In the last decade, many states in our region have created outdoor recreation offices to bolster their state economies and prioritize this growing sector. These offices often give grants to outdoor businesses and nonprofits that build trails or get young people outside.
Now, advocates want more states to hop on the bandwagon.
There are currently 24 of these offices nationwide, including those in Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Montana and New Mexico. The big push is to get Idaho to join the rest of the region.
“ These offices are really about thinking bigger, thinking into the future, and promoting strategies to grow a state's outdoor recreation economy and its outdoor recreation businesses,” said Chris Perkins, the vice president of programs at the nonprofit Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, which is putting out a call to states to open the 25th office in 2025.
Perkins said prioritizing the outdoor sector is especially important to get youth outside, amid declining mental health. They can also help diversify economies in rural communities. According to Perkins, Wyoming’s office — based in Cheyenne — is focused on building infrastructure in places historically reliant on other industries, such as oil and gas.
Karina Armijo, who leads New Mexico’s office, said these offices could also help fill gaps on public land amid federal budget cutting.
“If we have less people working on the trails, cleaning bathrooms and things like that, what can we do to try to provide support to public lands?” Armijo wondered.
She said, for example, offices could expand “adopt a trail” programs and get community members to maintain trails.
Armijo also said having more outdoor recreation offices in the region would help create a collaborative voice for the sector.
But it’s not clear whether the states are up for it. Idaho’s governor’s office said it already supports outdoor recreation in other ways, including through an advisory council and the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
