than that – especially for our nation’s recreational boaters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.…

A New Force on Capitol Hill? – Soundings Trade Only Today

Read the original article here. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable has already scored a series of wins in 2019, something not many groups in Washington, D.C., can claim in today’s polarized political climate. A historic natural resources bill, passed in February, contains big wins for the recreational fishing and larger outdoor recreation communities, including permanent reauthorizations…

Outdoor Recreation Industry Welcomes the 116th Congress, Celebrates Early Wins

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) hosted a reception for the 116th Congress and celebrated the monumental steps its members have already taken to grow the outdoor recreation economy and provide access to America’s great outdoors. At the event, more than 100 recreation industry leaders applauded the bipartisan and bicameral passage of S. 47 – the…

Outdoor Recreation Industries Praise Senate Passage of Natural Resources Management Act

Public Lands Package will help grow recreation economy for years to come The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) – the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations – strongly supports the recent passage of the Natural Resources Management Act (S.47) in the U.S. Senate. This bipartisan legislation takes great strides in protecting our public lands and…

Meet Key Congressional Leaders in Outdoor Recreation – January 2019

Congressional leadership is key to ensuring Americans have continued access to high-quality experiences on federally-managed lands and waters – nearly one-third of our nation’s surface. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee are responsible for statutes and overseeing policies that govern federal lands and waters managed by agencies including…

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Proposes Steps to Insulate America’s Great Outdoors From Future Shutdowns

The federal shutdown has impacted federal workers, businesses and nonprofits, communities, and countless American families.  And this much is clear: the shutdown caused serious problems for outdoor recreation.  Now that a short-term deal has been reached, federally managed public lands and waters will return to normal operations.  But the recreation industry urges Congress and the…