Natural Resource and Environment Officials Meet with Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Members

On January 8, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) leaders and recreation company CEOs met with Secretary Sonny Perdue, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Jim Hubbard and other key officials at a meeting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The group noted the importance of national forests to many recreational activities, and highlighted the world-class experiences provided to anglers and skiers, hikers, climbers, campers, paddlers, boaters and motorized trail enthusiasts. The recreation leaders underscored the key role national forests play in rural economies across the country and the importance of key provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill that will allow rural economic development grants for recreation infrastructure in rural America.

The secretary said wildfire costs had impacted the department’s recent recreation efforts and thanked the recreation industry for its role in recent legislation that should control future fire costs at USDA and allow the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the recreation industry to achieve new recreation successes built around partnerships.

ORR participants referred to positive actions already underway at USDA, which are helpful to growing an industry that already accounts for 2.2 percent of the nation’s economy and supports 4.6 million jobs.  They emphasized the need for an improved recreation permitting process and urged expanded partnerships to improve access to, and enjoyment of, outdoor recreation on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. They described opportunities for immediate progress, including:

• Secretarial visits to sites demonstrating USDA partnerships supporting rural communities and the importance of broadband access in these gateway areas;
• Secretarial support for innovative USFS recreation efforts, which capitalize on private investments to expand and enhance recreation infrastructure, including campgrounds;
• Making the revamped recreation.gov website – and its potential for providing information on recreation opportunities – more visible;
• Overcoming the recreation permitting problems with electronic and simplified applications and timely processing;
• Eliminating the maintenance backlog on USFS lands, especially where it threatens recreational activity;
• Outreach to young Americans and expanded use of conservation corps;
• Learning from the shutdown; and more.

Participants in the meeting included ORR’s chairman and vice chairman, top corporate officials from Winnebago, Polaris, Forest Service permittees and national conservation organizations.