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

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2025 Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition Weekly Policy Calls

January 17 - end of session
Fridays 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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#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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We Represent
Outdoor Recreation

The power of the Big Tent lies not with any individual or with any shiny advertising or marketing campaigns, but with the combined weight of dozens of organizations and agencies who believe in the collective value of outdoor recreation.

We are an organic group, with no Executive Director.  We come together periodically, meet on an as-needed basis, and gather each year in Olympia to show policy-makers and opinion leaders that outdoor recreation is a critical sector in Washington, one that brings jobs, revenue, active and healthy living, and tourism to a state blessed with mind-numbing natural beauty.  
 
On this website you will find a statement about who we are and how we came to be; a listing of our current members; contacts; information about how you can join us; meeting announcements; links to press releases and topical articles; and of course some background pictures of the outdoors.
 
We hope you find this site helpful, and that you won’t hesitate to tell us how we can add to it and improve.  It belongs to all of us who marvel at the stunning natural resources which make Washington a special place in which to live, work, and play.  Thanks for stopping by!

State Parks Budget Update State Parks Budget Update

State Parks Budget Update

2015-2017 Spending Plan Details

With the end of the 2015 session - finally! – occurring the second week in July, State Parks leadership has had to scramble quickly to fully understand the financial resources available to us and come up with a program and spending plan for the 2015-17 biennium. The good news is that the Governor and Legislature - and park visitors through the fees they pay and the donations they generously give to State Parks - have provided resources that allow the agency to make some modest but significant investments to basic park operations.  Below you will see an email message from Director Hoch to Parks staff which is designed to provide a clear overview of extent and direction that those additional resources are to be used.
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Wildlife and Recreation Program: Restored and Funded! Wildlife and Recreation Program: Restored and Funded!

Wildlife and Recreation Program: Restored and Funded!

WWRP Blog - July 9

You made your voices heard, telling your elected officials that protecting our great outdoors matters to Washingtonians, and Olympia listened. Thanks to all of your hard work, last week the legislature passed a budget that restored WWRP and funded valuable conservation projects across our state that support recreation in our urban spaces and our great outdoors.  We are thrilled to be able to share that the budget passed last week by our state legislature and signed by the Governor restored the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) and invested $55 million in the grant program. The Coalition is grateful for this bipartisan compromise which saved WWRP and ensured that our state continues to invest in our great outdoors.
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Washington Senator Kevin Ranker: The Way I See It Washington Senator Kevin Ranker: The Way I See It

Washington Senator Kevin Ranker: The Way I See It

Outdoor Industry Association, By Grant Davis

Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, has represented the San Juan Islands district in the Washington State Senate since 2008. This year, along with Senator Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, he introduced and played a key role in helping to pass Senate Bill 5843, a rare bi-partisan law establishing a senior policy advisor in the governor’s office who will focus on outdoor recreation and the promotion of outdoor recreation throughout the state. In addition, the law provides funding for the state’s “No Child Left Inside” (NCFI) initiative, and it gives veterans priority when it comes to jobs created by the NCFI program.
We caught the self-described waterman in Puget Sound during a break from Washington’s current budget battle to get his take on the outdoors and what they mean to his state and his own life (At press time, the current legislative session was heading into it’s fourth additional month).
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An Impressive List of "Wins"

Blue Ribbon Task Force on Outdoor Recreation

Last interim, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Outdoor Recreation put together a set of recommendations to the Legislature on outdoor recreation programs and State Parks funding. The attached chart shows all of the "wins" related to those recommendations, and it is pretty impressive list." 
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Congress must lead to preserve recreation and conservation program Congress must lead to preserve recreation and conservation program

Congress must lead to preserve recreation and conservation program

By Norm Dicks, Special to the Times

TIME is running out for America’s premier conservation and outdoor recreation program. There are fewer than 100 days until the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expires after 50 years of strong bipartisan support. This wonderful federal program works to secure our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and helps open our public lands for outdoor recreation.
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State Parks Outdoor Expo State Parks Outdoor Expo

State Parks Outdoor Expo

June 27, 2015 - At the Capitol, Olympia WA

Second Annual Get Outdoors Adventure Awaits Expo!  Please Join us June 27 from 11:00am-3:30pm for the 2nd annual Outdoor Expo on the oval lawn at the Capitol in Olympia. Free, family-friendly fun including games, giveaways, outdoor gear demonstrations, mascots, live music, food trucks and more!
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Colorado's $4.2 billion outdoor rec industry now has its own office and state director Colorado's $4.2 billion outdoor rec industry now has its own office and state director

Colorado's $4.2 billion outdoor rec industry now has its own office and state director

Denver Business Journal

Colorado now has an office and state director to represent its mulit-billion outdoor and recreation industry.
Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Monday that Luis Guillermo Benitez, a former Vail Resorts executive responsible for leadership development programming and curricula, has been appointed as director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. The new office and position that will be housed in the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).
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Washington State's Outdoor Recreation Economy Generates

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