The administration of President Joe Biden on Thursday held a ceremony to revive the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR). FICOR is an interagency effort working to create outdoor opportunities for Americans.
The FICOR includes leaders from the departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and Defense. The council will focus on improving access to nature, expanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and providing the public with improved and more affordable experiences on America’s public lands and waters.
RVIA staff were present for an announcement including remarks from Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) President Jessica Turner, leaders from the cabinet departments and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Capitol Hill leaders were very engaged in the process, said RVIA Director of Federal Affairs Chris Bornemann, and indicated they wanted to listen, learn, address outdoor workforce issues and create robust access to the outdoors for all Americans. Bornemann represented RIVA at the White House announcement.
The agencies are facing similar issues, including increased visitation, deteriorating infrastructure, staff recruitment, addressing emerging technologies like e-vehicle infrastructure and modernizing and expanding campgrounds for RVers, Bornemann said.
“They said this today, and it stuck with me: For this to be successful we must connect all the dots between the federal agencies, the state government, local stakeholders, industry and visitors that use the parks to create jobs, to boost tourism and local economies and ensure the physical and mental health of people that want to get outdoors and to make it accessible for all Americans,” Bornemann said. “We want to help anyone who wants to be able to get outdoors to do that in whatever way they want to do it.”
Initiating high-level coordination and a joint strategic plan is critical, Bornemann said.
“To get the commitment from the Secretary of the Interior, from the Secretary of Agriculture, the assistant secretary who oversees the Army Corps of Engineers and all these different federal land agencies, to commit and coordinate and to invest and build the next generation of sustainable outdoor infrastructure that is going to be here for generations to come is significantly impactful for our industry,” Bornemann said.
FICOR was developed in 2011 and provided a federal agency forum to coordinate recreation management, improve access, and provide a better recreation experience on federally managed lands and waters.
ORR released an explainer document to provide context for the development of FICOR, the agency’s significance for outdoor recreation and opportunities and key topics it can address.
“Solidifying FICOR could not have come at a better time to support America’s public lands, waters, and $689 billion outdoor recreation economy,” Turner said. “It is critical that federal land and water management agencies work together to address important recreation issues around funding, overcrowding, and climate resiliency, as well as coordinate on the implementation of newly passed measures that will address the maintenance backlog, infrastructure priorities, and distribution of Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars. ORR and its members are ready to partner however we can on solving these challenges together, as well as collectively approaching the many opportunities that are ahead to help everyone access the outdoors and protect our natural resources.”
FICOR will continue its work on coordination of management policies to provide the public with numerous recreation opportunities and help traditionally underserved communities access public lands and waters and the benefits of getting outside, ORR said.
“The revival of FICOR is critical to the $140 billion RV industry and the wider outdoor recreation economy, which has seen extraordinary growth as people prioritize their physical and mental wellbeing by getting outdoors,” said Craig Kirby, RVIA president and CEO. “The increased popularity of RVing and all types of outdoor recreation means greater coordination is needed between federal land and water agencies to provide safe and enjoyable experiences on our national lands for generations to come.”
ORR and RVIA are working to pass the 2022 America’s Outdoor Recreation Act to support FICOR’s work.
“RVIA, along with ORR, bringing together FICOR has been a top priority of ours because we understand how important it is to have this coordination at the top,” Bornemann said. “We are working with Congress right now to pass America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, which would include codifying this council. As administrations flip back and forth, this is always going to be a keystone when it comes to outdoor recreation policy regardless of who is in power.”
