On November 28, 2023, Congressman Westerman and Congressman Grijalva introduced the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act to the House of Representatives. The EXPLORE Act is an outdoor recreation policy package, similar to America’s Outdoor Recreation (AORA) in the Senate. With outdoor recreation growing and becoming an increasingly important part of the New Mexico economy, policies to balance use with protection are important.
Outdoor Alliance helped develop many key bills in the EXPLORE Act. They have provided a pre-written template to ask our local lawmakers to pass this Act – simply fill in your information and send it directly from their site (here). Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of outdoor enthusiasts and national advocacy organizations focused on protecting public lands and waters. For years, Outdoor Alliance has been working with lawmakers to develop policy proposals to improve outdoor recreation access. Read Outdoor Alliance’s letter to House lawmakers on the bill here.
We love seeing policies encouraging trail development and land protection. Some relevant, key bills in the EXPLORE Act we’re interested in include:
Permanent Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR)
FICOR helps land managers coordinate and improve outdoor access – expanding recreation opportunities. The EXPLORE Act would make this council permanent, cementing the importance of improving outdoor access.
Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR)
Many of us have experienced the challenges with special use permitting for lands and waterways. Special use permitting uses a challenging (and dated) system. The SOAR Act simplifies and modernizes recreation permitting to make the outdoors more accessible.
Permanent Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP)
ORLP program provides grant funding to develop green spaces and outdoor access. Making ORLP permanent helps communities most in need expand their green spaces and get outdoors.
These are just some of the bills included in this outdoor recreation policy package. Let us know what’s important to you and share your voice to support this package.
As always, your voice matters, and sharing your voice is critical! What can you do? Ask our lawmakers to pass this recreation policy package. Outdoor Alliance has provided a pre-written template to ask our local lawmakers to pass this Act – simply fill in your information and send it directly from their site (here).
