WE BELIEVE
OUTDOOR RECREATION
Matters.
WELCOME TO THE BIG TENT
The Umbrella Organization for the voice of Outdoor Recreation in Washington State.

The mission  of the Big Tent  is to promote sustainable, diverse, equitable, and inclusive outdoor experiences in Washington state through advocacy and education.

What we do:  The Big Tent advocates for sustainable state funding for recreation and conservation lands as well as sustainable and equitable development and human interaction with those lands.

Vision:  The Big Tent envisions a Washington where elected leaders, businesses, nonprofits, and residents are working together to create a more inclusive and equitable outdoor experience for all. We want to find ways to use outdoor recreation to fuel economic activity and sustain healthy outcomes in our communities.

#RecreateResponsibly to Protect Yourself, Others, and the Outdoors

During this public health crisis, spending time in outdoor spaces has become even more important for many Americans. Yet these unusual circumstances mean that all of us, from seasoned outdoor enthusiasts to families heading out to their local park for the first time, could use a little guidance about how to stay safe. The Recreate Responsibly guidelines offer a starting point for getting outside to keep yourself healthy and to maintain access to our parks, trails, and beaches. [ LEARN MORE ]


 

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Final Passage of ESSB 5843 - Now Heads to the Governor's Desk!
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Final Passage of ESSB 5843 - Now Heads to the Governor's Desk!

Outdoor Recreation Bill

So this bill now goes to the Governor, who is expected to sign it.  Doug will double check on whether there should be some "please sign it" letters or calls, but his sense is we will be in pretty good shape. We will be in touch if we need help with a "please sign it" effort.
 
Folks, this is a pretty momentous bill in that, for the first time ever, there will be someone in the Executive Branch who is focused on nothing but growing and promoting the outdoor recreation sector.  That is a big, big deal.
 
The No Child Left Inside funding, after several years with no funding, is also a very big deal.
 
Several legislators were absolutely key to making this happen, starting with the prime sponsor, Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-San Juan Islands/40th Dist.), who absolutely busted his tail for this bill and deserves major kudos.  So too does the first co-sponsor of the bill, Sen. Linda Parlette (R-Wenatchee/12th Dist.).  Sen. Kirk Pearson (R-Monroe/39th Dist.) also was extremely helpful.  On the House side, Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle/43rd Dist.) played a very helpful role on this bill and Reps. Zack Hudgins (D-Tukwila/11th Dist.) and Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien/34th Dist.) were very helpful as well.

If you wish to send a short "thank you" note to each of these key legislators on this bill, their contact information is below as well
 

Getting this one to the Governor is very good stuff, folks! Thank you all for your help in this effort, and we're looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting on May 13th!

Doug Levy and Brittany Jarnot
Outcomes by Levy

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Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-San Juan Islands/40th Dist.) - kevin.ranker@leg.wa.gov; kendall.farley@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Linda Parlette (R-Wenatchee/12th Dist.) - linda.parlette@leg.wa.gov; grace.edwards@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Kirk Pearson (R-Monroe/39th Dist.) - kirk.pearson@leg.wa.gov; cameron.bailey@leg.wa.gov
Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle/43rd Dist.) - frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov; miranda.leskinen@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-Tukwila/11th Dist.) - zack.hudgins@leg.wa.gov; doug.honma@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien/34th Dist.) - joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov; siobhan.peterson@leg.wa.gov


ESSB 5843
Outdoor recreation
Senate vote on Final Passage as Amended by the House
4/22/2015

Yeas: 38 Nays: 9 Absent: 0 Excused: 2  
Voting Yea: Senator Angel, Baumgartner, Becker, Benton, Billig, Braun, Chase, Cleveland, Conway, Dammeier, Darneille, Fain, Fraser, Frockt, Habib, Hargrove, Hasegawa, Hatfield, Hill, Hobbs, Jayapal, Keiser, King, Kohl-Welles, Litzow, McAuliffe, McCoy, Miloscia, Mullet, Nelson, O'Ban, Parlette, Pearson, Pedersen, Ranker, Rivers, Roach, Warnick

Voting Nay: Senator Bailey, Brown, Dansel, Ericksen, Hewitt, Honeyford, Padden, Schoesler, Sheldon 

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Washington State's Outdoor Recreation Economy Generates

View the 2020 Economic Analysis of Outdoor Recreation in Washington State for details