Industries Rally for Outdoor Recreation
When Ryan Zinke, secretary of the U.S. Interior Department, announced hiring the nation’s first recreation czar in November, the outdoor community felt gratified. We worked with other partners behind the scenes before Secretary Zinke’s confirmation to make outdoor recreation a priority for the Trump administration and its Interior Department.
We also partnered with many organizations to create the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a coalition of America’s leading outdoor-recreation trade associations. We then worked to promote policies and legislative reforms to grow the outdoor recreation economy. The ORR committee sent this message to the Trump administration:
“Recreation on America’s lands and waterways is more than just a national pastime. It is a massive economic engine and creator of jobs. Recreation plays a crucial role in fostering appreciation for the beauty and vastness of the United States, as well as the values of environmental stewardship and conservation in future generations. It also directly improves the health and well-being of millions of Americans who visit our nation’s public and private lands and waterways each year. The vast opportunities for outdoor recreation in America contribute to the foundation of our national identity, and provide countless benefits that cut across socioeconomic, cultural and regional lines.”
Our goal was to secure a better future for bowhunters, recreational shooters and other outdoor enthusiasts by prioritizing issues that affect our core customers. In the past, outdoor recreation hasn’t received the attention it deserves at the federal level. As a result, related policies and programs are often unfocused, inconsistent and plagued by insufficient resources. That approach hinders the outdoor industry, which generates $887 billion in economic impact annually, and supports 7.6 million jobs nationwide, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.
Outdoor Recreation a National Priority
Rick May – a lifelong bowhunter, five-time state champion archer, and former Navy Seal captain – was appointed senior adviser to Secretary Zinke in early November. May’s job is to focus on outdoor recreational activities and advise Interior on improving them. That means May will try to improve access to federal lands overseen by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Access can include hunting and shooting, and work on infrastructure for roads, trails, campgrounds and other amenities used by bowhunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.
May’s hiring is exciting and essential to our industry because we’ll finally have someone focused on critical challenges to bowhunting. This move also reaffirms Secretary Zinke’s commitment to expand recreational access to America’s public lands. It’s a vital step toward harnessing the collective might of outdoor recreation’s economy and supporting its continued growth.
We’re fortunate to have May in this position, and we were equally fortunate – and honored – that he joined us at January’s ATA Trade Show in Indianapolis. Ben Cassidy, Interior’s senior deputy director for external and intergovernmental affairs, accompanied May. They listened to ATA members to hear our industry’s priorities, challenges and concerns. They also confirmed Zinke’s support for our industry and hunting heritage.