The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) convened senior federal officials, bipartisan congressional leaders, and outdoor recreation stakeholders from across the country for a national webinar marking one year since the enactment of the EXPLORE Act—historic legislation designed to modernize outdoor recreation management and expand access to America’s public lands and waters.
The webinar, “EXPLORE Act: One-Year Anniversary,” brought together leadership from the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR), U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, alongside senior congressional staff who helped craft the law. The discussion focused on early implementation progress, lessons learned, and priorities for ensuring the law delivers meaningful, on-the-ground results in its second year.
“The EXPLORE Act was a major bipartisan achievement, strongly backed by ORR and the entire outdoor recreation industry,” said Jessica Turner, President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, who testified last week in a congressional oversight hearing on the EXPLORE Act. “One year in, the focus is rightly on implementation. Today’s conversation underscored both the progress agencies are making and the sustained leadership, coordination, and capacity needed to fully realize the law’s promise.”
Signed into law in January 2025, the EXPLORE Act provides agencies with new tools to modernize infrastructure, streamline permitting, improve data and reservation systems, enhance accessibility for people with disabilities and veterans, and strengthen gateway communities and rural economies tied to outdoor recreation. During the webinar, speakers shared updates on milestones achieved in the first year, including early advances in digital access tools, interagency coordination, and visitor experience improvements—while also addressing ongoing challenges related to staffing, legacy systems, and funding constraints.
The webinar featured remarks from federal leaders, including John Armor, Director, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; Gordon (Gordie) Blum, Associate Deputy Chief, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region; Stephan Nofield, Nation Park Service, Associate Director for Partnerships and Civic Engagement; Linh Phu, Division Chief, Visitor Services and Communication, National Wildlife Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and from Aniela Butler, Staff Director for the House Natural Resources Committee’s Federal Lands Subcommittee (Majority), and Brandon Bragato, Staff Director for the Federal Lands Subcommittee (Minority), highlighting the importance of continued bipartisan oversight and collaboration to keep implementation on track.
Moderated by Ambreen Tariq, ORR Senior Program Director, the agency roundtable and policy deep-dive discussions examined priorities for year two, including infrastructure modernization, permitting reform, data and technology interoperability, expanded recreation access across activities, and stronger partnerships with industry, nonprofits, and local communities.
“ORR and its members have been leaders in advancing the EXPLORE Act from concept to passage, and now into implementation,” Tariq added. “This first year shows what’s possible when Congress, agencies, industry, and communities work together—and it also makes clear that sustained attention is essential to ensure EXPLORE continues to deliver for the recreation economy and for all Americans.”