Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government Comments

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations — made up of 35 national members, as well as other non-profit organizations and business entities, serving more than 110,000 businesses — is grateful for the opportunity to submit comments for the Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government public comment opportunity.

 My name is Gerry Seavo James, and I serve as the Coalition Lead for ORR’s Together Outdoors initiative. Together Outdoors is a cross-sector collaborative learning space for over 100 outdoor recreation organizations, companies, federal agencies, activists, service providers, and stakeholders who share a commitment to making the outdoors a more welcoming, safe, and enjoyable place for people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, faiths, identities, genders, orientations, and backgrounds. Among the coalition are members ranging from the National Park Service, U.S Forest Service, THOR Industries, Winnebago, Polaris and Vista Outdoors to Hipcamp, OnX Maps, and Kentucky State Parks, among many outstanding private sector, public sector, and nonprofit partners. Additionally, my connection to public lands and waters has been enhanced through my work as the founder of Explore Kentucky, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting an active lifestyle through adventure in Kentucky’s outdoors.

Thank for you taking time to understand concerns about equitable access and the issues underrepresented populations are facing in partaking in recreational opportunities. Our nation’s public lands are paramount in improving the overall health and wellness of our nation through providing space for physical activity, wonderment, and improving mental health. Not only do they provide benefits to the public, but they also ensure co-benefits in air and water quality, climate, and ecosystem resilience, and support rural communities and economies across the nation.

1.     What are the barriers to visiting public lands and waters managed by DOI (including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)? 

In the first of a series of six education modules of Together Outdoors, one of our key learning objectives was to help participants understand that today’s inequities in outdoor access are not a random anomaly, but a product of deliberate historic efforts to exclude certain communities from the outdoors—efforts whose impacts persist today. DOI can start making progress towards inclusive management of our shared public lands by compiling curriculum to educate its workforce on some of these barriers.

For instance, one of the major barriers to visitation of DOI sites by underrepresented populations, especially people of color, is the legacy of sundown towns. These were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods during the Jim Crow era that practiced some form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via discriminatory local laws, intimidation, violence, and sometimes crude signage letting non-white people that were not welcome in these locales after dark. Though these policies are no longer sanctioned by law, there are still racially motivated incidents that occur that make communities of color continue to feel unsafe traveling to spaces that are not diverse, many of which are gateway communities surrounding DOI sites.

 Suggestion: Historical Audit of Gateway Communities

DOI could conduct a historical audit on the legacy of gateway communities surrounding its sites and identify communities whose history may lead to persistent fears of visitation from underrepresented communities. DOI can work with these communities to think about the role of inclusion in community design, tourism marketing, and the training of frontline staffers. For example, one of the gateway communities off the interstate to Mammoth Cave National Park includes stores that brandish and sell Confederate memorabilia and outdated caricatures of indigenous people.

2.     How can DOI remove or reduce barriers (e.g., update policies, practices, or programs) that underserved communities and individuals may face when they recreate or attempt to recreate on DOI-managed lands and waters? 

Suggestion: Leadership Development

DOI could invest in free or low-cost experiential education programs in partnership with existing outdoor recreation affinity groups and outfitters that utilize the land and waterways that DOI manages. Such programs would help invigorate, train, develop, and mentor individuals from underrepresented communities as leaders to transform their local communities and provide representation in various outdoor activities like climbing, paddling, mountaineering, mountain biking, etc.

 Suggestion: Transit-to-Trails Programs

DOI could work to establish efficient, low/zero emission shuttles from various population centers to DOI sites for special events, field trips, and high-traffic periods. Additionally, DOI could work with regional rail systems or public transit to develop transportation service from various population centers to DOI sites, with consideration of neighborhoods who have historically been underinvested regarding green infrastructure and parks. NatureQuant’s NatureScore is an example of an existing program to evaluate green space inequities across neighborhoods.

3.     How can DOI establish and maintain connections to a wider and more diverse set of stakeholders representing underserved communities? What are the best ways to notify and engage underserved stakeholders about recreational opportunities? 

Suggestion: Work with Affinity Groups

Affinity groups (defined as organizations that cater towards participants of a specific demographic identity, e.g., Disabled Hikers, Inclusive Journeys, Brown People Camping, Pride Outside) are key partners in any DOI efforts to increase equity in that they possess knowledge about existing perceptions of or barriers for underrepresented groups, as well a deep reservoir of trust with participants to ensure that DOI programming is well-attended. DOI could develop cooperative agreements with these affinity groups to ensure effective implementation of programs.

Suggestion: K-12 Education Programs

DOI can work to build lifelong connections to its sites by investing in programming oriented at connecting with potential participants from a young age. This could include DOI-subsidized field trips (and renewal of Every Kid Outdoors program), classroom visits in school districts adjacent to DOI sites, and working with educational systems to incorporate lessons about regional DOI sites into lesson plans

Suggestion: Go to the People

 DOI could use a street team approach, meaning hitting the streets in underrepresented communities in less-formal attire than the normal uniform to talk about the recreational opportunities at DOI sites. There are plenty of opportunities for community engagement that exist through tabling at various community events, block parties, municipal and county parks. 

Gerry Seavo James, Together Outdoors Lead

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable