Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (ID) and Mark Udall (CO) held the inaugural meeting of the Senate’s Outdoor Recreation Caucus at which they welcomed a briefing by Administration officials on the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative – an effort to promote and support innovative community-level conservation and encourage active outdoor lifestyles. The Administration provided an update on progress to date, including lessons learned from public listening sessions held throughout the country.

The Senators formed the Outdoor Recreation Caucus to raise awareness about responsible use and conservation of the land and the ways outdoor recreation can help Americans strengthen the economy and improve their health.

“America’s public lands are an important resource that must be carefully managed and protected to meet multiple uses,” said Senator Risch, a member of the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee. “Senator Udall and I formed the Senate Outdoor Recreation Caucus with the goal of educating Congressional members and staff on these issues where we in the West have had difficulties over the years, and to replace the federal government’s history of top-down mandates with collaboration at all levels.”

“Outdoor recreation contributes over $10 billion annually to Colorado’s economy and $730 billion nationwide, and getting Americans into the outdoors promotes healthy, active lifestyles. So the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative can benefit our nation’s economy and Americans’ health,” said Senator Udall, who also chairs the National Parks Subcommittee. Senator Udall also attended an AGO listening session in Golden earlier this month. “I want to thank the Administration for taking the time to explain and answer questions about the Initiative, which shares many of the same goals as our new Outdoor Recreation Caucus. I look forward to working with them to help create new ways we can reconnect Americans with the outdoors.”

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