Outdoor Recreation in America

On March 8th, the ARC Board of Directors hosted members of the recreation community for a National Policy Brainstorming Session on the future of recreation, focusing on the development of a Blueprint for Getting Americans Active Outdoors. That blueprint will serve as an idea bank for candidates for office in 2016 and the transition teams that will be set up in Washington, D.C. and in numerous state capitals after the November elections.

The session was led by National Marine Manufacturers Association President Thom Dammrich and Recreation Vehicle Industry Association President Frank Hugelmeyer. These recreation community leaders led the American Recreation Coalition board as it heard from organizations ranging from The Corps Network to the Federal Recreation Council, from Active Network to the National Wildlife Federation as well as newcomer the Archery Trade Association. They championed the development of a new “idea bank” to share with national leaders and efforts by recreation interests to select a handful of important efforts which would benefit all recreation interests.

June is a special time to celebrate America’s Great Outdoors. National leaders for years have issued proclamations recognizing this month as Great Outdoors Month, a time when America celebrates its natural treasures. This recognition highlights the benefits of active fun outdoors in our magnificent shared resources of forests, parks, refuges, and other public lands and waters. Proclamations generate widespread media attention, encouraging millions of American families to move outside, and prompting public discussion of important issues linked to outdoor recreation, including volunteerism, health, and outdoor ethics.

In 1993, a large group of outdoor recreation community leaders from the private sector presented several relatively simple ways the newly-elected Clinton Administration could move forward on natural resource conservation and the promotion of outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands. Their recommendations - dubbed "Outdoor Recreation in America: An Agenda for the Clinton-Gore Administration" - detailed 12 programs the administration could use to enhance outdoor recreation in America:

Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2016) - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon received the 2015 Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Awards at a ceremony in Jefferson City, Missouri on January 28. Recreation leaders from the private and public sectors joined the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) and The Coleman Company as Governor Nixon received the recreation community's most prestigious award. Governor Nixon shares the 2015 award with Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, who was recognized in Cheyenne on December 9.

Washington, D.C. (January 12, 2016) – Outdoor recreation community leaders from the public and private sectors will come together to discuss new ideas and ways forward for America’s Great Outdoors at Partners Outdoors 2016 in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of the Interior June 1-2. The unique meeting has been designed by a consortium of federal, state and private entities coordinated by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC).

Planning for Partners Outdoors 2016 is in full swing. This year’s gathering – taking place June 1 and 2 – will reaffirm the recreation community’s continuing commitment to provide the public with exceptional outdoor recreation experiences today and tomorrow.

In this issue:

• Governors Matt Mead and Jay Nixon Receive 2015 Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award
• Wyoming Governor Matt Mead's Efforts to Champion Outdoors Benefit Wyoming Nonprofit
• Concessioners Urge Congressional Action to Help Park Visitors Have Great Experiences
• Recreation Community Scores Victory with Roads Bill
• Recreation Community Can Share Park Events and Experiences Via Find Your Park
• ARC to Hold Issues Briefing in March of 2016
• National and State Park Visitation Increases in 2015
• Partners Outdoors 2016 Planning Moves Forward
• FICOR Undergoes Name Change
• Join ARC in 2016!
• National Park Service Centennial Coin Designs Unveiled

In 1999 after a year of work, a panel of distinguished Americans from the public and private sector – the National Recreation Lakes Study Commission – documented almost 2,000 federally managed man-made lakes and the recreational opportunities they provide. They found that these lakes are a powerful recreation attraction, but have massively untapped potential. The commission made several recommendations to enhance recreation opportunities available at these lakes, but unfortunately bad laws constrained them from making any real changes. As the National Park Service Centennial brings new focus to recreation opportunities on the nation’s public lands and waters, ARC is revitalizing these ideas.