DENVER, Co- A Vermont delegation of outdoor industry professionals will participate in the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence on January 24, 2018 to develop a coalition and platform for strengthening the nation’s outdoor recreation industry.
Hosted by Colorado’s Governor John W. Hickenlooper, Jr. and Luis Benitez, Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, the Confluence is the first convening of states heavily invested in the outdoor recreation industry. Delegations of eight states at the Confluence will seek to collectively define priorities and specific strategies in four key sectors of the outdoor recreation ecosystem:
- Economic Development
- Conservation and Stewardship
- Education and Workforce Training
- Public Health and Wellness
“The Confluence summit reaffirms Vermont’s place as a national leader in outdoor recreation and offers a unique opportunity to work with other states to unify a national vision for strengthening and expanding the outdoor recreation industry,” said Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner and Vermont delegation leader Michael Snyder. “We look forward to sharing our state’s successes and further ambitions, and we’re excited to learn more from our partner states about their own initiatives. With Governor Scott’s announcement of the VOREC recommendations last week, the timing of this event couldn’t be better as we in Vermont work together to increase the economic and environmental potential of outdoor recreation in our state.”
The Vermont delegation to the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence includes:
- Michael Snyder, Commissioner, Forests, Parks and Recreation
- Wendy Knight, Commissioner, Tourism and Marketing
- Drew Simmons, Owner, Pale Morning Media
- Hal Ellms, President, Pinnacle Outdoor Group
- Bill Supple, CEO, Mammut
- Marc Sherman, Founder, Outdoor Gear Exchange
- Amy Kelsey, Executive Director, Catamount Trails
- Elysa Walk, GM – Americas, Burton Snowboards
The Vermont delegation includes seven members of Governor Phil Scott’s 15-member Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Steering Committee. Last week, Governor Scott announced the group’s first report, which recommends strategies to strengthen and expand Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.
For more information about the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office hosting the summit, visit www.choosecolorado.com/orec
For more information about the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC), visit http://fpr.vermont.gov/VOREC