[Senate Hearing 117-767]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                          S. Hrg. 117-767

                     THE STATE OF OUTDOOR TOURISM,
                       RECREATION, AND ECOTOURISM

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON TOURISM, TRADE,
                          AND EXPORT PROMOTION

                                 OF THE

                         COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                      SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             JUNE 15, 2021

                               __________

    Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation
                             
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]                             


                Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov
                
                                ________

                   U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
54-108 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2023                    
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------     
               
       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION


                   MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan                DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana                  MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia                 Virginia
                                     RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
                    David Strickland, Staff Director
                 Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
       George Greenwell, Policy Coordinator and Security Manager
                 John Keast, Republican Staff Director
            Crystal Tully, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                      Steven Wall, General Counsel
                              
                              ------                                

          SUBCOMMITTEE ON TOURISM, TRADE, AND EXPORT PROMOTION

JACKY ROSEN, Nevada, Chair           RICK SCOTT, Florida, Ranking
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
JON TESTER, Montana                  RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado              Virginia
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Hearing held on June 15, 2021....................................     1
Statement of Senator Rosen.......................................     1
Statement of Senator Scott.......................................     3
Statement of Senator Capito......................................    23
Statement of Senator Klobuchar...................................    29
Statement of Senator Sullivan....................................    30
Statement of Senator Hickenlooper................................    33

                               Witnesses

Colin Robertson, Administrator, Division of Outdoor Recreation, 
  Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources........     5
    Prepared statement...........................................     7
Glenn Hughes, President, American Sportfishing Association.......     9
    Prepared statement...........................................    11
Joe Henry, Executive Direction, Lake of the Woods Tourism........    14
    Prepared statement...........................................    16
Zachary Hartman, Chief Policy Officer, Ducks Unlimited...........    18
    Prepared statement...........................................    20

                                Appendix

Response to written questions submitted to Colin Robertson by:
    Hon. Jacky Rosen.............................................    41
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    43
Response to written question submitted to Glenn Hughes by:
    Hon. Jacky Rosen.............................................    44
    Hon. Roger Wicker............................................    44
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    45
Response to written questions submitted to Joe Henry by:
    Hon. Jacky Rosen.............................................    45
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    47
Response to written questions submitted to Zachary Hartman by:
    Hon. Jacky Rosen.............................................    47
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    48

 
        THE STATE OF OUTDOOR TOURISM, RECREATION, AND ECOTOURISM

                              ----------                              


                         TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021

                               U.S. Senate,
           Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion,   
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:09 p.m., in 
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Jacky Rosen, 
Chairwoman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
    Present: Senators Rosen [presiding], Klobuchar, 
Hickenlooper, Scott, Sullivan, and Capito.

            OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JACKY ROSEN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA

    Senator Rosen. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to 
today's hearing on The State of Outdoor Tourism, Recreation, 
and Ecotourism. Today we will examine the state of the outdoor 
tourism and recreation industry, including the impacts of 
COVID-19 on businesses and communities. We will review the 
contributions of outdoor recreation to local economies, and 
discuss solutions for promoting the outdoor industry, investing 
in communities depending on outdoor tourism, protecting our 
lands and waters, and supporting U.S. jobs and businesses.
    The outdoor recreation industry contributes $778 billion 
economic output nationally and supports nearly 5.2 million 
American jobs. From guides to outfitters to manufacturers, of 
course our small business owners, and so many more. Because 
outdoor recreation, it serves as an outlet for individuals to 
enjoy natural spaces, especially this past year during this 
pandemic. And it creates job opportunities, and it stimulates 
the travel and tourism economy that every single state depends 
upon.
    Outdoor recreation is a major contributor, of course, to 
the Nevada economy. According to the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis, outdoor recreation in Nevada generates over $5.5 
billion in economic output annually and is responsible for 
nearly 60,000 Nevada jobs. Nevada's natural wonders bring 
people from across the country and around the world to see our 
mountains, our deserts, our lakes, and our wildlife.
    Over 80 percent of our state is managed by the Federal 
Government. And these public lands and waters and our 24 State 
parks, offer diverse opportunities for residents and visitors 
to enjoy the outdoors. Of course, they are hiking, camping, 
boating, hunting, skiing, fabulous stargazing, or attending 
wonderful outdoor cultural events.
    In Southern Nevada, we have many beautiful places and 
recreation opportunities just minutes away from the Las Vegas 
strip, from Red Rock National Conservation area to Valley of 
Fire and Lake Meade. And of course, in Northern Nevada, we have 
Lake Tahoe. It is one of the world's most beautiful and 
clearest bodies of water and it attracts over 15 million 
visitors each year, for various outdoor recreational 
opportunities, again, skiing, watersports, biking, camping, and 
hiking. Through this, Tahoe actually anchors a $5.1 billion 
economy and supports hundreds of local jobs.
    In Nevada, we have two national monuments, Gold Butte, and 
Basin and Range. And they are in remote and rugged areas of our 
state. They are full of petroglyphs that people come from all 
over to see. And developing those outdoor recreation 
opportunities, in and near Nevada's rural communities, they are 
really an important way to increase tourism spending and 
support our local businesses.
    Places like Jar Bridge Wilderness Area, or the Ruby 
Mountains in Elko County, attract outdoor enthusiasts and back 
country hikers and hunters. In Lander County, the Battle 
Mountain human powered vehicle speed challenge--is a fixture of 
the tourism season in Battle Mountain. Black Rock Desert, in 
Western Nevada, I am sure you have heard of all of that, home 
to Burning Man. But it also offers opportunities year-round, 
including rock climbing and land speed racing.
    White Pine County, in Eastern Nevada, is also a hub for 
outdoor recreation and tourism. Like I said, with Great Basin 
National Park features ancient bristlecone pines, the Leeman 
Caves, and unparalleled view of the night sky. You want to 
stargaze, you come to Nevada because the Great Basin star train 
is doing to transport visitors from Ely, right to the park, 
which has brought in thousands of dollars to the local 
community, and they call it Park to Park After Dark. Its 
initiative is building on this success and encouraging 
astrotourism to see the stars along Highway 6, from Death 
Valley National Park to Great Basin National Park.
    So, I am so pleased to have Colin Robertson here. Our 
State's inaugural Administrator of Nevada's Division of Outdoor 
Recreation, he is here today testifying as an expert witness, 
to share his insights on how to support the outdoor recreation 
industry. Thank you, Mr. Robertson.
    In addition, we are pleased to have with us Joe Henry, 
Executive Director of Lake of the Woods tourism in Minnesota. 
Glen Hughes, President of the American Sport Fishing 
Association. Thank you for being here, Mr. Hughes. And Zachary 
Hartman, Chief Policy Officer of Ducks, Unlimited, a non-profit 
organization focused on wetlands conservation.
    As we will hear from these witnesses, over the past year we 
have seen an increase in participation and demand in outdoor 
recreation, which has created both opportunities and challenges 
for the industry. Nearly 53 percent of Americans participated 
in outdoor recreation in 2020, and 8.1 million more Americans 
hiked last year, than in 2019. This is not surprising, given 
that outdoor recreation offered a way for people to enjoy 
nature and benefit their mental and physical health during this 
pandemic, all while complying with social distancing 
guidelines.
    While we did see an increase in Americans exploring nature 
and getting outdoors, many had to cancel trips, were unable to 
spend money on recreation due to the pandemic. Get Outdoors 
Nevada and the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition commissioned a 
study on the impact of COVID on outdoor recreation. Which found 
that the States' outdoor recreation economy lost about 6 
percent of its jobs during the pandemic.
    With a loss of 13 million annual visitors to our state, 
tour companies, outfitters, guides, and other businesses, all 
of them, they just suffered because they rely on those 
travelers. And I know that this follows a national trend. 
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it has measured the COVID-
19 impacts on small business, 75 percent of small businesses, 
in a category that includes outdoor recreation, are struggling 
due to the crisis.
    The outdoor recreation industry went from one of the 
fastest growing sectors of our economy to experiencing record 
unemployment, during the pandemic. And according to a survey of 
outdoor recreation round table members, last year as many as 94 
percent of outdoor businesses experienced, unfortunately, 94--
experienced drops in sales. And 88 percent of outdoor 
businesses laid off or furloughed their staff.
    Our Nation's outdoor economy is still hurting. And 
Congress, we have a role to play in helping rebuild it. First, 
we must provide better funding for land management agencies and 
local communities, so that they can better protect and maintain 
public lands and serve visitors to them. Without adequate 
staffing and resources, we will not be able to continue 
enjoying the outdoors or have a healthy outdoor tourism future. 
We must also make significant investments in improving the 
infrastructure in our parks and other public lands, such as, 
improving campgrounds and boat ramps, so that people will fully 
be able to enjoy the outdoors.
    There is so much more we can do to reinvigorate our outdoor 
tourism economy and get Americans back to work. it is my hope 
that today's hearing will help us better understand the 
opportunities and challenges facing the outdoor recreation 
industry and how to support small business, local communities, 
public lands and waters, through targeted--targeted 
investments.
    I look forward to hearing from each of the witnesses today, 
as you share your experiences and your expertise with us. So, I 
am going to turn it over to Ranking Member Scott for his 
opening statement and then, we will introduce our witnesses. 
Senator Scott.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SCOTT, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

