With the passage of the EXPLORE Act headlining the annual report of the Outdoor Alliance, the coalition of outdoor recreation groups working together to protect public lands recently celebrated its successes in the past year.
The recently published 2024 annual report, which details the efforts made throughout the 2024 calendar year in helping secure major conservation wins, including the protection of millions of acres of land and water, the evolution of how public lands are managed for outdoor recreation and the strides the organization has made in building an engaged and powerful outdoor advocacy community.
Outdoor Alliance’s mission and biggest achievement is continuing to help the human-powered outdoor recreation community – including running – speak with a single voice, garnering greater power in achieving bipartisan conservation successes in Washington, D.C. The successes of 2024 have become even more important in 2025 and beyond as conservation work faces increasing headwinds.
A key example from 2024 — nearly 10 years in the making — is how Outdoor Alliance led advocacy efforts to pass the EXPLORE Act, the most significant package of outdoor recreation policy that has been passed in recent years. In September, before its passage, Outdoor Alliance gathered a group of more than 80 advocates who facilitated as many meetings with lawmakers on the Hill, championing EXPLORE.
“The past year was a landmark one for Outdoor Alliance and the outdoor recreation community,” says Adam Cramer, executive director of Outdoor Alliance. “After a decade of hard work, we saw the passage of the EXPLORE Act – a huge bipartisan win – and made significant conservation gains across a range of programs, thanks to strong support from Congress.
“Most importantly, more people than ever who recreate outdoors are stepping up to advocate for the places they love,” he continues, adding that in 2025 “we’re facing real headwinds – especially with recent layoffs at land management agencies and the threat of public land sell-off. But the past year is a powerful reminder that Americans and their representatives in Congress share a commitment to protecting and improving public lands for all Americans.”
Within the 16-page report, the Outdoor Alliance team shares its major accomplishments from the year, which include:
● Helped protect 119,615 acres with the expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain and San Gabriel National Monuments.
● Facilitated 39,000 letters to legislators.
● Produced 562 datasets that were shared with the public.
● Helped secure $10 billion for public lands in supplemental disaster funding.
● Held 426 meetings with lawmakers, which equals more than 8 meetings per week.
● Wrote 36 policy letters.
● Trained 20 outdoor recreation leaders in advocacy and leadership as part of the newly established Grasstops Collective leadership training program, to influence national policy.
Outdoor Alliance acknowledges the collaborative efforts it takes to get these wins across the finish line and would like to thank its regional networks, national advocacy organizations, corporate partners and donors, board of directors, and people from across the outdoor recreation advocacy community. These collective endeavors help make Outdoor Alliance one of the most effective conservation and recreation advocacy organizations in the country.
To download a copy of the report: www.outdooralliance.org/outdoor-alliance-2024-annual-report
