The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable presented Deirdre “Dee” Hewitt with the National Park Service’s (NPS) 2020 Legends Award for outstanding work to improve outdoor recreation experiences and opportunities for the American people. Initially presented in 1991, Legends Awardees are nominated by their peers, and the awards are given to individuals whose efforts have made a concrete difference in enhancing outdoor recreation programs and resources.
“We are thrilled to recognize Dee Hewitt as the National Park Service’s 2020 Legend,” said Jessica Turner, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). “For more than two decades, she has been a leader in the National Park Service in helping ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion goals are integral to community assistance programs. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Founders Day than honoring a great partner like Dee.”
“Dee is a well-respected leader in the National Park Service,” said Reggie Chapple, NPS acting assistant director for partnerships and civic engagement. “She has dedicated her career to helping people and communities create more outdoor recreation communities. On behalf of the leadership of the National Park Service, I am pleased for this opportunity to recognize Dee for her extraordinary efforts.”
ORR will continue to announce the 2020 Legends recipients from each of the land and water management agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Together, these agencies host nearly one billion recreation visits annually, and play a vital role in the $778 billion outdoor recreation economy that accounts for 2.2 percent of U.S. GDP and 5.2 million American jobs.
Previous Legends Awards have been presented at the annual Partners Outdoors conference, held in June. Partners Outdoors 2020 was cancelled due to complications from COVID-19. An in-person ceremony will take place at Partners Outdoors 2021.
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable promotes the growth of the outdoor recreation economy and outdoor recreation activities and is an outdoor recreation coalition with 32 member associations serving over 100,000 businesses. ORR’s members represent America’s hunting, fishing, RVing, biking, hiking, camping, ATVing, diving, horseback and skiing communities among many more.