    Senator Scott. First, I want to thank Chair Rosen for 
hosting this hearing today. We have had the opportunity to have 
quite a few hearings about how the great states of Nevada and 
Florida are going to increase tourism. And it is clearly 
important to both of our states. I want to thank each of our 
witnesses for being with us here today and what you do to, not 
just create jobs, but create great experiences for people, all 
over the United States.
    So, America is home to the best outdoor recreation in the 
world. People from all over the world travel to each of our 
states, see our beaches, our mountains, our lakes, and all our 
great Nation has to offer. My great state is one of the best 
global travel destinations for outdoor recreation. We have, 
when I left, 166 State parks. You can get a national award, 
from the National Park Service, for the best state-for-state 
parks. You can win it every 6 years and we are one of the 
states that have won it once. There is only one state that has 
won it twice and there is only one state that has one it three 
times, and that is Florida.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Scott. So, we have great outdoor recreation. When I 
got elected as Governor, we were at a big downturn. And we are 
a big tourism state like Chair Rosen's state is and we had 
stagnated at about 80 million tourists. And by the time we 
finished, by investing to recruit more tourists and market our 
state, last year we went from our first year at 80 million 
tourists, to our last year, 126 million tourists.
    In Florida, every 87 tourists is a new job. I do not know 
if you have a statistic like that for Nevada, but it is a big 
deal in Florida and creates a lot of jobs.
    And the pandemic has impacted everybody in this country. 
And unfortunately, we have seen now, over 600,000 deaths. And 
every business, every family, every employee's had to figure 
out to navigate this and it has been pretty hard on our 
families and our businesses.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly hurt Florida's tourism 
industry. I am sure it has hurt tourism across the Nation. But 
the biggest thing is, how much of it has hurt people that 
needed their jobs, and their jobs were completely tied to 
tourism. I am glad our state is open for business and--but if 
we are--you know, we have to keep working together, like Chair 
Rosen has said. And if we work together, we are going to get 
more tourists and give people great opportunities.
    Enjoying time outdoors in the fresh air is clearly 
beneficial for all of our health and we all want to do that--
our physical and mental health. And I have got grandkids, and 
so we try to get them out to go see our parks--our National 
parks, our State parks, and all around the country, every 
chance we have.
    The--as we know, recreation drives--clearly, in our two 
states, drives our economy. It is the biggest driver of our 
economy. And I know in my state, and I think it is true around 
the country, is people come and travel to your state, there is 
a greater chance they are going to move there. They are going 
to buy a second home there, like they do in Florida, open up 
their businesses there, and it has clearly happened in Florida.
    Our state is known for great fishing. We have more Bass Pro 
Shops than any state in the country. We have got some great 
tournaments--fishing tournaments. The best fishing tournament 
in the world, Mr. Hughes runs. They do it in Orlando. I do not 
know how many years you have done it now, probably 8 years, or 
so, yes. If you want to know more about fishing, you ought to 
come to their----
    Senator Rosen. I love fishing.
    Senator Scott. It is--but I mean, it has got all the new 
stuff. And so, it is fun people.
    So, all of us have to figure out how do we do this safely. 
I have got a bill that I, with Chair Cantwell, she is the Chair 
of the Commerce Committee, it is to create a temperature check 
pilot program at our airports. We have just got to figure out 
how to get people back. I know more people are flying.
    I have also got a Freedom to Fly Act, which says the TSA is 
not going to mandate vaccines--vaccine card before you get on a 
plane. I think we all should figure that out on our own. I 
think everybody ought to get vaccinated. I have got both the 
normal antibodies and the vaccinated antibodies, I was lucky 
enough to get COVID.
    So, we are all going to work together. I want to thank the 
Chair again for--we have been able to do this together for just 
this year and we are going to make sure the tourism industry--
not just in our states, but this whole country, comes back and 
it is great experiences for people. But also, people get great 
jobs. It helps all--everybody that is trying to make a living 
in the tourism industry. So, thanks, Chair Rosen.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Senator Scott. Visit--our message 
is visit every one of our states, great and wonderful and 
beautiful.
    But right now, I am going to introduces our first witness 
who is testifying here in person today, Colin Robertson. He is 
the Administrator for the Nevada Division of Outdoor 
Recreation. And in 2019, the Nevada legislature established the 
Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation within our State 
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. And Mr. 
Roberston was selected as the first administrator to run the 
office. As such, Mr. Robertson is tasked with leading the 
effort to promote Nevada's outstanding outdoor recreation 
opportunities and the conservation of our natural environment 
and of course, always grow our economy through the beauty of 
our state.
    Colin is a longtime Nevadan, a graduate of Nevada--
University of Nevada, Reno. And we are so fortunate to have him 
here today to provide his insight, his expertise, his passion 
for the outdoors, and everything he knows about outdoor tourism 
and recreation, not just in Nevada, but across the country.
    So, Mr. Robertson, I recognize you now for your opening 
remarks.

