Outdoor Rec. Roundtable Applauds Great Outdoors Month – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) welcomed the unanimous passage of a U.S. Senate resolution designating June 2024 as Great Outdoors Month. The resolution celebrates the significant contributions of outdoor recreation to the nation’s economy, health, and quality of life, according to a release.
Jessica Wahl Turner, president of ORR, expressed her enthusiasm for the recognition and called on the U.S. Senate to pass the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, stating, “We are incredibly excited about Great Outdoors Month® and the thousands of events that happen around the country—from fishing and boating to hiking and urban exploration— during the month of June. Beyond recreation’s staggering economic benefits, spending time outdoors is also crucial for our mental, physical and societal health. There is nothing more supportive of the $1.1 trillion recreation economy, and the 5 million American workers who rely on it, that the Senate can do this month than pass the EXPLORE Act.”
The U.S. Senate resolution, led by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Roger Marshall (R-KS), states that “regular outdoor recreation is associated with economic growth, positive health outcomes, and better quality of life” and that it is “imperative that the United States ensure that access to outdoor recreation is available to all its people for generations to come.”
ORR is committed to advancing outdoor recreation during Great Outdoors Month® by helping to pass the EXPLORE Act, the first-ever outdoor recreation-specific bill package that has no cost to taxpayers, and will ensure all Americans can enjoy the outdoors, in June and throughout the year.
Great Outdoors Month, which began as Great Outdoors Week under President Clinton, has been proclaimed by every president since 1998 and has been unanimously declared by the U.S. Senate each year since 2017. The 2024 resolution continues this tradition, emphasizing the importance of outdoor activities and their positive impact on society.
About ORR
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable is the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation associations representing the more than 110,000 outdoor businesses in the recreation economy and the full spectrum of outdoor-related activities. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that outdoor recreation generated $1.1 trillion in economic output (2.2% of GDP), 5 million jobs and comprises 3.2% of U.S. employees.
