8 Ways the EXPLORE Act Positively Impacts the Outdoor Industry

The signing of the EXPLORE Act into law by President Biden on January 4, 2025 marks a monumental leap forward for public lands, outdoor recreation, and local communities nationwide. This landmark legislation reinforces America’s commitment to ensuring that everyone—regardless of ability or background—can experience the wonder of our nation’s outdoor spaces.

Here are eight reasons why the outdoor industry is celebrating the EXPLORE Act becoming law: 

1. Increased Access for Veterans, Persons with Disabilities, and Youth 

EXPLORE introduces tailored programs to enhance outdoor access for military veterans, individuals with disabilities, and youth. Initiatives such as accessible trail development, assistive technologies, and programs like the extension of the Every Kid Outdoors Act ensure opportunities for exploration and recreation for everyone. These efforts acknowledge the healing power of nature, the importance of fostering a love for the outdoors in younger generations, and the need to make the benefits of being outdoors universally available. 

2. Simplified Permitting for Outdoor Activities 

‘Red tape’ has long hindered the growth of outdoor recreation and made it hard for guides to do their jobs and take people into the outdoors. By reforming the permitting process, the EXPLORE Act makes it easier for businesses, guides, and organizations to operate across federal lands. Streamlined multi-jurisdictional permits foster seamless access for outfitters and adventurers alike. 

3. Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Funding 

The ORLP program receives a critical boost, paving the way for the revitalization of urban parks and outdoor recreation facilities. This funding ensures that underserved urban areas benefit from the same opportunities for outdoor engagement as rural communities. 

4. Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR) Support 

With a renewed focus on coordination between federal agencies, EXPLORE strengthens FICOR, fostering collaborative efforts to enhance visitor experiences, improve recreation infrastructure, and optimize the management of public lands. FICOR is a coalition of federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and the Interior, that work together to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities and access on public lands and waters. This coordination drives efficiency and ensures sustainable enjoyment of natural spaces. 

5. Preservation of America’s Rock-Climbing Areas 

EXPLORE formally recognizes rock climbing as a vital recreational activity and establishes guidelines to protect climbing areas, including the maintenance of fixed anchors. These provisions safeguard climbing opportunities while ensuring compliance with wilderness preservation laws. 

6. Support for Gateway Communities 

EXPLORE invests in gateway communities—towns adjacent to public lands—by addressing housing shortages, infrastructure needs, and economic development. These communities often serve as the front door to America’s outdoor spaces, and this support strengthens their ability to accommodate visitors sustainably. 

7. Empowering Sustainable Visitation Through Data 

A Real-Time Data Pilot Program ensures visitors can access accurate, up-to-date information about park crowding and conditions. By diverting visitors to lesser-known sites, the program alleviates overcrowding at popular destinations and promotes sustainable recreation practices. 

8. Funding for Recreation Infrastructure Maintenance 

From campsite restoration to new trails, EXPLORE directs significant funding toward addressing the maintenance backlog on federal lands. This ensures long-term sustainability and improved access for future generations. 

The EXPLORE Act represents a significant milestone in the effort to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for outdoor recreation. By addressing barriers to access, empowering local communities, and investing in infrastructure and conservation, EXPLORE ensures that public lands and waters remain a source of inspiration and opportunity for everyone. Outdoor spaces play a vital role in our lives, and this legislation paves the way for future generations to create meaningful connections with and take responsibility for our public lands and waters. 

Your outdoor business can help advocate for policies like EXPLORE that protect the future of outdoor spaces and our industry. Engage with OIA Advocacy today.

Confluence Summit in Alaska Highlights Equity and Active Transportation 

Written by Alaska Outdoor Alliance (AOA) Executive Director Lee Hart

Nearly 80 outdoor industry stakeholders and allies traveled by plane and ferry and across the Canadian border to take part in Alaska Outdoor Alliance’s 7th Annual Confluence: Summit on the Outdoor Recreation Economy, held in Haines last month. 

Key state and federal leaders participating in the event before and after their brief remarks included Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Raina Thiele, senior advisor to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for Alaska Affairs & Strategic Priorities; and Julia Hnilicka, USDA Rural Development state director. 

This year’s theme, regenerative economies, attracted leaders in outdoor; tourism; economic development; and local, state, territorial, tribal and federal land managers, as well as counterparts from the Yukon. A subgroup of attendees pledged to continue collaborating on transboundary economic development priorities. Another subgroup has already met to form the foundation of a statewide active transportation coalition.  

“From the Arctic to the Tongass, there are incredible efforts literally transforming local economies and ways of connecting with the outdoors that are being guided by Indigenous wisdom and values,” said AOA Executive Director Lee Hart. “Confluence facilitated candid, passionate conversations among participants that led to a list of action steps aimed at co-creating a more regenerative future.” 

Unique to many industry gatherings, Confluence was co-presented by the Chilkoot Indian Association, which hosted a salmon bake, after which participants shared stories highlighting centuries-old relationships with land, water, fish, wildlife, and ancestors. On the last stormy day of the event, the nearby Chilkat Indian Village gifted a special, personalized tour of their Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center, a network helping to address the pressing issue of where to put precious clan treasures and the villagers’ desire to rebuild and restore their cultural heritage. 

