Confluence of States Releases Guidebook for Outdoor Offices

The Confluence of States released the first-ever Guidebook on Developing Offices of Outdoor Recreation. This guidebook provides best practices and strategies sourced from existing state directors to ensure that new staff members who are in leadership of an office of outdoor recreation have an overview of proven ideas to help their office succeed. The guidebook will also support directors of current state offices of outdoor recreation, of which there are now 18 across the United States. 

Over the past few years, there has been an unprecedented interest in outdoor recreation. U.S. federal data show that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for $862 billion in gross economic output, 1.9 percent of gross domestic product, and 4.5 million jobs in 2021. From 2020 to 2021, the outdoor recreation economy grew nearly 19%, over three times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole. States are seizing the moment by creating offices of outdoor recreation to cultivate economic development opportunities, improve public health benefits, connect people to the outdoors, and invest in their residents. 

As the guidebook notes, Offices of Outdoor Recreation are created through legislation, budget line item, executive order, or gubernatorial action. They are often developed with the support of stakeholders, business leaders, government, and non-profit partnerships. While every state office of outdoor recreation follows a unique path depending on its role in state government and founding mandate, this guidebook will help new leaders map out their first-year goals and priorities. 

The guidebook is presented in the following sections: 

• Operationalizing the Office – understanding the context of one’s office and developing goals. 

• Building Support – developing relationships with stakeholders and creating a plan for meaningful engagement. 
• Priority Initiatives – providing an overview of common priorities including conservation and natural resources, economic development, grant management, and tourism. 

Additional resources include a glossary of common language, a 1-year template, and an appendix of helpful tools and links. Members of the Confluence of States are highlighted throughout the guidebook to provide words of advice and encouragement as new leaders start organizing their offices for the first time. 

The Confluence of States will host a webinar to debut the new guidebook on March 9th, 2023, at 2 PM EST. The webinar, titled State Offices of Outdoor Recreation: Introducing the Guidebook on Best Practices and a Conversation for Getting Started, will feature Maribel Castañeda, author of the guidebook and Fellow for the Confluence of States, who will present the new playbook and moderate a panel of current state directors of outdoor recreation to discuss best practices for success in operating a new office. Register here. 

The Confluence of States is a bipartisan coalition developing a national platform to grow the outdoor recreation industry, protect our nation’s wild places, and transform conservation into a driver for economic prosperity.