{"id":136351,"date":"2020-01-21T12:15:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T20:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=136351"},"modified":"2020-04-02T12:31:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T19:31:02","slug":"state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news","title":{"rendered":"State Offices of Outdoor Recreation Reveal Americans\u2019 Love for Time Outside"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you live in the United States, time outside probably means something to you. Of the entire U.S. population, nearly half of people age 6 and older participated in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an outdoor activity in 2017, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/resource\/2018-outdoor-participation-report\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to the Outdoor Industry Association<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And a growing body of research shows that a regular nature fix can <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help reduce mental illness symptoms<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, promote well-being and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">enable us to live healthier lives<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As more Americans prioritize time outside, state leaders are adapting to the growing demand by forming new offices of outdoor recreation aimed at improving outdoor access, promoting conservation, growing the <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/numbers-show-size-of-the-outdoor-recreation-economy-at-the-state-level\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outdoor recreation economy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn about the state offices of outdoor recreation, read the Co-op Journal\u2019s previous coverage:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/state-offices-are-changing-the-conversation-around-outdoor-recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State Offices Are Changing the Conversation Around Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/new-hampshire-becomes-16th-state-to-add-dedicated-outdoor-recreation-office\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Hampshire Becomes 16th State to Add Dedicated Outdoor Recreation Office<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/five-states-join-formal-commitment-to-grow-outdoor-recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Five States Join Formal Commitment to Grow Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/state-offices-get-boost-from-new-recreation-focused-network\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State Offices Get Boost From New Recreation-Focused Network<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/bipartisan-states-join-forces-to-support-outdoor-recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bipartisan States Join Forces to Grow Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And follow this at-a-glance guide to see the current state offices and when they were formed:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>State Offices of Outdoor Recreation by the Year<\/b><\/h3>\n<h6><b>2013<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Utah<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the first state to establish an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/business.utah.gov\/outdoor\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2014<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Washington<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stands up a Task Force on Parks and Outdoor Recreation. It calls for an office. In 2015, legislation creates a Policy Advisor for Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2015<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Colorado<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forms its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/choosecolorado.com\/programs-initiatives\/outdoor-recreation-industry-office\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outdoor Recreation Industry Office<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2016<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Wyoming<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forms a task force to study the state\u2019s recreation needs. The study recommends the creation of an office, and in 2017 the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/wyoparks.state.wy.us\/WYOutdoorRecreation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outdoor Recreation Office<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is established.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2017<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Maryland\u2019s <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/Pages\/more\/home.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outdoor Recreation Economic Commission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is created.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Montana<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forms its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/business.mt.gov\/Office-of-Outdoor-Recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>North Carolina<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> establishes an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/edpnc.com\/industries\/outdoor-recreation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Oregon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> creates its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oregon.gov\/OPRD\/Pages\/office-of-outdoor-rec.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Vermont<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forms VOREC\u2014the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fpr.vermont.gov\/VOREC\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2018<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Maine\u2019s<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/decd\/programs\/maine-office-of-outdoor-recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is established.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Michigan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forms an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/dnr\/0,4570,7-350-79137_79763_86754---,00.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outdoor Recreation Advisory Council<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/dnr\/0,4570,7-350-79137_87865---,00.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> following in 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6><b>2019<\/b><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><b>New Mexico<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> creates its Outdoor Recreation Division and Outdoor Equity Fund.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Nevada<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> establishes its Division of Outdoor Recreation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Wisconsin <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signs off on a budget that allows the formation of an <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/industry.travelwisconsin.com\/office-of-outdoor-recreation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">within the Department of Tourism.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>Virginia<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">establishes its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.virginia.gov\/outdoor\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office of Outdoor Recreation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>New Hampshire<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/new-hampshire-becomes-16th-state-to-add-dedicated-outdoor-recreation-office\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forms its Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Minnesota\u2019s <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Department of Natural Resources and Travel Promotion Authority jointly announce a plan to run an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dnr.state.mn.us\/ortf\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outdoor Recreation Task Force<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Related articles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/can-hiking-help-heal-veterans-with-ptsd-researchers-seek-to-find-out\">Can Hiking Help Heal Veterans with PTSD? Researchers Seek to Find Out<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/this-is-the-optimal-amount-of-time-to-spend-outside-each-week\">What&#8217;s the Ideal Amount of Time to Spend Outside Each Week?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/a-dose-of-the-outdoors\">A Dose of the Outdoors<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you live in the United States, time outside probably means something to you. Of the entire U.S. population, nearly half of people age 6 and older participated in\u00a0an outdoor activity in 2017, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. And a growing body of research shows that a regular nature fix can help reduce mental [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":151932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[692,1512],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-136351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-news","tag-outdoor-recreation-industry"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"State Offices of Outdoor Recreation Reveal Americans\u2019 Love for Time Outside","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/OREC_Landing-Page_VAGNINI.gif?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/OREC_Landing-Page_VAGNINI.gif?fit=2000%2C1200"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jessica Bernhard"}],"creator":["Jessica Bernhard"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["news","outdoor recreation industry"],"dateCreated":"2020-01-21T20:15:01Z","datePublished":"2020-01-21T20:15:01Z","dateModified":"2020-04-02T19:31:02Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"State Offices of Outdoor Recreation Reveal Americans\\u2019 Love for Time Outside\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/state-office-of-outdoor-recreation-news\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/OREC_Landing-Page_VAGNINI.gif?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/OREC_Landing-Page_VAGNINI.gif?fit=2000%2C1200\"},\"articleSection\":\"News\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jessica Bernhard\"}],\"creator\":[\"Jessica Bernhard\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"news\",\"outdoor recreation industry\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-01-21T20:15:01Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-21T20:15:01Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-04-02T19:31:02Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/OREC_Landing-Page_VAGNINI.gif?fit=2000%2C1200","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136351"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151933,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136351\/revisions\/151933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136351"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=136351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}