PROSPECTS FOR CLIMATE SOLUTIONS IN THE 117TH CONGRESS: A CONVERSATION WITH SENATOR SHELDON WHITEHOUSE

Presenters: Amy Horton, Outdoor Industry Association; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI)

Description: Climate change threatens the outdoor experience that our industry depends on. While our businesses invest in ambitious carbon reduction and removals in our operations and supply chains, we must also step up to advocate, engage our consumers and enable broader system change through effective policy at all levels of government. Recent legislative and administrative action brings hope, but narrower margins in both the House and Senate impart cautious optimism. In this session, long-time climate champion Senator Sheldon Whitehouse reveals his optimism for what can get done this Congress and why now is a critical time for outdoor businesses to show up. This discussion will both inspire and provide practical insight on what federal legislative action is possible, what it will take and how the outdoor business voice can play a key role.

  • Welcome, intros and summary of outdoor industry climate policy priorities, Amy Horton, Outdoor Industry Association
  • Long-time climate champion Senator Sheldon Whitehouse shares his prospects and strategies for climate policy progress and suggestions for how the outdoor business community can be a helpful partner.
  • Q&A from OIA members and partners

Thrive Outside Profile Series: Kristen Ragain

Q&A: Kristen Ragain, manager of philanthropy and community partnerships for REI Co-op

REI Co-op has donated $1 million to the Thrive Outside initiative in hopes of helping kids in urban centers around the U.S. have repeating outdoor experiences in slices of nature close to home. As manager of REI Co-op’s philanthropy and community partnerships programs, Kristen Ragain works to support programming that ensures that every person can benefit from time outdoors. We asked her why it’s so important to support this, and how she thinks the average American’s outdoor experience could change once life begins to return to normal.

Why is it important to REI to support Thrive Outside?
As one of the leaders in the outdoor industry, we knew it was important for REI to support this effort from the very beginning. The average American spends 95 percent of their life inside and this contributes to so many different challenges our society faces. At the co-op, we want to help reverse this trend. Connecting youth and families to the outdoors is one critical way to help do that. The 2019 Outdoor Participation Report shows people are connecting to the outdoors less and less [Editor’s note: Americans took one billion fewer outdoor outings in 2018 compared to 2008] so we appreciated that Thrive Outside supported the idea of repeating and reinforcing outdoor experiences. Having a progression plan in place and a sense of reinforcement allows for a community to grow and connect. It will be really exciting for all of us in the outdoor industry, and others, to start seeing the results of Thrive Outside so we can all learn from it and use that information for our philanthropic and community engagement work.

What are your hopes for what some of those outcomes may be?
My hope is that participants in the program see the outdoors as a daily/regular part of their lives and spend time in close to home nature which can improve overall health and wellbeing.

During the Covid-19 crisis we are seeing that more people than ever before are seeking refuge,solace and wellbeing in close-to-home nature. Hiking and biking on local trails and parks, paddling, and walks in natural areas have been supportive and healing for many. the Outdoor Foundation, with Thrive Outside, and also the broader industry, has a huge opportunity here to come through COVID and help people reimagine that daily connection to the outdoors and how important it is for our health and wellbeing both as individuals and as a collective community and society.

Do you think we might see a bigger shift toward those close-to-home spaces?
I think we’re going to be seeing people looking to recreate in nearby outdoor places, especially in the next 18 months or so. Maybe someone who was really into backcountry trips is now taking up local trail running, or maybe someone who used to do a lot of indoor yoga and fitness is now doing those things outdoors. I think across the board there are going to be more people spending time in local parks, trails, and waterways. It’s an interesting time for the organizations that are stewarding these places, because they’re seeing an increase in participation and usage, and obviously a decrease in funding. Outdoor places need to be maintained and experiences for connecting youth outdoors need to be cultivated and supported. Hopefully, this is an opportunity to raise awareness that we can’t take these things for granted and we need to increase support for the organizations that are doing what they can to create equitable access to the outdoors for all people.

What do you think, an equitable outdoors looks like?
It is important to work towards the Trust for Public Lands’s goal that everyone should be within a 10-minute walk to a great place to get outside. But, many also know that just because access to the outdoors is available, not everyone feels safe in the outdoors or a sense of belonging in nature. This is a significant barrier. So, equitable access to the outdoors needs to be about ensuring access and working towards a reality where everyone can feel safe being themselves and find their place in the outdoors.

What drives your passion for this work?
As a child, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, assuming that everyone was able to experience the outdoors as my family did through hiking, camping, climbing, biking, etc. As I grew up, I realized this was not the case and was inspired to work for environmental nonprofits and, now, REI, which works to connect all people to the outdoors. The outdoors is good for us. What could our planet be like if nearby access to nature and the outdoors was a basic human right for all? This idea, this question, is what gets me out of bed every day ready to support, advocate and work for equitable access to the outdoors no matter one’s race, orientation or economics.