Funding can be the key to providing services to the recreating public and for ensuring the quality recreation opportunities that are necessary for a healthy outdoor recreation industry. We will work to ensure that general appropriations for public land agencies are adequate and that any new funding programs meet criteria for fairness, practicality and positive impact on the recreation industry and our consumers. Specific funding issues will include:

Land and Water Conservation Fund: Royalties from off-shore oil drilling are collected with the intention that they’ll be used for acquisition of public land and open space via the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). However, in the last decade only a fraction of that money was actually spent for that purpose. This program is of keen importance to the outdoor recreation industry because it could be a major provider of new and quality recreation opportunities for the American people. This year we have a golden opportunity for increasing funding and ensuring a more ironclad funding source for LWCF. Both Houses of Congress and the Administration have LWCF initiatives on their priority lists. While none of the initiatives is perfect, all are great beginnings for a good LWCF program. ORCA will work with Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation and the conservation community to encourage Congress and the Administration to create a permanent funding program that is environmentally sound and that maximizes the benefits for recreation. The bills and initiatives we will follow include:

• Conservation and Reinvestment Act
• Reinvestment and Environmental Restoration Act
• President’s Lands Legacy Initiative

Funding for Trail Maintenance and Recreation Management: Trail maintenance backlogs are almost insurmountable, and our national forests and parks are strapped for cash and personnel. The personnel shortage has resulted in less ability for agencies to manage for recreation, including fewer rangers on the trail. ORCA will urge Congress to increase appropriations for recreation management and trails.

Recreation User Fees: The recreation demonstration fee program is now into its third year. The fees collected stay with the agencies, and have brought new resources for recreation to all of the public land agencies. Agencies are in the process of evaluating the program. Meanwhile, the Congress has extended the demonstration program by several years, and we are hearing more and more from critics of the user fee program. Some ORCA members have heard directly from their customers that they oppose the program. ORCA will urge Congress to put a finite end on the demonstration program and to involve the recreation user community in the program evaluation. In addition, ORCA will provide its retail members with a basic info sheet on the program.

Monitoring The Excise Tax: The Conservation and Reinvestment Act and Reinvestment and Environmental Restoration Act each contain an alternative funding mechanism to the excise tax for the Teaming with Wildlife initiative. We will work to improve these bills so they have better chance of passage, and will monitor them to ensure that an excise tax on outdoor products is not substituted as a funding mechanism for this program.

In 1999, we will begin to engage the outdoor industry in a dialogue about hot button access/stewardship issues raised by environmentalists and land management agencies including: should numbers of individual recreationists be limited to maintain solitude in Wilderness? is recreation the next extractive industry? and should recreationists be forced to pay user fees when appropriations for recreation management are level or declining? We hope to become a force for creating solutions on these issues, bringing people together to find common ground and solutions. In addition, we will work on the following access and land stewardship issues:

Fixed Climbing Anchors In Wilderness: All of the public land management agencies are reviewing their policies on the use of fixed climbing anchors in Wilderness. These decisions will have a large impact on climbing and the climbing industry, and will set the tone for other human-powered outdoor recreation access decisions in the future. ORCA will continue to provide a coordinating function within the climbing community as well as continue to work with the agencies to ensure that climbers have the tools they need to climb in Wilderness.

Taste Of The Outdoors: ORCA will work with the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) to create a successful "Taste of the Outdoors" congressional reception and lobby days, including recruiting new CEOs to come to the event. The event will enable outdoor industry leaders to meet with their Members of Congress on issues of importance to the outdoor industry and to be a unified and successful presence in Washington, DC.

House Trails Caucus: ORCA will continue to work with the House Trails Caucus to develop trail and outdoor recreation advocates in the Congress. The agenda for the year will include social and outdoor events as well as issue briefs on recreation issues.

CEO Outreach Program: ORCA will continue its CEO breakfast tradition at the summer show. In addition, we will do two mailings to ORCA CEOs during the year highlighting government affairs work. If funding permits in the second half of the year, we will provide lobbying training and support for key groups of ORCA member CEOs.

Rendezvous: The Government Affairs Committee will use sessions at the Rendezvous to encourage the outdoor industry to get involved in government affairs and to begin a discussion on the accusation that outdoor recreation is the next extractive industry.