          STATEMENT OF COLIN ROBERTSON, ADMINISTRATOR,

     DIVISION OF OUTDOOR RECREATION, NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF 
               CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    Mr. Robertson. Good afternoon, Senators Rosen and Scott. 
For the record, my name is Colin Robertson, and I am the 
Administrator of the new Division of Outdoor Recreation in the 
Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Thank 
you so much for the opportunity to testify here today. It is a 
really important one and a very important topic. I would like 
to ask that my longer written testimony also be admitted to the 
record.
    In 2019, pre-COVID, the outdoor recreation economy 
accounted for 2.1 percent of the Nation's gross domestic 
product, or $460 billion. Nevada's outdoor recreation economy 
accounted for 3.1 percent of the State's overall GDP, one full 
percentage point more than the national average. It also 
accounted for 60,000 jobs.
    Interest in outdoor recreation continues to grow 
nationwide, as do associated economic, community, and public 
land and water impacts, both good and not so good. The COVID-19 
pandemic compounded some of these effects.
    From an outdoor industry perspective, for some sectors 
pandemic-induced increases in outdoor recreation led to 
historically high sales. But supply chain issues and high 
demand have created shortages and price increases for many 
products. But COVID closures and travel restrictions also led 
to significant negative impacts on guides and outfitters, 
campgrounds and marinas, outdoor recreation concessions, non-
profits, and State and local governments. These impacts hit 
Nevada particularly hard.
    At the same time, participation increased dramatically last 
year. National forests experienced a 40 percent increase in 
dispersed camping, and a 70 percent increase in visits to 
wilderness areas. Unfortunately, that visitation also 
contributed to more wildfires and other significant natural 
resource impacts on public lands nationwide.
    A recent outdoor industry association report showed, 
happily, that the newest outdoor recreation participants are 
more likely to be female, younger, living in an urban area, and 
slightly more ethnically diverse than existing participants. 
They need and want recreational opportunities with low barriers 
to entry.
    The Confluence of States--The National Alliance of State 
Offices of Outdoor Recreation, like mine, and the NGA's Outdoor 
Recreation Learning Network will continue to foster the many 
health, education, conservation, and economic benefits 
associated with outdoor recreation. But we also need further 
Federal investment in outdoor recreation.
    In my written testimony, I have outlined seven areas for 
Congress to advance and, importantly, to protect and sustain 
outdoor recreation and its beneficial economic and community 
impacts. They include supporting sustainable and responsible 
recreation and tourism initiatives, making strategic 
investments in public land management agencies, developing 
innovative data strategies, fostering equity and inclusion, 
reexamining Federal funding match requirements, developing 
skilled work forces, and prioritizing affordable housing.
    We run a real risk of loving places to death, because of 
resource impacts on lands that belong to the American people. 
Lake Tahoe, for example, is one-third the size of Yosemite 
National Park yet is visited by three times as many people 
annually--15 million people, or more, creating extraordinary 
pressures on Tahoe's forested lands and famously clear waters.
    The Corporation for Travel Promotion, the National Travel 
and Tourism Office, and the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board 
should collaborate with State offices of outdoor recreation and 
DMOs, to develop responsible and sustainable outdoor recreation 
and tourism strategies and initiatives.
    We need more recurring recreation-related funding for 
personnel and programs, within land management agencies, 
including funding for existing and future infrastructure needed 
to accommodate the growth in outdoor recreation tourism.
    Also, housing is desperately needed, near or on public 
lands for land management agency staff who can no longer afford 
to live where they work. We need Congress to help the land 
management agencies make sustainable and responsible outdoor 
recreation a national priority.
    Finally, we need Federal travel and tourism agencies to 
coordinate with the Confluence of States and the outdoor 
industry, to develop and improve data collection and analysis 
of outdoor recreation-related tourism and travel.
    With that overview, Senators Rosen and Scott, thank you 
again for this important opportunity to testify here today. I 
am happy to respond to any questions you, or the rest of the 
subcommittee may have. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Robertson follows:]

