Outdoor Recreation Leaders Testify in the House
On Jan. 21, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing titled, “EXPLORE America 250: Celebrating One Year of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act.” The hearing marked the first anniversary of the landmark moment for the American outdoors that occurred with the passage of the EXPLORE Act—the nation’s first comprehensive legislative package dedicated to outdoor recreation.
The hearing featured testimony from Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), and from other ORR outdoor recreation leaders, including Jason Curry, director of the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, and Matt Wade, executive director of the American Mountain Guides Association, highlighting the real-world impacts of the outdoor recreation economy nationwide.
In his opening statement, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.-4th), chairman, House Natural Resources Committee, recognized ORR’s and Turner’s leadership, “Without the tremendous and sustained advocacy” of outside groups, “we would not be having this hearing today. This is especially true of Jess Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, who was a true champion of this legislation even before it was even called EXPLORE. The work was not easy but well worth it.”
The panelist commented on the Act’s early success and provided an overview of how the Act is already modernizing how Americans interact with public lands through:
- Digital Integration: The launch of the America the Beautiful digital pass has begun streamlining access to federal sites.
- Infrastructure & Accessibility: Efforts are underway to expand accessible trails and modernize permitting processes.
- Youth Outreach: The law has bolstered programs like Every Kid in a Park, ensuring the next generation has a connection to nature.
- Strategic Oversight: A new Secretarial Order from the Department of the Interior has established a cross-bureau framework to ensure federal agencies work in unison.
Additionally, ORR underscored the importance of forging strong partnerships among Congress, federal agencies, states, Tribes, gateway communities, and the private sector to move the law forward. In the past year, ORR joined forces with the administration to reach major milestones, including a Department of the Interior Secretarial Order that created a unified cross-bureau approach and the inaugural Outdoor Recreation Technology & Innovation Summit, which showcased innovative public-private solutions for bringing recreation management into the future.
Legislators and Agency Officials Honor Rep. Doug LaMalfa
On Jan. 24, Don Amador, Western States representative for the MIC, attended the Celebration of Life for Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.-1st) on behalf of the powersports community. LaMalfa passed away suddenly on Jan. 6, at age 65, leaving behind family, friends, and constituents.
More than 3,000 people attended, along with teachers, former staffers, and a bipartisan congressional delegation, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.-4th), to honor LaMalfa. Gov. Gavin Newsom, other state and federal legislators, law enforcement agencies, and the Forest Service were also present.
LaMalfa served the people of northern California’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. In the 119th Congress, LaMalfa served on the House Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, and was the chair of the Forestry Subcommittee.
LaMalfa grew up riding dirt bikes on his family farm and enjoyed working on classic cars. He was known as a genuine and welcoming person who valued friendship regardless of your political views or background. LaMalfa truly embodied the spirit of a servant leader.
In both politics and life, a person’s greatness is not measured by big speeches or self-praise, but by their actions and how they treat others. Doug LaMalfa will be truly missed.
The service was held at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico, Calif., and you can access the livestream service here.
The BEA Announces Date for the 2024 Data Release
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has officially rescheduled the release of the 2024 Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) data for March 5. This release was originally planned for November 2025, but was delayed because of the impacts of the federal government shutdown and subsequent budget cuts.
The ORR will host a public webinar at 11:00 a.m. ET on the day of the release. The session will feature industry experts and BEA economists to discuss the national and state-level highlights. The upcoming 2024 data is highly anticipated by the outdoor recreation community and state leaders, as previous reports showed the outdoor recreation economy contributed over $1.1 trillion (2.3% of U.S. GDP) and supported millions of jobs.
The passage of the recent appropriations bill is a significant win for the industry. It guarantees funding for ORSA for one more year, ensuring that this critical economic data—which tracks activities like boating/fishing, RVing, motorcycling/ATVing, climbing and hiking, bicycling, and other snow activities including snowmobiling—will continue to be produced through the next cycle despite recent fiscal volatility.