Policy Platform
The pillars of our policy platform:
Conserve America’s Public Lands and Waters
Conserved public lands and waters are the setting for outdoor recreational pursuits like climbing, paddling, skiing, mountain biking, camping, hunting and angling, and more. Our public lands support clean air and water and wildlife habitat, and they help to mitigate the effects of climate change. They are the literal infrastructure for the outdoor recreation economy.
Support Sustainable and Equitable Outdoor Recreation Access
Make American Lands and Waters Part of Climate Solutions
The best way to address climate change is aggressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing climate will also require action across all sectors of society and nature-based climate solutions can make a meaningful contribution to overall climate efforts. Protecting public lands and waters can also support biodiversity conservation, sustainable and equitable recreation access, and economic development through the outdoor recreation economy.
Outdoor recreation is the primary way in which Americans come to know their public lands and waters and develop a stewardship ethic. It supports quality of life for individuals and communities, personally, and through the benefits of the outdoor recreation economy and the ability of outdoor recreation amenities to attract businesses and workers across a range of industries. Ensuring that recreation access is pursued in concert with climate and conservation goals will support maximum benefit from individual projects and also help to build broader political support for conservation as more Americans see the benefits of protected public lands and waters directly in their lives.
Ensure Funding for Conservation and Stewardship
In recent years, Congress has made historic investments in climate and our public lands through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act. Land management agencies tasked with stewarding our public lands and waters remain historically under-resourced, however, and these agencies require investment to ensure that the one-time resources allocated by Congress are effectively put to work; that the potential for natural climate solutions is achieved; and that agencies have the resources to plan, perform environmental analysis, partner with the outdoor recreation community and other stakeholders, and meet their potential for delivering results for climate, conservation, recreation access, and rural economic development.
