Victory! The Senate just passed the EXPLORE Act and it is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act takes important steps to expand and improve outdoor recreation opportunities. Highlights include:
- the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR), which will improve recreational permitting for outfitters and guides benefitting our members who guide or teach on public lands and waters
- the Biking on Long Distance Trails Act (BOLT) to create more long-distance bike trails
- the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC) to safeguard Wilderness climbing
- permanent direction for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership and Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR)
Outdoor Alliance and partners have been working on the EXPLORE Act for nearly 10-years and today marks an incredible victory and proof that the voices of paddlers and other outdoor enthusiasts are being heard by our lawmakers.
“The American Canoe Association is thrilled about the passage of the EXPLORE Act. This bipartisan success will greatly improve paddlers’ experiences outdoors, especially for our members who guide and teach on public lands and waters. With more Americans participating in paddlesports every year, the passage of EXPLORE is an important step in addressing long overdue management challenges and improving paddler’s ability to access high-quality outdoor experiences,” Brett Mayer, ACA Public Policy Director.
Please take a moment to thank your lawmakers for passing the EXPLORE Act. This act signals that you are watching their votes and will influence how willing they are to pass recreation and conservation legislation in the future!