A total of 127 outdoor businesses sent a letter to House leadership
today urging passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). GAOA, if
passed, will stimulate the outdoor recreation industry and the
thousands of small and large businesses that comprise the growing
industry.
GAOA would also create more safe and sustainable recreation access
while improving infrastructure for all Americans. The 127 cross-sector
companies — included, among others, Airstream, Bass Pro Shops,
Brunswick, Cabela's, Columbia Sportswear, Kampgrounds of America,
Polaris Inc., Pure Fishing, The North Face, VF Corporation, Winnebago
and Yamaha.
All of them signed on in order to highlight that investments in
conservation and recreation are needed to provide business certainty so
the recreation industry can get back to what it does best — grow jobs,
support healthy communities, economies and people, and provide more
opportunities for everyone to benefit from time spent outside.
“Our entire industry continues to spearhead support for GAOA — from
skiers to snowmobilers, hunters to hikers, campers to RVers and climbers
to motorcyclists,” said Jessica (Wahl) Turner, executive director of
the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). “Businesses have been making
calls, running sign-on campaigns and sending letters. This unity in our
business community showcases the incredible things we can accomplish
when we work together. The House of Representatives has the opportunity
to do something that truly outlasts their time in office and that will
benefit the nation for decades to come by passing this
once-in-a-generation legislation.”
As a reminder, GAOA would provide a critical boost to what was,
before the pandemic, a $778 billion a year industry supporting 5.2
million jobs and accounting for 2.2% of United States Gross Domestic
Product. According to Outdoor Recreation Roundtable’s member survey and
dashboard of the sector, 94 percent of outdoor industry businesses have
experienced a decrease in sales and 88 percent have laid off or
furloughed a portion of their workforce. The entire outdoor recreation
business community urges the House to pass GAOA before the August recess
to revitalize this critical sector of the economy and provide more
outdoor opportunities for all Americans when they are needed most.
Full text of the outdoor businesses’ letter and the list of signees is available here and included below:
July 13, 2020
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
1236 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
2468 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:
The outdoor recreation industry is encouraged by the passage of the
Great American Outdoors Act in the Senate and urges clean passage of
this landmark legislation through the House as soon as possible. As
outdoor recreation business leaders, we know investments in recreation
access and infrastructure are vital to the outdoor recreation industry
and economies across the country.
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the outdoor recreation industry
contributed $778 billion in economic output, accounted for 2.2 percent
of United States Gross Domestic Product, supported 5.2 million jobs and
was growing faster than the economy as a whole in every indicator.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns necessary to
slow its progression, America’s outdoor recreation economy was hindered
when we needed the outdoors more than ever. Outdoor Recreation
Roundtable’s May survey of the sector shows that 88 percent of outdoor
businesses have had to lay off or furlough employees, and 94 percent are
seeing decreased revenue. However, we know there is a bright future for
outdoor recreation ahead, as several sectors of the industry are
already experiencing rapidly increasing demand.
These outdoor businesses are the backbone of our industry and range
from specialty retailers, apparel, gear and vehicle manufacturers,
outfitters and guides to campground and marina operators. They are often
foundational to a community’s economy. With rising unemployment and
Americans eager to experience the outdoors, investment in our industry’s
core infrastructure – public lands and waters – will allow our
businesses to get back to what we do best: stimulate local economies,
put people back to work, and allow Americans to benefit from time spent
outside.
This is why we respectfully ask you to vote “yes” on the Great American Outdoors Act.
GAOA will fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at
$900 million annually, providing more recreation access for communities
across the country and fueling more outdoor recreation economic
activity. In a nutshell, if Congress invests the intended amount of $900
million into LWCF recreation access projects on local, state and
federal lands, it will create much-needed close-to-home recreation
opportunities while revitalizing the outdoor recreation economy.
Additionally, GAOA dedicates up to $9.5 billion over the next five
years to maintenance backlog projects that have been devastating our
public lands and waters. Investing in these projects will improve
outdoor recreation-related facilities such as docks, restrooms,
campgrounds, trails, roads and more that have deteriorated significantly
from decades of underfunded maintenance. As business leaders, we
understand the need to make sure customers have good experiences when
they visit stores or facilities, it ensures they come back again.
