The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable is presenting Gary Fottrell with the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) 2020 Legends Award. The award recognizes individuals 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 proud to recognize Gary Fottrell as the Federal Highway Administration’s 2020 Legend,” said Jessica Turner, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “His open and collaborative approach to developing innovative solutions has helped people across Tennessee access outdoor recreation and build healthy lifestyles.”
“For more than 15 years, Gary has been a passionate federal program partner responsible for oversight of the Recreational Trails Program in Tennessee,” said Gloria Shepherd, associate administrator of FHWA’s Office of Environment, Planning and Realty. “Without question, Gary is a legend. On behalf of FHWA leadership, we are thrilled to congratulate him on this award.”
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 Park 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% 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. Unfortunately, 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.