   Prepared Statement of Colin Robertson, Administrator, Division of 
   Outdoor Recreation, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural 
                               Resources
    Good afternoon, Senators Rosen, Scott, and Subcommittee members.
    For the record, my name is Colin Robertson, and I am the 
Administrator of the new Division of Outdoor Recreation in the Nevada 
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Witnesses here 
today--including me--have been asked to provide insights into the 
contribution of outdoor recreation to the economy, and solutions for 
promoting the outdoor industry, investing in local communities, 
supporting U.S. jobs and businesses, and, equally importantly, 
protecting and enhancing the public lands and waters that support 
outdoor recreation activities. Thank you for the opportunity to testify 
here today on this important topic.
    According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis Outdoor Recreation 
Satellite Account's most recent data analysis, in 2019--pre-COVID--the 
outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.1 percent of the Nation's 
gross domestic product (GDP), or $460 billion. In 2019, the outdoor 
recreation economy accounted for 3.1 percent of Nevada's overall GDP--
one full percentage point more than the national average, and 
representing significant growth over the year prior in the state. It 
also accounted for 60,000 jobs in 2019.
    Interest and participation in outdoor recreation activities and 
experiences continues to grow nationwide--as do the economic, 
community, and public land and water impacts associated with outdoor 
recreation, both good and not so good. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded 
some of these effects.
    From an outdoor industry perspective, for some sectors pandemic-
induced increases in outdoor recreation led to historically high sales, 
but supply chain issues and continued high demand have created 
shortages and price increases for many recreation-related products. If 
you have tried to purchase a bicycle recently, you know what I mean. At 
the same time, COVID closures and travel restrictions led to 
significant negative impacts on guides and outfitters, campground and 
marina owners/operators, outdoor recreation concessions, non-profit 
education organizations, and state and local governments, among others. 
These impacts hit Nevada particularly hard. Travel and tourism in 
Nevada dropped precipitously during COVID, with visitor volume and 
spending both down by more than 50 percent in 2020. Employment in the 
travel/tourism industry dropped by more than 24 percent.
    At the same time, outdoor recreation participation increased 
dramatically in 2020. Data from the newest edition of the USDA Forest 
Service's National Visitor Use Monitoring Survey indicate remarkable 
increases in national forest visitation in 2020, including a 40 percent 
increase in dispersed camping on general forest lands, and a more than 
70 percent increase in visits to wilderness areas. Opportunities to 
find local, safe, and socially distanced recreation outdoors no doubt 
motivated this increase, especially when most developed recreation 
sites on federally managed public lands were closed last year. 
Unfortunately, increased visitation also contributed to increased 
wildfires on public lands and to significant resource impacts created 
by ``nature novices'' who are not familiar with the tenets of 
responsible recreation, outdoor ethics, or Leave No Trace sustainable 
recreation principles. Thus, as we collectively work to create more 
outdoor recreation opportunities, we must also prioritize outdoor 
recreation education, to protect both the recreationist and our shared 
natural resources.
    The Outdoor Industry Association's recent special report, ``New 
Outdoor Participant (COVID and Beyond),'' reveals that new outdoor 
recreation participants from last year are more likely to be female, 
younger, living in an urban area, and slightly more ethnically diverse 
than existing participants. New participants primarily sought socially-
distanced outdoor activities to safely spend time with loved ones, 
exercise, stay healthy, or reduce screen-time fatigue. New participants 
are largely motivated by outdoor recreation opportunities with low 
barriers to entry that are available and accessible within 10 miles of 
their homes, including walking, running, biking and hiking.
    We need State Offices of Outdoor Recreation, the Confluence of 
States (the national alliance of these offices), and the National 
Governor's Association Outdoor Recreation Learning Network to continue 
working to encourage, foster, and support the numerous positive health, 
education, conservation, and economic benefits associated with outdoor 
recreation. At the same time, we need more Federal recognition of the 
importance of outdoor recreation by investing in local communities; 
funding the conservation, protection, and sustainable recreational use 
of public lands and waters; and supporting U.S. jobs and businesses in 
the outdoor industry. Nowhere is this truer than in Nevada, where over 
85 percent of our land is federally managed, including over 60 percent 
by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park 
Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service. Some specific opportunities 
include:
    Support Sustainable and Responsible Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 
Initiatives. As public lands reopen, we risk diving headfirst back into 
an overcrowding crisis, replete with increased natural resource impacts 
on the lands that belong to the American people. The Lake Tahoe Basin, 
for example, is one-third the size of Yosemite National Park, yet is 
visited by three times as many people (15+ million), creating 
extraordinary pressures on Tahoe's public lands and famously clear 
waters. Going forward, we must determine what role the Corporation for 
Travel Promotion, the National Travel and Tourism Office, and the 
Travel and Tourism Advisory Board can play to ensure the tourism 
industry adopts strategies and practices to support marketing, 
communications, and management oriented toward responsible and 
sustainable outdoor recreation and tourism that avoid exploitation and 
over-crowding. Can these agencies help establish community-based eco-
tourism across the U.S.?
    Support Further Strategic Investment In Our Nation's Public Land 
Management Agencies. In particular, we need more targeted recreation-
related funding for personnel and programs within public land 
management agencies, including funding for planning, maintenance, and 
operations of existing and future infrastructure needed to accommodate 
the growth in outdoor recreation. Also, housing near or on public lands 
for land management agency staff, who are increasingly unable to afford 
to live where they work. Can Congress help the Federal land management 
agencies make sustainable outdoor recreation a national priority?
    Develop National Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Data Strategies. 
Can the Subcommittee's oversight of Federal travel and tourism agencies 
help promote more coordination with the Confluence of States and the 
outdoor recreation industry to develop and improve data collection and 
analysis of outdoor recreation-related tourism and travel?
    Foster Equity and Inclusion and Promote Health Benefits. Create and 
encourage more outdoor recreation opportunities close to home, 
particularly in underrepresented or disadvantaged communities. Parks, 
trails, and open spaces near where people live are a crucial part of 
growing participation and thereby supporting the outdoor industry. The 
pandemic has shown that there is a demand for close-to-home outdoor 
recreation. Support investment in programming that engages families in 
the outdoors. Help new participants make their activities more social 
as restrictions lift. Develop programs and services with the specific 
goal of diversifying the participant base, and strategies for 
encouraging people to start with activities that have relatively low 
barriers to entry, such as walking, running, hiking and birdwatching. 
Position outdoor recreation as an antidote to the mental health 
challenges faced by so many of our fellow citizens across the U.S.
    Reexamine Federal Outdoor Recreation Funding Match Requirements. 
Federal funding match requirements, such as those required by the 
Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund must take rural economic 
realities into account. For example, rural gateway communities often 
have the most outdoor recreation and outdoor tourism potential and 
abundant natural capital, but the least amount of revenue needed to 
meet 1:1 match requirements.
    Foster Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Workforce Development. Work 
to understand the diverse needs of the outdoor industry. Materials 
science, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, and natural resource 
planning and conservation all stand to benefit from workforce 
development programs of many kinds, including the 21st Century Civilian 
Conservation Corps. Developing these programs will ensure that local 
businesses and nonprofits benefit from outdoor recreation and tourism 
growth, thereby creating jobs directly and indirectly tied to outdoor 
recreation. How can the National Travel and Tourism Office and Advisory 
Board help support the formation of national outdoor industry workforce 
standards and invest in State and academic programs to advance them?
    Prioritize Affordable, Safe Housing. An increase in tourism and 
remote work, particularly in rural gateway communities rich in outdoor 
assets, has exacerbated an affordable housing crisis that now threatens 
to erode the heart of many Western communities. People in those 
communities are being priced out of quality housing, which poses a 
serious threat to private and public sector job recruitment and 
retention. How can Congress lead efforts to alleviate this disaster and 
support working class people--educators, advocates, retailers, 
outfitters and more--who make up the heart and soul of these 
communities?
    With that overview, Senators Rosen and Scott, I would like to thank 
you again for the opportunity to testify here today. I am happy to 
respond to any questions you or the rest of the Subcommittee members 
may have.