Funding the maintenance backlog will also ensure that adequate
infrastructure for all types of recreation on our public lands and
waters exists so more people who are seeking the benefits the outdoors
has to offer can get outside safely and grow our industry sustainably.
Passing GAOA now would stimulate the outdoor recreation industry made
up of thousands of businesses that support communities in all 50
states, support rural economies, create jobs to carry out essential
work, and provide opportunities for millions of Americans to recreate on
our public lands and waters for generations to come. We know this vital
legislation is slated for a vote later this month and we urge you to
move as quickly as possible to get this legislation across the finish
line. Your support of GAOA is a vote for American jobs and health,
community resiliency and the outdoor recreation economy. Thank you for
your leadership.
Sincerely,
Airstream, Inc.
Allen Harbor Marine Service
Alta Planning + Design, Inc.
American Land & Leisure
ARAMARK
Arc’teryx Equipment Inc.
Areté Structures, LLC
BA Services, Inc.
Bass Pro Shops
Bell Helmets
Blackburn Design
Blue Springs Marine
Boat Owners Association of the United States
Boat Owners Warehouse
Boats Incorporated
Brunswick Corporation
Burton Snowboarding
Cabela’s
California Land Management
CamelBak
Camperland of Oklahoma
Chaparral Boats, Inc.
CHM Government Services
Chris-Craft
Clark Marine
Cleveland Boat Center
Columbia Sportswear
Correct Craft
Creative Pultrusions
Crestview RV
Dee Zee, Inc.
Delaware North Parks and Resorts
Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle
FB Marine Group
FERA
First Lite
Forest River, Inc.
Forever Resorts
Formula Boats
Fort Sumter Tours
Freedom Boat Club
Galati Yacht Sales
Giro Sport Design
Glacier Guides & Montana Raft
Grand Design RV
Guest Services, Inc.
Hagadone Marine Group
Handout Gloves
Head USA
Hellwig Products Company Inc.
Hemlock Hill RV Sales
Hipcamp
Hoffmaster’s Marina
Hornblower Cruises and Events
Indian Lake Marina, Inc
Indmar Products
K2 Sports
Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
KEEN, Inc.
Lakeview Marine, Inc.
Leaird’s Underwater Service
LKQ Corporation
Magic Tilt Trailers
Malibu Boats, Inc.
Marina Holdings
Marine Center of Indiana
Maverick Boat Group, Inc.
Morningstar Marinas
Mount Dora Boating Center
N3 Boatworks
Nantahala Outdoor Center
National Outdoor Leadership School
Newmar Corporation
Norfolk Marine Company
Oasis Marinas
Outdoor Research
Patagonia
Petzl America
Plano Synergy
Polaris Inc.
Port Harbor Marine
Priority RV Network
Pure Fishing
Quality Bicycle Products
Rapala USA
Recreation Resource Management
Red’s Meadow Resort
Reed’s Marine, Inc.
Regulator Marine, Inc.
REI
Rendezvous River Sports
Rhino Marking & Protection Systems
Rock Creek Lodge
Santa Barbara Adventure Company
Scuba Educators International
Seirus Innovative Accessories, Inc.
Shimano North America Fishing
Simms Fishing
Skyjacker Suspensions
Smoker Craft
SpiritLine Cruises
SRAM LLC
St. Croix Rods
Subaru of America
Sun RV Resorts
Superior Boat Repair & Sales
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
The North Face
The Sportsman
Thor Industries
Tiara Yachts & Tiara Sport
Trek Bikes
Turn 14 Distribution Inc.
VF Corporation
Vista Outdoor
Volvo Penta of the Americas
WARN Industries
Western Spirit Cycling Adventures
Westrec Marinas
WET River Trips
Wildwater River Guides
Winnebago Industries
Xanterra Travel Collection
Yamaha Rightwaters
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Parks
Zebco Brands
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable promotes the growth of the outdoor
recreation economy and outdoor recreation activities and is the leading
outdoor recreation coalition with 32 member associations serving over
100,000 businesses. ORR’s members represent America’s hunting, fishing,
RVing, biking, hiking, camping, ATVing, diving, horseback and skiing
communities among many more.
