Audio Outdoorist: Maine Senator Angus King and L.L.Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman

In today’s episode, OIA government affairs director Rich Harper speaks with King and OIA Government Affairs Committee Chair and L.L.Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman about why they support federal investments in national, state and local parks as means for driving sustainable economic growth, and they discuss how government and outdoor businesses can work together to pass equitable climate-smart legislation like the Outdoors For All Act to ensure our planet, its people and the outdoor industry continue to thrive.

Help Our Community Rebuild: Support the Boulder County Wildfire Fund

On December 30th, 2021 the most destructive wildfire in Colorado state’s history, the Marshall fire, destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and burned more than 6,200 acres in Boulder County, home to OIA’s headquarters and many staff members. Our deepest condolences go out to all of those affected.

Like many of you, we are eager to help those impacted by the wildfire. Join us in supporting Community Foundation’s Boulder County Wildfire Fund. As Boulder County’s trusted philanthropic partner for over 30 years, Community Foundation Boulder County is working closely with government and nonprofit partners to coordinate, align resources and fill gaps to support those most impacted by the wildfires. We chose to support the Community Foundation’s fund because it is community-led, centrally located, and has already stepped in to provide immediate support.

Due to the generosity of tens of thousands of donors to the Wildfire Fund, Boulder County will distribute up to $5M in financial assistance to those whose homes have been destroyed or damaged and an additional $500K to support the needs of evacuees from the fund. Learn more about the fundraiser and donate today.

Happy Holidays from OIA Executive Director

Dear Outdoor Industry Colleagues,

As 2021 comes to a close, I want to extend my deep gratitude to you—our members, partners, and industry peers who are united by a love of the outdoors and the outdoor industry. Together, we are navigating COVID-19 and ensuring the outdoors and our outdoor businesses thrive through our work on outdoor recreation and trade policy, sustainable business innovation, and outdoor equity and participation.

New research from our team—including the 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, a special report on the new outdoor participant, and our holiday season purchasing behavior special report—provides an unprecedented look into how Americans’ relationship with the outdoors has shifted. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans have turned to the outdoors for their health and recreation than ever recorded, some for the first time and others for the first time in many years. These new participants are likely to be female, young, living in an urban area, and more diverse.

This new data shows that our industry has an incredible opportunity to be inclusive and grow the outdoor economy, while expanding and diversifying our partnerships that amplify the importance of advocacy to protect our public lands and waters and tackle the impacts of a changing climate.

On the advocacy front, we galvanized policymakers and our members to promote policies and programs that create jobs, invest in recreation infrastructure, support predictable and balanced trade, and foster responsible recreation, protection, and care for our natural resources and our environment. In November, I joined President Joe Biden and a group of bipartisan lawmakers and business leaders at the signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes significant funding for outdoor recreation.

We are grateful that the outdoor industry has a seat at the table during this process and thankful that our voices were heard. The Summit in Washington, D.C., planned for May of 2022, will build upon OIA’s 2021 momentum with more opportunities for advocacy and engagement. This event will convene outdoor business executives, community partners, and policymakers to collaborate and commit to act on the most pressing issues—and greatest opportunities—affecting our industry: climate change, inclusion, and outdoor equity, with an intentional focus on their intersections within the outdoor economy.

OIA members also made major strides to address the climate crisis. The OIA Climate Action Corps, a collaborative group of 100 outdoor industry businesses working to accelerate science-based climate action and influence policy, set a bold aspiration to become the world’s first climate positive industry by 2030. This new goal seeks to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with outdoor gear and to harness the power of nature to remove more carbon than its members emit. The Corps also released its year-one progress report, demonstrating accountability toward our shared industry-wide climate positive goal and emphasizing progress over perfection. As we close out the year, OIA is helping Corps members collaborate to implement renewable energy in the U.S. and across our shared supply chains, in addition to other collaborations.

The Outdoor Foundation announced its second cohort of Thrive Outside Communities, welcoming the communities of Maine, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities region to the Thrive Outside family. This expansion of communities is possible through the generous donations of OIA members. Outdoorists and community partners across the country celebrated National Thrive Outside Day, with inclusive and accessible outdoor programming and engagement opportunities in our eight Thrive Outside Communities.

As we look to the New Year and the work ahead, it’s clear that a strong and well-supported trade association is critical to accomplishing our shared goals. Thank you to those who stepped up to Leadership- and Support-level membership during the past year.

Our work continues, and we urge you to join us for what’s next. I hope to see you at Outdoor Retailer Snow Show next month, where OIA will host live education sessions designed to inform and enlighten, as well as illustrate how you can get engaged in this work in 2022.

Together We Are a Force,
Lise Aangeenbrug
OIA Executive Director

OIA Policy Alert: Letter to Support Priorities in Build Back Better Act

The deadline to sign-on has been extended to Friday, December 10th!