    Senator Rosen. Well, thank you, Mr. Robertson, for your 
insights into the state of outdoor tourism recreation, and for 
some of your action items, because we need to look at those and 
see how we can help.
    Right now, I would like to turn it over to Senator Scott to 
introduce our next witness. Senator Scott.
    Senator Scott. [Off mic] he has to have the best job in the 
world. He gets to go promote fishing--sportfishing, all across 
the world. And he has his conference down in Orlando and it 
is--anybody that has an opportunity, you should go. You get to 
see all the latest stuff. And I have never met anybody that is 
at this conference that was not happy. And so, I just want to 
thank him for what he does to constantly improve sportfishing 
in this country. And I want to thank you, again, for making the 
decision to hold your conference down in Florida. And I think 
you said, maybe it was on your fourth or fifth year, you had 
a--what? A fifty percent increase after you started coming to 
Florida? Yes, so--Mr. Hughes.

             STATEMENT OF GLENN HUGHES, PRESIDENT, 
               AMERICAN SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION

    Mr. Hughes. [Off mic] having us here today, oops. Excuse 
me, thank you very much. So, good afternoon. It is an honor to 
be here with you today on behalf of the American Sportfishing 
Association. It is my pleasure to represent the sportfishing 
industry and the outdoor recreational community.
    You know, ASA has been serving the sportfishing industry 
since 1933. And the folks that we serve are those that buy the 
fishing tackle and they bought $51 billion worth of fishing 
equipment in this past year, as well with other products and 
services. With that comes an economic impact of $129 billion, 
as well, that supports 825,000 jobs. $22 billion of the retail 
sales actually is tied to services that are involved--travel-
related expenses. That is why the access to the outdoors is 
just so important for us, to make sure that these states and 
local economies have access.
    Last year anglers bought more than 30 million fishing 
licenses, which generated more than $750 million in license 
fees. That money also goes to conservation. The sportfishing 
manufacturers also contribute to conservation. That is through 
Federal excise taxes and first-time sales of fishing equipment. 
Since the bill became law in 1950, the Dingell-Johnson Act, has 
distributed billions of dollars to the Sport Fish Restoration 
and Boating Trust Fund. Combined with the Pittman-Robertson 
Act, that established an excise tax on firearms and ammunition, 
more than $65 billion has been provided to states for 
conservation. In essence, anglers and hunters provide more 
money for conservation than any other user group. So, the 
question is, have you hugged an angler or hunter today?
    During the pandemic, Americans turned to fishing and other 
outdoor recreational activities. Research sponsored by the 
Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, showed us that the 
number of anglers increased from 50 million to 55 million in 
2020 alone. More anglers led to more fishing license sales and, 
on average, each state had an average license increase of 14 
percent in 2020.
    This was not the case for non-resident sales since the 
pandemic prohibited travel a lot of travel, from state to 
state, for several months. In all, 19 states saw a decrease in 
non-resident sales, and therefore, many other--a lot of the 
license--or a lot of the tourism dollars also did not make it 
to the states.
    More anglers last year also meant more money from the 
sportfishing manufacturers', who paid the Federal excise tax on 
the--more than ever before, as a matter of fact. The increase 
was not 10 percent, and it was not 20 percent. The increase of 
the sportfishing manufacturers spent on fishing tackle and 
provided to, for a Federal excise tax, was 54 percent more 
spent in 2020 than the previous year.
    The boating industry also enjoyed tremendous growth. Boat 
registrations, across the country, were up about 35 percent 
year over year. And that is a 13-year high. With boat 
registrations on the rise, it is critical that we ensure proper 
and safe access to water through more boat ramps and parking at 
these locations.
    Regarding a broader view, as been mentioned already, the 
entire outdoor recreation economy was impacted both positively 
and negatively by the pandemic. The ASA is one of 33 
organizations associated with the Outdoor Recreation 
Roundtable, which represents 110,000 businesses across the 
country. And we also did speak with the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis and learned through--that in 2019, outdoor recreation 
accounted for the 2.1 percent of the gross domestic product, 
that had $788 billion in economic output, and supported 5.2 
million jobs. Fishing and boating are the largest contributors 
to that.
    But not all businesses did well. Fishing lodges, charter 
boats, marinas, restaurants, as well as the trade and consumer 
shows, all struggled because of closures and the inability to 
travel from State to State. The trade and consumer shows are 
not only important for the commerce that takes place on the 
show floor, of course, but for the hundreds of millions of 
dollars that support the states and local economies, especially 
in Florida and Nevada.
    With an increased demand for fishing and outdoor 
recreation, Congress plays a critical role in ensuring 
Americans have access to public lands and waters. So, we ask 
that you recognize the value of anglers and outdoor recreation 
and build on the legislation that you have passed in just this 
past year--The Great American Outdoors Act and America's 
Conservation Enhancement Act.
    And so, we would also like you to look at passing other 
important legislation--the reauthorization of The Sportfish 
Restoration and Boating Trust fund, which was introduced by 
Senators Cantwell and Wicker, thanks to them. And also, pass 
the SOAR Act and the Recreational Trails Program, and more of 
this is explained in my written testimony.
    So, I thank you, again, for the opportunity to be with you 
today. We appreciate the work that the Committee has been doing 
and support outdoor recreation and ensure that access to our 
Nation's public lands and waters is paramount. We look forward 
to working with you and the Committee on this important issue 
and the impact of the Nation's anglers and all those that 
appreciate the great outdoors. Thank you very much.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Hughes follows:]

