Outdoor Alliance Reflects on Successful 2009
Washington D.C., January 18th, 2010 — Outdoor Alliance (OA), a coalition of six member-based national outdoor advocacy groups dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of our public lands and waters, is pleased to report significant and measurable progress in 2009. Fighting for the outdoor community across policies including Roadless Area Conservation, Climate Protection and Hardrock Mining Reform, Outdoor Alliance continued to champion the role of public lands while developing new partnerships that will help them meet the challenges 2010 will bring.
“Through the hard work and collaborative efforts of the American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, Winter Wildlands Alliance, Access Fund, American Hiking Society and the International Mountain Bicycling Association, Outdoor Alliance gained traction on all of our major initiatives in 2009”, said Mark Singleton, Executive Director for American Whitewater and Outdoor Alliance Chairman. ”We look forward to further gains that will actively and positively impact outdoor recreation in 2010.”
Roadless Area Conservation was the most active of the Outdoor Alliance policy platforms over the past year. OA’s roadless efforts focused on three areas, the Colorado Roadless Rule, national roadless conservation legislation and efforts with the new administration on the regulatory front.
Outdoor Alliance’s advocacy efforts on climate protection led to an invitation for OA to testify before a U.S. Congressional hearing regarding the role of public lands in combating climate change.
To help the outdoor recreation community better understand what’s at stake with climate change, OA produced two short films; the first, entitled Protect Our Climate was released in October and another will be released as Congress takes up the debate in the new year.
Meanwhile, additional Outdoor Alliance efforts before Congress helped the Senate introduce Hardrock mining reform legislation that built upon a House bill introduced earlier in 2009. Partners, including long-time allies at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Outdoor Industry Association, National Parks Conservation Association and Defenders of Wildlife continued to play an important role in the Outdoor Alliance’s work over the past year.
In 2009 OA began a more systematic collaboration with both the Conservation Fund and the Trust for Public Land. These partnerships allowed OA to connect with constituents on locally driven conservation efforts as well as amplify the OA voice to advocacy efforts inside the beltway.
Other highlights from 2009 include OA’s participation at the Ninth World Wilderness Congress, an international forum with the goal of exploring the strategic importance of wild lands in the global response to climate change, the development of a global memorandum of understanding between OA and the major U.S. federal land management agencies and coordinated efforts between member organization and the Waterkeeper Alliance to further the Clean Water Restoration Act.
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