It’s official! Vicki Christiansen was sworn in as U.S. Forest Service Chief by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday, October 11. Ms. Christiansen served as Interim Chief from March 8 – October 10, 2018. Prior to then, she served as Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry where she was responsible for oversight of Fire…
The outdoor recreation industry is good for the economy. On September 20, it was made official with the release of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) first-ever final Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) report. The release of the data is a significant milestone, and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable has been busy advancing the organization’s…
The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee September 27 unanimously approved H.R.5158 – which directs the Secretary of Transportation to reopen the nomination process for National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. The bill – introduced by U.S. Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ted Poe (R-TX) – was revised through an amendment offered by…
Be sure to give back to your public lands and waters this coming Saturday, September 22 – the 25th annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD)! Coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation and nationally sponsored by Toyota Motor North America, NPLD is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands and waters. On Saturday, nearly 200,000 volunteers will plant…
Report Formally Recognizes Outdoor Recreation Among Nation’s Largest Sectors Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Helps Brief Capitol Hill on Outdoor Recreation Economy – Photo Credit: Risdon Photography Washington, D.C. (September 20, 2018) – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) today welcomed the final report on the first-ever government statistics recognizing the outdoor recreation industry as a significant…
Repairing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is essential to keeping travel and tourism booming. That’s the message in a featured article in Travel Weekly, a leading travel industry publication. U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow sounded the alarm, saying that travel will stall if infrastructure needs are not met. “If we don’t, we’re locked We cannot…
While the outdoor recreation industry supports fair international trade policies and efforts to protect U.S. business interests in the global market, recent trade policy developments have threatened continued growth in this critical $734 billion industry. We understand the Administration’s efforts to safeguard U.S. intellectual property and balance unfair trade deficits, however recent tariffs have prompted…
Washington, D.C. (September 6, 2018) – Great Outdoors Month® 2018 was one of the most successful partner celebrations ever! Americans across the country – outdoor rookies and experts alike – decided to #EscapeTheIndoors this June and enjoy outdoor recreation on America’s public lands and waters. Government leaders at every level joined public and private partners…
KEY SUMMER SUCCESSES Great Outdoors Month ORR led the way during Great Outdoors Month, which included Kids to Parks™ Day, Bike Travel Weekend, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day, the Great Outdoors Day of Service, the Great American Campout and more. President Trump and all 50 governors proclaimed June 2018 Great Outdoors…
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. The 2017 National Park Service Visitor Spending…