            Prepared Statement of Glenn Hughes, President, 
                   American Sportfishing Association
    On behalf of the American Sportfishing Association, I am honored to 
represent the sportfishing industry and the outdoor recreation 
industries before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and 
Transportation Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion.
    The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has served the 
recreational fishing industry since 1933 and continues to represent the 
business interests of not only the fishing tackle manufacturers, which 
includes fishing rods and reels and lines and lures, but also companies 
and organizations engaged in the sport of fishing, such as fishing 
nets, tackle boxes, sunglasses, marine electronics, kayaks, boats, 
motors and more.
    Our 700 plus members produce and distribute product to millions of 
anglers, their families and friends who enjoy fishing on our Nation's 
beautiful waterways. These anglers spend $51 billion in retail sales 
each year, with $129 billion in economic impact that supports more than 
825,000 jobs.
    $22 billion of the retail sales are travel related expenses 
including food, rentals, lodging and airfare, guide services, fuel and 
ice. Non-residents from your states spend more than $5 billion on 
travel expenditures. That is why access to the outdoors is so 
incredibly important to all state and local economies.
    Anglers are not only users of our beautiful natural resources, but 
they are also the original conservationists. Most anglers between the 
ages of 16 and 65 pay for a state fishing license to have access to 
their state's public waters. When we fish in another state, we buy 
another fishing license, whether for a day or the entire year, which 
supports that state's natural resources.
    Last year state resident and non-resident anglers bought more than 
30 million state fishing licenses generating more than $750 million in 
license fees.
    The sportfishing manufacturers contribute more than their fair 
share as well by paying a Federal excise tax on all first-time sales of 
fishing equipment here in the United States. Since the bill became law 
in 1950, the Dingell-Johnson Act, along with the 1984 Wallop-Breaux 
Amendment which includes a motorboat fuel tax, has collected and 
distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to the Sport 
Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund each year--$743 million in 2020 
alone!
    Combined with the Pittman Robertson Act of 1939 that established an 
excise tax on all firearms and ammunition, more than $65 billion has 
been provided to states for conservation and habitat restoration around 
the country. In essence, anglers, boat owners and hunters provide more 
money for conservation in this country than any other user group.
    During the challenging and unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, 
Americans turned to recreational fishing as a safe and beneficial way 
to cope under difficult circumstances. The Recreational Boating & 
Fishing Foundation, supported by funding from the Sport Fish 
Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, contracts with the Outdoor 
Foundation to survey the U.S. population and count the number of 
anglers.
    In 2020, the data shows an increase from 50 million to 55 million 
anglers! That includes increases in participation from children, women, 
Hispanics and African Americans. Other findings include:

