DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the members of the “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, which was established Nov. 8 to serve as an advisory board on public-private partnerships across all public lands, with the goal of expanding access to and improving infrastructure and waterways.
The committee “is made up of the private sector’s best and brightest to tackle some of our biggest public lands infrastructure and access challenges,” Zinke said Monday in a press release. “Dating back to the early days of the National Park Service, American businesses have been helping improve the public’s public land experience by doing everything from building iconic lodges like the Grand Canyon’s El Tovar to the historic “red jammers” in Glacier National Park.
“This committee will help build on that legacy and provide valuable insight into addressing the maintenance backlog on our public lands. The committee’s collective experience as entrepreneurs and business leaders provide unique insight that is often lost in the Federal government. As we rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, we can continue the exponential growth of the American recreation sector, which supports millions of American jobs and bares a significant impact on our economy.”
Members of the committee, including one from Utah, were selected for their diverse backgrounds and experiences with the recreational industry, according to the press release. They have knowledge using public-private partnerships, providing recreational visitor experiences, developing and deploying infrastructure improvements, or a thorough understanding of recreational equipment.
The duties of the committee are strictly advisory and will consist of, but not be limited to, providing recommendations including:
- Expand and improve visitor infrastructure developed through public-private partnerships.
- Implement sustainable operations embracing fair, efficient and convenient fee collection and strategic use of the collected fees.
- Improve interpretation using technology.
- Create better tools and/or opportunities for Americans to discover their lands and waters.
The members of the “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee are listed below:
|
MEMBER NAME |
ORGANIZATION |
|
Benjamin Bulis |
President & Chief Executive Officer, American Fly Fishing Trade Association |
|
Amanda Covington |
Senior Vice President of Communications & Government Relations, Vista Outdoor, Inc., Farmington, Utah |
|
Linda Craghead |
Assistant Secretary of Parks and Tourism, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism |
|
Derrick Crandall |
President, American Recreation Coalition; Counselor, National Park Hospitality Association |
|
Bruce Fears |
President, Aramark Leisure |
|
Bradley Franklin |
Government Relations Manager, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA |
|
Antonio Gonzalez |
President & Chief Officer, TAXA Outdoors |
|
Jeremy Jacobs |
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Delaware North |
|
Christopher Maloof |
Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development, RA Outdoors |
|
Matt Miller |
President, Newmar Corporation |
|
Phil Morlock |
Vice President, Government Affairs & Advocacy, Shimano American Corporation/Shimano Canada Ltd. |
|
John Morris |
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Bass Pro Shops |
|
Patrick Pacious |
Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels International, Inc. |
|
Jim Rodgers |
Chairman & Chief Executive Officier, KOA (Kampgrounds of America) |
|
K.C. Walsh |
Executive Chairman, Simms Fishing Products |
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I’m wondering if this is intended to replace the BLM Resource Advisory Council (RAC) a committee made up of local and regional individuals with expertise in local and regional concerns and problems. But then, the T rump administration is really not big on taking outside advice, obviously.
This is just more garbage by the Trump administration. Fortunately in a couple of years we will dismantle all of this and go back to having the Monuments as they were established by Clinton and Obama. The silly Trump experiment is over. I hope we win the lawsuits but this will all be fixed when we get another Democrat in office. Bye Trump.
It will be interesting to see if the oil and gas contracts let by this administration can be revoked later.
Interesting that the members of the advisory team are not climbers/hikers/mtn bikers, etc. Mostly old-school obese fisherman and motorsports people