U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, the Republican chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, earned the moniker of obstructionist-in-chief when he single-handedly killed reauthorization on Oct. 1 of the bipartisan, half-century old Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). In the nanosecond it took to block a bill with 195 bipartisan co-sponsors, America’s signature conservation and outdoor-recreation program fell away.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop wants to do more damage to the expired Land and Water Conservation Fund. His bill needs to be stopped, and the bipartisan LWCF revived. 

Nature Rx is a grassroots movement dedicated to entertaining and informing people about the healing and humorous aspects of nature. This video published on Aug 4, 2015:  Set in the world of a spoofed prescription drug commercial, Nature Rx offers a hearty dose of laughs and the outdoors - two timeless prescriptions for whatever ails you. Side effects may include confidence, authenticity, remembering you have a body, and being in a good mood for no apparent reason.

Washington’s outdoor recreation is a driving force for the state’s economy, creating jobs and building rural businesses. It also is a way of life in the Pacific Northwest. Washingtonians Love to Be Outside. Washingtonians participate in outdoor recreation more than 445 million days each year, or on average, we spend 56 days a year recreating outdoors. Of all the places there are to go, local parks are the most visited. This report is the first comprehensive analysis of the recreation economy in Washington. It offers economic impact data by geography, by county, and by activity.

REI, the Seattle-based outdoor recreation and sporting goods giant, announced today that it is going to close for Black Friday (you read that right) and pay its 12,000 employees to go out and play.  REI is also encouraging other companies to join them in what they describe as a stand against the commercial madness that’s characterized the day after Thanksgiving for at least a decade and a half.

The next meeting of the Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition is scheduled for Thursday November 12, 2015, from 10am - 12noon at the Nature Conservancy in Seattle. Agenda highlights include formation of our advocacy committee, membership related policies and 2016 budget. For more information contact info@bigtentcoalition.info.