Proposed Climate and Outdoor Investments in the Build Back Better Act are Pivotal to the Future of Business, People, and the Planet  

Congress will spend the next weeks finalizing the contents of a historic social spending bill. Key provisions in the Build Back Better Act will tackle climate and environmental justice issues head-on and will promote key policies for the outdoor industry’s success. The draft legislation has changed over the past months of negotiation, and as the process heads toward the finish line, we must ensure that those issues that matter to us are retained in the final bill language.  

These historic investments include dollars for the creation and funding for a Civilian Climate Corps; capital and incentives for the development and deployment of renewable energy across sectors; and, increased resources for underserved communities to have access to safe, clean, and accessible green spaces.  

As Congress moves forward on finalizing the legislation, considering amendments, and eventually handing it to President Biden for signature, it is important that our industry’s voice is heard and that these consequential programs are codified and implemented. The vitality of the outdoor industry, our outdoor participants, and our climate are dependent upon this generational opportunity for investment.   

NOW is the time to voice our industry’s priorities for the Build Back Better Act! Ensure your company’s support is heard and add your company’s name to our letter to Congress by close of business on Friday, December 10th.

Read the letter here.

It is pivotal that key provisions outlined below remain in the final text of the legislation for passage. OIA and our members support the following crucial components of the Build Back Better Act: 

  • The creation and funding for a Civilian Climate Corps to bring jobs to local communities, and to advance implementation of the Great American Outdoors Act; 
  • Robust funding for the Department of the Interior; 
  • Funding for pivotal investments in renewable energy, including expenditures in the power sector, as well as tax incentives for the development and application of clean energy solutions across sectors; 
  • Environmental and Climate Justice funding for disadvantaged communities to address disproportionate public health and environmental damage; and, 
  • Initiatives prioritizing the development of urban parks and other place-based programs supporting increased access to outdoor spaces in traditionally underserved communities. 
  • Combined with important investments committed in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Build Back Better Act will ensure that our nation’s lands and waters will get the attention needed to encourage resiliency, health, and sustainable access.
  • The Build Back Better Act will also prioritize catalytic investments in renewable energy, and in rural and urban communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.
  • Finally, the Build Back Better Act will include human-centered investments that will make it easier for people throughout the country to experience the wonder of the outdoors.

Now is the time to speak up about our values and priorities around the future of the planet, our industry and outdoor participants! Sign our letter to Congress before December 10th!  

Current signatories (as of December 10th): 

BBB Signatories as of 4pm MT Dec 10  

 

22 Designs 

Akers Digital  

American Camp Association  

b4 Adventure 

Backcountry Access, Inc. 

Backpacker’s Pantry (American Outdoor Products) 

Backslope Tools 

BearVault 

Bearclub Outfitters 

Bell (Vista) 

Bemis 

Big Agnes 

Blackburn (Vista) 

Board Retailers Association  

Bridge City Kid 

Burton 

CGPR 

CamelBak 

caseSensitive Photos 

Clif Bar & Company 

Colorado High School Cycling League 

Collaborative Trails 

Compose[d] 

Conatus Counsel 

Confluence Sustainability 

Cross Current Insurance Group 

DHTC CO LTD 

Darn Tough Vermont 

Darn Tough Vermont(R) 

Emerger Strategies 

Erem Desert Inc 

evo 

First Name LLC 

flaik 

Giro (Vista) 

Hipcamp 

Honey Stinger 

Hyrdo Flask 

Industrial Revolution 

Industrial Revolution -UCO 

Island Explorer LLC dba Whidbey Island Kayaking 

Jones Snowboards 

K2 Sports 

Klean Kanteen 

Krimson Klover 

L.L.Bean 

La Sportiva N.A., Inc. 

LightHeart Gear 

Linked Adventures 

Miir 

Minneapolis Southwest KOA Holiday 

Minority Outdoor Alliance 

Mountain Khakis 

Myles Apparel 

NEMO Equipment 

New Balance 

Never Summer Mountain Products 

Oberalp North America 

Orvis 

Osprey Packs Inc. 

Outbound Collective 

OutdoorX4 Magazine & XPLORE Journal 

Outdoor Afro 

Outdoor Research 

Patagonia 

Peak Design 

PeopleForBikes 

Playmakers, Inc. 

PolyCore Solutions 

Portland Design Works 

REI Co-op 

Ruffwear 

Rutabaga Paddlesports 

See More Birds Nature Tours 

Sierra South 

SIMBOL Communications 

Simms Fishing Products 

Smartwool 

Snow Peak 

South Coast Tours LLC 

Stanley, a Brand of PMI Worldwide 

The Sporting Life Network 

Toad&Co 

Tools For Trails 

True North Gear 

Turtle Fur 

Vargo Outdoors 

VF Corp 

Verde Brand Communications  

WA Event Management 

WAYWARD 

Waterloo Bicycle Works 

Western Spirit Cycling 

Weston Backcountry 

YAMA Mountain Gear 

YMCA Camp Shady Brook

Thank You For Celebrating National Thrive Outside Day

Thanks to our community partners and participants, Thrive Outside Day events were a success nationwide! Communities in Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Maine, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis and Twin Cities celebrated the transformative benefits of the outdoors through activities ranging from outdoor programming and skill development sessions to social media takeovers. See highlights from each event below.

