The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) celebrates President Biden signing into law, the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act this weekend, a groundbreaking bipartisan achievement that cements the outdoor recreation industry as a cornerstone of America’s economy and quality of life. Jessica Wahl Turner, President of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR): “The EXPLORE Act will…
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) applauds the House and Senate passage of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which includes language reauthorizing the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the first time in two decades. This landmark legislation not only modernizes EDA’s authority to strengthen local economies, but also acknowledges the significance of…
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) announced its second annual rankings of state outdoor recreation economies based on the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). These rankings highlight top states in categories such as overall economic size, growth in gross domestic product from outdoor recreation, compensation growth, and job growth. With new data published in this year’s BEA release dating back to 2012, the rankings also…
WASHINGTON – Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior when he takes office next year: “Earlier this year, ORR was proud to support Governor Burgum in announcing North Dakota as the 22nd state…
Washington, D.C. — Spearheaded by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), 312 businesses and organizations across the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation economy, called on Congress in a letter today to pass the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act before the end of the year. The bipartisan EXPLORE Act, which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) released the following statement on the election results, highlighting the unique power of the outdoors, and unveils new policy priorities for 2025. “The outdoors has a unique and powerful way of bringing people together – across states, communities, and political affiliations – offering a meaningful space to connect,…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) celebrated today’s announcement by Arizona State Parks & Trails to establish a full-time program administrator for the Arizona Office of Outdoor Recreation. Arizona’s office—the 24th of its kind nationwide—will help bolster the Grand Canyon State’s efforts to utilize outdoor recreation as a tool for quality of life, public…
Pittsburgh, PA – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), in collaboration with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation, hosted its inaugural National Leadership Forum on Rural Development through Outdoor Recreation. The event brought together 70 national leaders in economic development, outdoor recreation, and conservation…
Washington, D.C. – Today, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) hosted a critical virtual briefing (recording available here), gathering industry leaders to discuss the impacts of U.S. trade policy on the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation economy. This event comes as trade uncertainties pose increasing challenges to one of the most vital sectors of the American economy, which…
Washington, D.C. — Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) President Jessica Wahl Turner issued the following statement celebrating the 60th anniversary of one of the country’s most successful conservation and recreation programs: “When legislation to create the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was signed into law 60 years ago, it was unimaginable the extent to which this program would…