Trip Report: Outdoor Alliance Brings Advocates to D.C. to Stand Up for Public Lands and Waters — Outdoor Alliance

Even with the government shut down, Outdoor Alliance doesn’t stop working to protect public lands and waters. In October, our team and partners from across the country came together in Washington, D.C. for a fly-in that brought outdoor recreation leaders face-to-face with lawmakers to talk about the issues that matter most to the outdoor community: keeping public lands public, defending agency staffing and resources, and securing long-term funding for the outdoors.

Over the course of two days, our team, member organizations, and Grasstops Collective advocates met with 77 offices, including 9 members of Congress—a nearly even split between Republicans and Democrats. These meetings helped strengthen bipartisan support for outdoor recreation and conservation priorities across the country.

Policy Priorities and Takeaways

Our meetings focused on several key policy priorities:

• Keeping public lands public: At a time when some lawmakers are proposing to sell off or give away public lands, Outdoor Alliance continues to stand up for the idea that these lands belong to everyone. Senator Lee’s recent shift from a national land sale strategy to a piecemeal approach underscores that the outdoor community needs to stay engaged in protecting public lands and waters.

• Protecting outdoor recreation: We shared the importance of upholding the Roadless Rule, which the USDA is in the process of working to rescind, a move that would strip protections from 45 million acres of National Forests. While some staff were less familiar with this issue, these conversations highlighted the need for ongoing public education and advocacy.

• Defending agency capacity: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern about the state of agency staffing. Understaffed agencies are struggling to implement policies like the EXPLORE Act, manage recreation responsibly, and maintain essential infrastructure.

• Securing funding for the outdoors: There was strong bipartisan interest in reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), a cornerstone of the Great American Outdoors Act that has delivered millions of dollars in deferred maintenance projects across public lands. Many offices voiced support for moving a clean reauthorization bill through the Senate in the next year.

Outdoor Alliance’s CEO Adam Cramer said, “Public lands are one of the last truly bipartisan spaces in America. The conversations we had this week show that there’s still real appetite—across party lines—to protect access, fund stewardship, and ensure agencies have what they need to care for these places.”

Highlights from California

The California team met with 14 bipartisan offices, including House Natural Resources Committee staff and Ranking Member Congressman Jared Huffman, who expressed continued support for the Legacy Restoration Fund and outdoor recreation priorities.

“Our meetings with key decision-makers from the California delegation were both productive and insightful, strengthening Outdoor Alliance’s national advocacy efforts,” said Katie Goodwin, Western Regional Director & Policy Analyst at Access Fund. “It was especially meaningful to meet in person with our California policy team, as we continue our six-year partnership advancing impactful conservation policies and expanding public lands access at the federal level.”