   19.7 million females went fishing--highest level recorded to 
        date

   13.5 million youth 6-17 went fishing

   4.8 million Hispanics went fishing--more than double since 
        2007

   African American participation is up 1 million over the past 
        10 years

    On average, state fishing license sales increased 14 percent in 
2020 over 2019. All but one state saw an increase in resident license 
sales. This was not the case for non-resident sales since COVID-19 
prohibited travel for many months. In all, nineteen states saw a 
decrease in non-resident license sales, and therefore, many other 
tourism dollars never made it to your states.
    The sportfishing manufacturers' Federal excise tax on fishing 
equipment saw a record increase in 2020. During Fiscal Year 2020--
October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020--the increase was 54 
percent in Federal excise tax collected in 2020 versus 2019. These are 
numbers we've never seen before.
    Just this past fiscal year alone, the sportfishing industry 
contributed $209 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
who then distributed a majority of these funds to state fish and 
wildlife agencies to support conservation and access, and the remaining 
funds went to support wetlands restoration, boating safety and more.
    Due to the unprecedented increase in recreational fishing, 
subsequent to May 2020, ASA's manufacturing members could not produce 
or distribute the product fast enough to fulfill the demand. And they 
are still playing catch up as of this committee hearing.
    We surveyed our fishing tackle retailers and 80 percent of them 
informed us that their fishing equipment sales grew by 40 percent in 
2020. Overall, the retailers' average growth in fishing tackle revenue 
was up 28 percent. The main reasons for growth were COVID-19 related 
events and an increased interest in fishing. The number one negative 
impact on sales was the inability to receive product from 
manufacturers. The boating industry has enjoyed similar growth.
    The monthly Insight Report from Info-Link shows us that boat 
registrations are up across the country by more than 35 percent year 
over year through May 2021--a 13-year high.
    With boat registrations on the rise, it's very important that we 
ensure proper and safe access to the water through more boat ramps and 
parking at these locations.
    Regarding a broader view of outside engagement, the entire outdoor 
recreation economy was impacted both positively and negatively from the 
pandemic.
    The ASA is one of 33 member organizations that belong to the 
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), representing 110,000 businesses 
across the country. Due to ORR's efforts, the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BEA) now tracks outdoor recreation through the Outdoor 
Recreation Satellite Account or ORSA. In 2019 the BEA's data shows that 
the outdoor recreation economy made up 2.1 percent of the gross 
domestic product with $788 billion in economic output, supporting 5.2 
million jobs. Fishing and boating are the largest contributors.
    Prior to the pandemic, outdoor recreation was growing faster than 
the U.S. economy. But by April 2020, with a majority of state and 
national parks closed and a high percentage of industries furloughing 
or laying off workers, outdoor recreation was stymied.
    However, by the time Labor Day 2020 arrived, recreational 
industries were making significant contributions to the U.S. economy.
    But not all businesses did well. Fishing lodges, charter captains, 
marinas and restaurants, as well as trade and consumer shows and other 
high-traffic events, all struggled because of closures and the 
inability to travel freely between states.
    Our industry's trade show, produced by ASA, is called the 
International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, or ICAST. Now 
in its 64th year, ICAST is the largest sportfishing trade show in the 
world, hosting 15,000 participants each year. Orlando and the Orange 
County Convention Center have been our hosts for the past seven years.
    We have been honored to have Sen. Rick Scott attend our show five 
years in a row while he was Governor of Florida and hope to welcome him 
and all other members of this committee for this year's show.
    The physical show was cancelled last year, like thousands of shows 
around the country, but we persevered with a greatly reduced online 
version. The ICAST Show funds our association's efforts to help ensure 
anglers have clean water, abundant fisheries and access to the fish. We 
need all three elements for our industry to survive and thrive.
    Cancelling our 2020 Orlando-based, in-person show had a $50 million 
impact on the city and the state in lost sales and tax revenues. And 
that was just our show.
    Most industry trade shows have either cancelled or gone virtual for 
the past 15 months. The SHOT Show, Outdoor Retailer and the Archery 
Trade Show were all canceled. Consumer shows such as the Miami Boat 
Show, New York Boat Show and Fred Hall Fishing Show were also canceled.
    These shows are not only important for the commerce that takes 
place on the show floor, but for the hundreds of millions of dollars 
that support the state and local economies.
    With so much increased demand for recreational fishing, and outdoor 
recreation in general, Congress has a critically important role in 
ensuring Americans have access to ample public lands and waters. 
Congress can build upon recently enacted legislation like the Great 
American Outdoors Act and America's Conservation Enhancement by passing 
the following measures that will support outdoor recreation access and 
natural resource conservation:
Reauthorize the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund
    The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which is funded 
by Federal excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat fuel, import 
duties and more, funds state-based programs for sportfish conservation 
and habitat restoration, infrastructure for boating access and 
education for anglers and boaters. We are grateful to Senate Commerce 
Committee leaders Sens. Maria Cantwell and Roger Wicker for introducing 
S. 1995, which will reauthorize the trust fund along with important 
administrative improvements.
Streamline Permitting Process through SOAR Act to Remove Barriers to 
        Recreation
    Congress should help improve interagency coordination to expedite 
projects in a transparent, timely, and environmentally responsible 
manner by enacting S. 1229, the Simplifying Outdoor Access for 
Recreation (SOAR) Act. Lengthy permitting processes for permits, 
parking passing, and fees can deter visitors from engaging in outdoor 
recreation activities and can also result in limited boat slip spaces 
and complications for construction of public and private access points. 
Establishing consistent permitting processes that optimize efficiency 
and effectiveness of regulatory review for projects is critical to 
ensuring restoration and recreation access in coastal and inland 
waterway communities across the Nation.
Recreational Trails Program Full Funding Act
    The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is currently funded through 
the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) at $85 million annually. This is only a 
portion of the $270 million annually that the Federal Highway 
Administration conservatively estimates motorized trail users pay into 
the HTF through fuel taxes for use in nonhighway recreation. RTP is a 
user-pay, user-benefit program that benefits all recreationists and 
serves as the primary funding mechanism for thousands of motorized and 
non-motorized trail opportunities. This legislation would provide 
authorizing committees with an accurate assessment of what trail users 
pay into the HTF and help inform Congress in continuing to authorize 
the program.
Establish a 21st Century Civilian Climate & Conservation Corps
    Expanding the modern conservation corps movement to build a more 
resilient, sustainable outdoor recreation economy supported by a 
diverse and highly skilled workforce provides an immediate solution to 
not only create jobs but also support outdoor recreation opportunities. 
This concept has strong bipartisan support, and we call on Congress to 
establish a 21st Century ``Civilian Climate & Conservation Corps'' 
(21CCCC) scaling the existing model of Service and Conservation Corps 
to engage thousands of diverse groups of young people and veterans in 
the outdoors while providing job training and career pathways.
    Regarding the Biden Administration's directive to conserve 30 
percent of our lands and waters by 2030; the fishing and hunting 
community has proactively supported efforts to conserve our nations 
lands and waters for many decades. As long as we have access to these 
lands and waters, we will continue to have a deep appreciation and 
understanding of the link between healthy habitats and thriving fish 
and wildlife populations.
    We will continue to support 30 by 30 policies that recognize 
existing conservation management efforts. And we'll work with Congress 
and the Administration to identify additional conservation needs and 
actions, based on science, to determine the appropriate management 
programs to meet biodiversity conservation goals.
    Please recognize the value of anglers, boaters and hunters and the 
many other outdoor activities that are in harmony with other management 
goals. Having access to these lands and waters will ensure 
participation and, therefore, tax revenues and jobs, and help all 
Americans and visitors have the opportunity to enjoy our abundant 
resources and unrivaled natural beauty. It is these outdoor activities 
that are essential to ensuring we have natural resource and 
biodiversity stewards for the next century.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to share information regarding 
the sportfishing industry and the outdoor economy. We appreciate the 
work of this Committee to support outdoor recreation and ensure access 
to our Nation's public lands and waters. We look forward to working 
with this Committee on these many important issues that impact our 55 
million anglers and all those that appreciate our great outdoors.

    Senator Rosen. Well, thank you, Mr. Hughes.
    Next we have, testifying remotely is Mr. Joe Henry. He is 
the Executive Director of Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Mr. 
Henry works closely with 50 Minnesota resorts, area fishing 
guides, the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, Canada 
Border Service Agency, and a variety of other stakeholders in 
the outdoor industry.
    Joe drives all marketing, advertising, and special events 
for Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, is an active writer, appears 
in outdoor TV shows, and produces outdoor videos. Joe is the 
past chair of the Minnesota Association of Convention and 
Visitor Bureaus. He serves on the State of Minnesota's Outdoor 
Recreation Task Force and is a licensed charter captain.
    On a side note, I attended University of Minnesota, so I 
had an opportunity to travel all through your great state. Mr. 
Henry, you are now recognized for your opening remarks.

         STATEMENT OF JOE HENRY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTION, 
                   LAKE OF THE WOODS TOURISM

