The common refrain among businesses along Colorado’s recreation-rich Interstate 70 mountain corridor over the past few years is “record breaking.”  Soaring numbers of visitors are swelling private and public coffers in both summer and winter. Tourist-generated tax revenues are reaching peaks. The recreation season now stretches for almost 12 months with more opportunities for year-round play than ever before. While outdoor recreation has long been an economic keystone in Colorado, it is only now getting recognized as a major economic driver nationwide, with proposed federal legislation aiming to bolster the industry that has long languished at the fiscal kids’ table.

The Colorado state legislature on Friday night passed a bill establishing the third Saturday in May as a holiday to celebrate, as the bill’s summary states, “the significant contributions that national, state, and local public lands within Colorado make to wildlife, recreation, the economy, and to Coloradans’ quality of life.” The bill passed with bipartisan support, with a 36-29 vote in the House and a 25-8 vote in the Senate. It is now headed to the governor’s desk. “Colorado is a national leader when it comes to conservation issues, and our support for public lands is no exception,” said Scott Braden, Wilderness and Public Lands Advocate at Conservation Colorado. “People come from far and wide to visit our mountains, deserts, forests, and grasslands, and for that they deserve to be celebrated.”

Just a quick reminder that our next board meeting is scheduled for 10am-12noon on Monday May 23, 2016 at REI headquarters in Kent.  Board meetings are open to the membership, however, due to facility security protocol at REI, if you plan to attend this meeting we require your RSVP to Doug Levy at levy4@msn.com and Brit Kramer at info@bigtentcoalition.info by May 19, 2016 in order to ensure facility access for you.  The most up to date information about the Big Tent board and meeting schedule can be found on our website board page. 

The Government’s comprehensive plan could pave the way for increased political leverage and funding for outdoor activities, brands, and destinations. In a speech to the National Geographic Society on Tuesday, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the federal government will fund a feasibility study by the Department of Commerce (DOC) and Federal Recreation Council to measure the economic value of outdoor recreation at both national and regional levels.

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, which brings together more than 280 nonprofit and corporate partners, announced the appointment of Andrea McNamara Doyle as its new Executive Director. Andrea joins the Coalition after serving as its Interim Executive Director since mid-November. “We’re thrilled to announce Andrea McNamara Doyle as our new Executive Director,” said Joe Mentor, Wildlife & Recreation Coalition Chair. “The Board recognized the great work Andrea has already done as Interim Director and agrees that she is the right person to help the Coalition move forward successfully for the future. Her enthusiasm and ability to bring together our broad coalition of independent organizations has been truly remarkable.”

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell kicked off National Parks Week on Tuesday with a major speech outlining a new vision for a second century of parks conservation. The speech highlighted the problems faced by national parks, including maintenance backlogs, lack of robust funding, climate change, and the rise of an extreme movement to sell off public lands. A major action item from Jewell’s speech was an announcement that the Department of Interior will work with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to do a first-ever study to measure the impact outdoor recreation has on the economy. Despite the major economic powerhouse that outdoor recreation can be for towns, businesses, and communities near public lands, the BEA has not measured or tracked its outputs as it does the outputs of other major sectors of the economy.