 

ATLANTA: November 13th

Hosted in partnership with the city of Atlanta, Thrive Outside Day was hosted at Cliff Park and coincided with the local Outdoor Rec Festival. Over 200 people were in attendance!

Learn more about Thrive Outside Atlanta

 

 

GRAND RAPIDS: October 11 and 16th
Grand Rapids celebrated its new Gear Share Library with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a day of outdoor activities and outdoor skill development using gear-share equipment from the library.
Learn more about Thrive Outside Grand Rapids

 

 

 

MAINE: October 9th
The Nature Based Education Consortium celebrated Thrive Outside Day virtually! They invited Mainers to share stories and pictures of the diverse ways they like to #ThriveOutside. See what they had to say and learn more about Thrive Outside Maine here.

 

 

 

OKLAHOMA CITY: October 2nd

Oklahoma City celebrated its Thrive Outside Day with kayaking activities, a Thrive Outside Kayak League race, nature-based activities and outdoor skill-development sessions.

Partners for the event and programming included RIVERSPORT Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County, Boy Scouts Last Frontier Council, OK State Parks, Scissortail Park and Threshold Climbing.  Learn more about Thrive Outside Oklahoma City

 

PHILADELPHIA: October 16th

Thrive Outside Greater Philadelphia partner Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership hosted National Thrive Outside Day 2021. Neighbors from the area gathered for a We Walk stroll on the Circuit Trail in Tacony Creek Park, a beautiful green space that follows the Tacony Creek on its way to the Delaware River. Participants bird-watched, looked for animal tracks, and learned about the trees that provide food and shelter for wildlife. After the walk, participants gathered over a healthy breakfast and enjoyed special outdoor giveaways.

Learn more about Thrive Outside Philadelphia

 

SAN DIEGO: October 9-10th
Hosted at Imperial Beach in partnership with US Fish and Wildlife, Thrive Outside Day in San Diego coincided with Walk for the Wild. Local youth participated in paddleboarding and leadership development events.

Learn more about Thrive Outside San Diego

 

 

ST. LOUIS: October 2nd
Hosted in partnership with Jack and Jill of America, the St. Louis Thrive Outside community embarked on a half-day canoe trip, culminating at the St. Louis riverfront in front of Gateway Arch National Park, where participants were greeted by local elected leaders.

Learn more about Thrive Outside St. Louis

 

 

TWIN CITIES: October 9th

Wilderness Inquiry, The Loppet Foundation and REI gathered to celebrate Thrive Outside Day on October 9th at Theodore Wirth Park – The Trailhead. Parkgoers were able to learn more about the Thrive Outside Initiative, and share their thoughts on the benefits of time spent in nature and how to best address the barriers that prevent equitable access to outdoor spaces and experiences.

Learn more about Thrive Outside Twin Cities

Greetings from the White House — Letter from OIA Executive Director Lise Aangeenbrug

Outdoor Industry Association Executive Director Lise Aangeenbrug and Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Executive Director Jessica Turner

On Monday, I joined President Joe Biden and a group of bipartisan lawmakers and business leaders at the signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. I’m proud to say that OIA has been a key player every step along the way, ensuring that meaningful climate provisions and other projects important to our industry were included in this new law. We should be encouraged by its many provisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including wildfires, droughts and floods; to expand access to and improve our nation’s parks and trails; and to enhance our nature-based infrastructure.

Just as importantly, this bill will provide long overdue improvements to America’s core infrastructure – roads, bridges, ports and airports – which will help our $689 billion industry and 4.3 million employees deliver our products to consumers and connect people with parks and green spaces.

But our work is not done yet. As Congress continues to work on budget reconciliation, OIA is committed to working with lawmakers and the Biden administration to ensure that additional climate priorities – like funding for the Civilian Climate Corps, climate resiliency projects, outdoor restoration projects and the Department of Interior – are properly supported in the Build Back Better Act.

OIA’s advocacy and policy work would not be possible without the support of our members. Thank you for your continued engagement, and please do not hesitate to reach out about our policy priorities

Together We Are a Force,

Lise Aangeenbrug
OIA Executive Director

Webinar: Navigating Your Supply Chains — With Q&A

OIA Director of Government Affairs Rich Harper leads a discussion with OIA’s outside trade counsels, Andrew Samet and Ron Sorini, on a wide range of issues impacting global supply chains for outdoor companies.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about these issues and hear from trade experts on international trade topics, including:

  • The new China Section 301 product exclusion process
  • Developments affecting e-commerce and de minimis entry
  • Forced labor and Withold Release Orders (WRO)
  • Political risks relating to Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Myanmar
  • Attendee questions