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$5 BILLION OUTDOOR INDUSTRY TREKS DEEP INSIDE THE BELTWAY TO SEEK PASSAGE OF CONSERVATION BILL

Industry Reps Reach Out to 55 Senators During SGMA-ORCA Taste of the Outdoors Exhibition and Lobby Days

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2000) - Over 120 outdoor industry representatives from 26 states trekked deep within the Beltway to campaign for passage of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 2000 (CARA). Spokespeople from some of the largest outdoor manufacturers in the U.S. joined forces on June 14-15 to meet with Members of Congress, confer with key Congressional aides, and exhibit the latest outdoor gear.

The SGMA Taste of the Outdoors, celebrating its fifth anniversary, was sponsored by ORCA, the trade association of the outdoor industry, with support from the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA), NOLS, and Outward Bound. Manufacturers represented included American Recreation Products, Coleman, Eagle Creek, JanSport, Patagonia, REI, ThoroLo, and W.L. Gore & Associates, plus three dozen others.

"This week represented a crucial effort to persuade the Senate to pass landmark legislation setting aside $2.8 billion for the outdoors," said SGMA's Tom Cove, vice president - government relations.

With laser-beam accuracy, the outdoor business and its non-profit partners focused their attention on the Senate, which is scheduled to consider the CARA bill in committee on June 27. The CARA bill, approved by the House of Representatives by a decisive 315-102 vote in May, would dedicate $2.8 billion to preserve open space, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, provide recreation lands, fund urban parks and more.

"Passage of CARA is good for the outdoors and good for outdoor businesses, and we used this week to ensure that the Senate heard that message loud and clear," continued Cove.

At a briefing for outdoor industry executives, keynote speaker Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) explained her views on CARA, "We're asking the government to invest in something they should have funded long ago. This money was 'hijacked' 30 years ago and it's time we get it back."

ORCA Executive Director Frank Hugelmeyer said, "CARA is one of the greatest opportunities we have before us to enhance and improve the country's recreational inventory for the next generation. Hearing from so many key representatives of the industry highlighted for Congress the importance of this legislation.

"By combining forces, ORCA and SGMA can raise the industry's awareness and effectiveness in Washington," Hugelmeyer adds. "We have huge political power and the Senate needs to hear the stories of our businesses, our employees, our family and friends."

Reaching Over Half the Senate

Realizing that time is growing short and passage in the Senate is far from assured, Taste of the Outdoors participants reached over half the Senate in two days of meetings. The Taste exhibition attracted another 22 Members and hundreds of their staff to see, touch and try out kayaks, canoes, hiking boots, snowshoes, cross-country skis, and other outdoor products.

After a day of intense lobbying, ORCA President Sally McCoy, president of Sierra Designs, said, "It was fascinating to be on the Senate side this year where there was a lot of positive energy in support of this momentous legislation we hope to see passed."

Marion Flaxman, division coordinator of Swiss Army Brands, said of the two-day effort, "This has been our third year at the Taste. Outdoor manufacturers unable to attend missed an opportunity to share their voice on important outdoor issues."

A Mini-Trade Show

For the fifth consecutive year, SGMA and ORCA brought together a record 53 exhibitors for a two-hour mini-trade show at the Rayburn House Office Building.

Hundreds were attracted by displays of Coleman remote-controlled lanterns; waders made with W.L. Gore & Associate's GORE-TEX laminate; ThoroLo socks; WPC Brands first-aid kits; JanSport and Eagle Creek packs; Sierra Designs tents; maps from National Geographic Maps; Grabber Performance Group energy bars; Swiss Army Brand knives; Dunham boots; climbing gear from Black Diamond; and hundreds of other items including a selection of tents, bags and camping chairs from American Recreation Products' Wenzel, Rokk and Slumberjack divisions, and apparel from Moving Comfort, Patagonia, and REI.

One popular display was a buffet of trail foods assembled by Backpacker magazine. Other publications on display were Blue Ridge Outdoors, Fly-Fishing Retailer, Metro Sports Washington, National Geographic Society, Outdoor Explorer, Outdoor Retailer, and Outside.

From the paddlesports business came Dagger and Perception; the Snowshoe Mountain Adventure Program brought two coolers of late season snow from the mountains of West Virginia; and over 10 AFFTA members demonstrated fly-tying and fly-casting in the Rayburn courtyard fountain.

Non-profit exhibitors joining event supporters AFFTA, NOLS and Outward Bound were: American Canoe Association, American Hiking Society, American Trails, American Whitewater, Appalachian Trail Conference, Continental Divide Trail Alliance, Leave No Trace, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Alliance.

SGMA is a not-for-profit trade association representing more than 1,500 North American manufacturers and distributors of athletic equipment, footwear and apparel. Its membership includes leading outdoor corporations that employ thousands of Americans. ORCA is the 1,100-member trade association for the
$5.5 billion human-powered outdoor recreation industry, based in Boulder, Colo.

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Editor's note: Photos from the 2000 Taste of the Outdoors are available by e-mail upon request.

Contacts:
Tom Cove, VP - Government Relations, SGMA DC, 202 775 1762, tomsgma@aol.com
Sandy Briggs, Director - Public Policy Outreach, SGMA, 561 840 1171, sbsgma@aol.com
Myrna Johnson, Director of Government Affairs, ORCA, 303 444 3353 x101, myrna@orca.org
Jeff Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. PR, 203 855 9400, blumassoc@aol.com
Chris Goddard, CGPR (For ORCA), 203 838 8841, cagoddard@compuserve.com

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