The outdoor recreation economy generates $646 billion per year, making it the third-largest economic sector in the US. State offices of outdoor recreation—which support, promote and develop the outdoor recreation economy at the state level—can reinvigorate local economies, improve citizen health and protect America’s lands, waters and wildlife around the country.
Efforts to create such positions, however, have been hampered by the lack of a “playbook”: even if you wanted your state to have such an office, where would you begin?
On Thursday, October 13, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Snow King Resort Hotel in Jackson, WY, the Directors of the state offices of outdoor recreation in Utah and Colorado, along with Washington State’s Outdoor Recreation Policy Advisor, will share lessons from the creation of their respective positions as they help lay out a groundgame for a proliferation of similar offices around the country.
An agenda for the workshop may be found here.
To register, click here.
“From the beginning, the whole idea was to create a network of offices of outdoor recreation at the state level,” says Brad Peterson, who, as Director of Utah’s office, was the first such director in the country. “Proliferating these offices will help us synergize, collaborate and develop best practices around the country.”
Ian Malepeai, Business Development Lead with Idaho Commerce, enjoys the”State Offices of Outdoor Recreation” breakfast keynote at the 2015 SHIFT Festival. The breakfast, moderated by Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, featured Luis Benitez and Brad Peterson. Joined by Jon Snyder and Tom Adams, the three men will return for the 2016 Festival for a dedicated workshop on the creation of state offices of outdoor recreation.
The Workshop—part of the 2016 SHIFT Festival—will take place immediately preceding The 2016 SHIFT Summit.
“Offices of outdoor recreation create a sustainable means of economic growth,” says Christian Beckwith, SHIFT’s Director. “Getting outside has health benefits that counter the rising trends of obesity, depression and diabetes. Importantly, outdoor recreation relies upon healthy lands, waters and wildlife.
“We’re excited to help develop a pathway for the creation of these offices because we believe they offer Americans a win-win-win: strong economies and healthy citizens invested in the wellbeing of our public lands.”
Facilitated by Peterson and Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, Local Recreation Advocacy Manager for the Outdoor Industry Association, the workshop will begin with presentations by Luis Benitez, Tom Adams, Jon Snyder, directors of the Offices of Outdoor Recreation for Colorado and Utah, respectively, and Washington State’s Recreation Policy Advisor.
The three men will present an overview of the current offices, including how they were formed and what each one would have others know about the position.
A deep dive into issues surrounding funding, policy influence and interagency collaboration will be followed by a campaign workshop.
Working in geographic teams with facilitation from Benitez, Adams, Snyder, Peterson and O’Brien-Feeney, participants will collaborate in teams assembled by geography (i.e., New England, Southeast, West Coast, etc.) to develop an actionable plan for office creation in their respective regions.
Each team will report back on the key points of their action plan for creating offices in their respective states.
Cost for the workshop, which includes breakfast, is $50.
To register, click here.
