Outdoor Alliance’s History of Protecting Public Land and Water
Early Days (2000’s):
Today, the human-powered recreation community is a political force to be reckoned with, but it wasn’t always that way. In the early 2000’s, hikers, paddlers, mountain bikers, climbers, and backcountry skiers were working more or less separately to accomplish their conservation goals. Instead of joining forces, skiers would visit lawmakers on the Hill to discuss issues they cared about, followed days later by climbers, and then by paddlers. While the human-powered community has always had an authentic connection to people who love the outdoors, these organizations were going up against much bigger, better funded, and more organized groups.
Like the invention of the lightbulb, many people simultaneously concluded that these human-powered recreation groups should work together to achieve their conservation goals. Leaders of national recreation groups started to think about how much more powerful they could be if they combined forces.
2002
Mary Margaret Sloan (then Executive Director of American Hiking Society), Risa Shimoda (then Executive Director of American Whitewater) and Pam Dillon (then Executive Director at American Canoe Association) begin talking about working together with mountain bikers and other paddlers to see if they could gain more traction for protecting landscapes. At the same time, Sally Grimes (then Executive Director of Winter Wildlands Alliance) and her partner Chris Chesak (then at American Alpine Club) who had both formerly worked at American Hiking Society, were considering how to bring together human-powered recreation groups to balance out the voices of development and other competing interests.
2004
The Executive Directors of five organizations representing recreationists – American Hiking Society, American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, Access Fund, and Winter Wildlands Alliance – meet in Colorado with the support of REI. In Washington DC, they begin work on joint priorities, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Roadless Rule, which Outdoor Alliance continues to advocate for today.
2006
The five executive directors had hired DC-based environmental lawyer and whitewater paddler, Adam Cramer, who still serving as our CEO today. The Policy Directors from each organization start to meet regularly to analyze outdoor policy and share resources. Outdoor Alliance’s Joint Policy Shop still meets weekly and is the engine of Outdoor Alliance’s policy strategy.
2011
Outdoor Alliance advocates for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and successfully advocates for more than a million acres of roadless forest protection through the Colorado Roadless Rule.
2014
The Articles of Incorporation are filed in Washington D.C., signed by Brady Robinson as the first Board President. Adam Cramer, who has been working as the nascent coalition’s lawyer, comes on as its founding Executive Director. On August 7, 2014, Outdoor Alliance is officially a 501c3.
When the National Defense Authorization Act passes at the end of 2014, Outdoor Alliance’s advocacy helps to protect 847,702 acres across five states.
2015
Outdoor Alliance advocates for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, what has been called “America’s best conservation program,” when it expires. Congress temporarily reauthorizes the program for three years.
2016
Bears Ears National Monument designated after substantial outreach from Tribes as well as climbers and the outdoor recreation community.
2017
The outdoor community mounts a year-long defense of national monuments around the country, including of Bears Ears National Monument, submitting more than 20,000 comments during the monument review.
2019
Conceived of and advocated for a historic public lands package, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The bill passes through the Senate 92-8 and protects more than 14 million acres of public land and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
2020
Secure $1.9 billion for public lands through the Great American Outdoors Act, and successfully advocate for the Forest Service and other agencies to receive funding for deferred maintenance.
Co-found and launch the Recreate Responsibly campaign, which reaches billions of people with guidelines for safe and sustainable access to the outdoors.
2021
The outdoor recreation community gets more deeply involved in climate advocacy, starting with natural climate solutions like 30x30, the global effort to protect 30% of land and water by 2030.
Outdoor Alliance advocates to Congress and the administration and the U.S. announces its Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful program, which commits to protecting 30 percent of America’s land and water by 2030 to address climate change.
2022
Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the country’s largest-ever climate bill, which provides $369 billion in funding to address the climate crisis, including billions for wildfire mitigation, forest management, and conservation. Outdoor Alliance worked with congressional leadership, generated thousands of letters from recreationists, and built a West Virginia recreation coalition to advocate for the successful passage of this climate package.
The Inflation Reduction Act builds off years of work advocating for climate action within the outdoor community, focusing on specific legislative action that will improve the country’s climate outlook.
2023
Launch of Protecting America’s Outdoors coalition, a joint effort between Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, and The Conservation Alliance to bring together outdoor business, outdoor recreation advocates, and conservation-oriented businesses to protect the outdoors.