|
This month, outdoor recreation advocates and Western governors doubled down on supporting legislation that would improve outdoor recreation on public lands.
The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act—aptly nicknamed the EXPLORE Act—includes over a dozen policy measures to support recreation on public lands, from constructing long-distance bike trails and funding green spaces to supporting gateway communities by addressing housing shortages.
The EXPLORE Act passed the House in April, but has not been considered in the Senate yet. Among its supporters is the Western Governors' Association, which wrote a letter to Senate leadership endorsing the bill, noting that Western states need more support, infrastructure, and tools to manage increasing levels of recreation.
Outdoor Alliance, a group dedicated to conserving public lands and protecting outdoor recreation activities, has also shown support for the bill. Just this month, the organization held nearly 80 meetings about the EXPLORE Act with lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill, according to Outdoor Alliance CEO Adam Cramer.
“The message was crystal clear that a lot of people, a lot of communities, a lot of constituencies want this,” said Cramer. “And I think that signal was received, and that gives me a lot of confidence that the Senate can figure it out.”
|
We have a social responsibility to the land to keep it clean, to only take what we need.”
