For Immediate Release
March 7, 2022
Contact:
Carolann Ouellette, Director
Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation
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Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation Collaborates
on National Guidebook Developed for
Offices of Outdoor Recreation
~The guidebook showcases proven strategies sourced from state leaders to develop successful offices of outdoor recreation across the U.S.~
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Augusta, ME — Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, is pleased to share the release of the first-ever Guidebook on Developing Offices of Outdoor Recreation by the Confluence of States that provides best practices and strategies on developing successful offices of outdoor recreation and supports directors of current state offices of outdoor recreation across the nation.
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Ouellette collaborated with current state directors to help develop the guidebook, offering proven ideas sourced from her own experiences for new leaders of offices of outdoor recreation to help them succeed.
“Supporting more than 30,000 jobs in Maine, accounting for 4.9% of employment and providing more than $1.2 billion in compensation, outdoor recreation has proven value to our state,” Ouellette said. “While every state office of outdoor recreation requires a unique approach, it is our hope that this guidebook will help current and future offices of outdoor recreation by offering proven tactics and resources for operationalizing, building support and strategic initiatives to help create these offices that bring socio-economic value to communities across the nation.”
Maine’s Office of Outdoor Recreation was established in 2019 with trade organization, Maine Outdoor Brands, playing a lead role in its creation. In the State of Maine, outdoor recreation makes up 3.6% of the economy, making Maine one of the top five states in the country in the value outdoor recreation adds to statewide GDP. The largest contributors include: boating and fishing ($407 million), RV’ing ($172 million), hunting, shooting and trapping ($54 million), snow activities ($51 million), and climbing, hiking and tent camping ($35 million). Manufacturing of outdoor recreation gear and equipment contributed $348 million to Maine’s economy in 2021, a 21% increase over 2020.
In the past few years, there has been an unprecedented interest in outdoor recreation across the U.S. due to its track record of creating new jobs and businesses, improving public health, strengthening local economies and connecting communities. U.S. federal data shows that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for $862 billion in gross economic output, 1.9% of gross domestic product and 4.5 million jobs in 2021. From 2020 to 2021, the outdoor recreation economy grew nearly 19%, over three times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole.
The new guidebook will debut on March 9, 2023 at 2 p.m. EST during a webinar hosted by the Confluence of States. Entitled “State Offices of Outdoor Recreation: Introducing the Guidebook on Best Practices and a Conversation for Getting Started,” the webinar will feature Maribel Castañeda, author of the guidebook and Fellow for the Confluence of States, who will present the new playbook and moderate a panel of current state directors of outdoor recreation, including Ouellette, to discuss best practices for success in operating a new office. Those interested can register here.
“I am proud and gratified to have worked with the Confluence of States and state directors to help create this first-ever playbook that combines our valuable learnings in a digestible, implementable format,” Ouellette added.
The guidebook was made possible with the support of the Confluence of States, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Outdoor Industry Association, REI Co-op and VF Foundation. To learn more and download a copy of the guidebook, visit this page. For more information about the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, click here.
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Editor's Note: Click on the image above or the link below to access a high-resolution downloadable image.
About Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation: Maine’s Office of Outdoor Recreation (MOOR) was permanently established in 2019, to leverage Maine’s assets and outdoor recreation heritage to grow the outdoor recreation economy and build Maine’s outdoor recreation brand as part of a coordinated effort with partners from the public and private sectors. Learn more at www.maine.gov/decd/programs/maine-office-of-outdoor-recreation. Maine is a member of the Confluence of States, a coalition of eight states working to strengthen the outdoor recreation industry.
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