House Small Business Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee to hold important recreation hearings Outdoor recreation will be at the forefront of conversations on Capitol Hill next week. For the first time, the House Committee on Small Business will hold a hearing focused solely on outdoor recreation. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) and…
Signatories to Confluence Accords Reach a Historic 13 GEORGE, UTAH – Outdoor recreation leaders from Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia committed to advance the principles contained in the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence Accords, on behalf of their governors, at a signing ceremony today. That brings the total number of states to a historic…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly released economic data on the national and, for the first time ever, state levels reinforce what the outdoor recreation industry has long believed: Outdoor recreation is a powerful driver of national and local economies and it is growing faster than the U.S. economy as a whole. This is the second consecutive…
Note: This piece was first published in The Hill on September 9, 2019 By Jessica Wahl, Sandra Marra, Mary Ellen Sprenkel, Land Tawney and Kate Van Waes America’s public lands and waters are our nation’s most treasured resources, but they face a serious problem – a lack of federal investment that has led to $19.3…
The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced the launch of the Outdoor Recreation Learning Network – of which the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) is a founding sponsor – to help governors and their staff leverage their states’ unique natural, cultural and historical outdoor recreation resources to advance economic, workforce, health and environmental benefits. “ORR is…
Virginia joined a growing number of states that have embraced the importance of the outdoor industry by establishing an Office of Outdoor Recreation – drawing praise from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). Governor Ralph Northam unveiled the office at an event today in Roanoke, VA, which was attended by ORR and its members – including…
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable commends the joint efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), State of Maryland and Charles County for creating a new National Marine Sanctuary, the first in 19 years. National Marine Sanctuaries support important places for outdoor recreation activities like fishing, boating, paddling, diving and more. The proposed Mallows Bay-Potomac…
Congressional focus on recreation continued this week with the bipartisan introduction of the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act in both houses of Congress by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI). This widely supported legislation removes barriers to outdoor recreation, making it easier for all Americans…
Members of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) are making their case before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), describing just how proposed Section 301 tariffs will hurt the outdoor recreation industry and American consumers. Tom Cove (President and CEO, Sports and Fitness Industry Association), Glenn Hughes (President, American Sportfishing Association), Scott Schloegel (Senior…
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…