Advocacy for the Outdoors

Advocating for the outdoors and outdoor recreation includes engaging with policymakers at the national, state and local levels. REI has a tradition of advocacy, and we pursue public policy efforts that protect, maintain and ensure access to outdoor recreational lands. REI also monitors, educates and occasionally engages in efforts that are supportive of the co-op's business interests.

We define our policy work by conducting an internal review of our business needs and weighing these needs against opportunities and threats in the public policy arena. We also look at the policy interests of the greater outdoor industry, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), outdoor user groups, and conservation organizations and other trade associations.

Highlights

In 2008, REI worked to address two key issue areas as part of its public policy agenda, which included advocacy for public lands and trade issues relevant to REI's interests. During the year, we put forth our greatest effort in advocating for public lands.

We supported efforts to ensure appropriate funding of federal lands for recreational and conservation purposes, including work to support the National Park Service's Centennial Initiative. The Centennial Challenge campaign was launched in 2006 to help prepare the National Park System for its 100th anniversary celebration in 2016. Our work on behalf of the Centennial Challenge campaign began in 2007 when we supported the creation of the Centennial Initiative and served as a participant in a Department of Interior visioning session. We also supported advocacy for funding and authorizing legislation in support of the Challenge. This included the successful appropriation of $25 million for pilot projects in the 2008 and 2009 Interior budgets.

REI also voiced its support for the official designation and funding of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) National Landscape Conservation System, which protects some of the most pristine lands managed by that federal agency. The NLCS creates a specific recognition of approximately 26 million acres of the BLM's most unique and important lands. Lands included in the NLCS represent 10 percent of BLM land but account for a third of all recreation on BLM lands.

Currently, nearly half of the United States Forest Service's budget is diverted to address firefighting efforts. It is believed that climate change is leading to a higher incidence of catastrophic fires, causing the Forest Service to spend significantly more each year to suppress these events. REI advocated for increased funding dedicated to the Forest Service's efforts to address catastrophic fires, which in turn will allow more of the agency's budget to be directed toward conservation efforts. While this effort was unsuccessful in 2008 budget, work on this important issue continues in 2009.

REI continued to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) with an emphasis on the stateside grants program in 2008. This program provides states with federal funding for development of recreation opportunities. Our interest in this program is tied to the strong belief that providing access to outdoor experiences close to home is an important first step in creating lifelong outdoor enthusiasts. Lobby efforts by REI and a broad coalitions of other outdoor, conservation and community organizations have again preserved funding for the state-side LWCF, at $25 million, which is encouraging but far short of a desired $125 million.

REI supported efforts by the Outdoor Industry Association to reduce tariffs placed on imported recreational performance outerwear. Currently this unique product group is classified in a very broad, antiquated category that is not reflective of current manufacturing realities. This was supported by a report from the International Trade Commission which concluded that there is no commercially viable recreational performance outerwear industry in the United States. The tariffs in this product category run as high as 27 percent, which increases the cost of goods to consumers and limits innovation and addition of performance features. Efforts to forward a bill eliminating these tariffs in 2008 were unsuccessful.

On the state level, REI continued its ongoing engagement and leadership in the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition (WWRC). The WWRC is a broad-based coalition of government agencies, nonprofits and businesses working together to support capital budget funding of the WWRC program that supports acquisition and protection of recreational lands, habitat and farms in Washington State. One member of REI's leadership team serves on the board of directors for the WWRC. In 2008 the coalition's efforts were primarily educational and organizational in preparation of the 2009 legislative session.

Challenges

The weak economy is having a significant impact on already tapped federal and state budgets, which in turn is increasing pressure in all funding areas, including public lands and the environment. It is clear that budget cycles for the foreseeable future will be challenging and that it will take an even more concerted effort to prioritize and fund public lands appropriately. Budget pressures will also make acquiring needed public lands and developing access and infrastructure for these lands more difficult when balanced against increasing pressure on operations and maintenance budgets. This is not a new issue but significant budget challenges, especially at the state level, have changed the dynamic greatly. Whereas in the past the balance was between new projects and the maintenance of existing properties, the conversation will increasing shift to how to keep the existing base available to the public. REI and outdoor businesses have a unique voice in this discussion as we can demonstrate to decision-makers that there are important economic and social benefits that accrue from public lands.

Looking Ahead

Our goal for 2009 is to continue bringing a business voice to recreation issues. We will strive to strengthen our coalition with others in the outdoor industry, nonprofits and outdoor user groups to help ensure we have the greatest positive impact when it comes to advocating for our public lands.

We will also continue to focus on ways to engage a broader audience in outdoor recreation, particularly young people and diverse populations. Part of our targeted approach to engage people in the outdoors involves advocating for the public benefits that come with outdoor recreation. These benefits include the potential for a healthier population which in turn benefits society.