    Mr. Henry. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Rosen, 
Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished members of this 
subcommittee. Thank you for holding this important hearing. I 
would like to first thank Senator Klobuchar for her ongoing 
efforts to support and represent not only the Lake of the Woods 
area, but all of tourism and outdoor recreation throughout the 
state of Minnesota.
    My name is Joe Henry, and I am the Executive Director of 
Tourism located in Minnesota. Tourism in our area, and 
throughout the state of Minnesota, is a very important 
industry. For every dollar spent on lodging in Minnesota, there 
is a five-to-seven-time trickle down affect to the local 
economy.
    Let me begin by discussing the area I represent, Lake of 
the Woods. Lake of the Woods is known as The Walleye Capital of 
the World. We are a well-known fishing destination with tourism 
being our top industry. The pandemic has certainly created 
winners and losers. Resorts located on the south end of our 
lake are doing very well. It is busy.
    On the north end of our lake, we have an absolute treasure 
of an area called the Northwest Angle. Most visitors travel to 
the Angle by vehicle, traveling 40 miles through Canada, before 
reentering back into Minnesota. With the pandemic, the border 
has been closed for non-essential travel. Consequently, 
businesses have been cutoff from their customers for 15 months.
    We have been working on two initiatives. One, to open the 
40 miles through Canada to the Northwest Angle. You know, 
ultimately, allowing Americans to access America.
    The second initiative is to provide some kind of a 
forgivable loan program to the businesses up at the Angle, who 
have faced unprecedented loss due to the pandemic and border 
closure. We are appreciative of the legislation presented by 
Senators Klobuchar and Smith that address this. So far, these 
hard-working Americans who own businesses up at the Angle, have 
not received one penny more in assistance than other businesses 
throughout the state, who have full access to their customers.
    Looking forward, we believe a percentage of what the 
Northwest Angle customers have found new vacation spots and we 
believe that that customer base is going to have to be built up 
again.
    Shifting away from the Lake of the Woods and looking at 
Minnesota's tourism and hospitality industry as a whole, there 
are many positives and things are improving. We see occupancy 
numbers in lodging increasing and tourism is on the rise. With 
that being said, there are some challenges facing our industry.
    The first big challenge is labor. It is a well-known fact 
businesses across the country are struggling to gain workers. 
This is true of Minnesota as well. As they are out of options 
in finding employees, some businesses are reducing hours, 
implementing a different business model, or closing down 
segments of their business, due to lack of workers. 
Consequently, they are having a hard time making up for losses 
from the pandemic.
    Prominent resort owners are making breakfast for the resort 
at 5 a.m., performing their normal tasks or running a business 
during the day, and answering phones and catching up with 
paperwork at night. There is definitely a burnout. Even larger, 
well-known companies are having a hard time attracting workers. 
Many offer hiring bonuses, free lodging for 90 days, and good 
pay with benefits. Imagine trying to compete with that if you 
are a small business.
    Second, if you are able to recruit workers from outside the 
area, there is no short-term lodging available for them to 
live. Larger resorts are using their own cabins or building 
employee housing to accommodate, as a desperate measure. Medium 
and small resorts just do not have these options.
    The third issue facing Minnesota is daycare. There is not 
enough to satisfy demand. In some areas where there are 
industries running two to three shifts, daycare is only offered 
during daytime hours.
    And finally, broadband. Not all areas of the state have 
reliable broadband, and this is a detriment to both business as 
well as those that are in school.
    Shifting gears, allow me to shed light on outdoor 
recreation in Minnesota. This past year, I had the privilege of 
participating in an outdoor recreation task force for the State 
of Minnesota. The Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Task Force 
worked to develop a set of recommendations intended to support 
accessible and equitable outdoor recreation across multiple 
sectors, as well as build a stronger outdoor recreation 
community in Minnesota. The Task Force identified three key 
action areas and recommended the creation of an Office of 
Outdoor Recreation to accomplish them.
    The key action areas are, increase participation to advance 
equity, diversity and inclusivity. Unite America's and 
Minnesota's outdoor recreation communities. And unify 
communications amongst Minnesota's diverse outdoor recreation 
sector.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. We are 
grateful for your leadership and support of the outdoor 
tourism, recreation and ecotourism industries. We need to 
ensure that these businesses and their workers can survive the 
remaining challenges ahead. I look forward to your questions. 
Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Henry follows:]

         Prepared Statement of Joe Henry, Executive Director, 
                       Lake of the Woods Tourism
    Good afternoon Chairwoman Rosen, Ranking Member Scott, and 
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for holding this 
important hearing.
    I would like to first thank Senator Klobuchar for her ongoing 
efforts to support and represent not only the Lake of the Woods area 
but all of tourism and outdoor recreation throughout Minnesota.
    My name is Joe Henry and I am the Executive Director of Lake of the 
Woods Tourism located in Minnesota. It is my honor and privilege to 
provide testimony on The State of Outdoor Tourism, Recreation, and 
Ecotourism.
    I represent the tourism industry within Lake of the Woods County of 
Minnesota. Tourism in our area and throughout the state of Minnesota is 
a very important industry. For every dollar spent on lodging in 
Minnesota, there is a 5-7-time trickle down affect to the local 
economy.
    Among the many industry, business and civic organizations I have 
served, and specific to this discussion, I have served as the Chair of 
the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, am a 
licensed charter captain through the U.S. Coast Guard, on the Board of 
Directors with the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers and a 
member of Minnesota's Outdoor Recreation Task Force.
    Let me begin by discussing the area I represent, Lake of the Woods. 
Lake of the Woods is known as The Walleye Capital of the World. We are 
a well-known fishing destination with other forms of outdoor recreation 
such as hunting, snowmobiling, off-roading also being popular. Tourism 
is our top industry.
    The pandemic has certainly created winners and losers. This is true 
even in our own area. Resorts located on the south end of the lake and 
on the Rainy River are doing very well. Business is strong with people 
from across the Midwest coming up to fish, relax and make memories. 
Charter boats, fresh air and walleye fish frys are staples.
    On the north end of our lake, we have an absolute treasure of an 
area called the Northwest Angle. The NW Angle is the northernmost point 
of the contiguous United States, it is where the 14,552 islands of Lake 
of the Woods begin and is home to 12 resorts, a number of fishing 
guides and a few small businesses.
    In order to drive to the Angle, one must travel 40 miles through a 
remote area of Canada, before re-entering back into Minnesota. With the 
pandemic, the border has been closed to non-essential travel. 
Consequently, businesses have been ``cut off'' from their customers for 
18 months.
    This winter, out of desperation, area businesses organized a NW 
Angle Guest Ice Road. This 30-mile-long road was built across a huge 
expanse of Lake of the Woods called Big Traverse Bay and for a per 
vehicle fee, allowed guests to drive their vehicles north to the Angle 
and stay at our resorts enjoying ice fishing and snowmobiling. For 
eight of the twelve resorts who ice fish, this ice road was a savior. 
It didn't provide normal winter revenue, but it was at least something 
and more importantly, provided hope.
    As America is coming out of the pandemic and things are starting to 
open up again, resorts and businesses up at the NW Angle are once again 
``cut off'' from their customers. They are now facing their second 
summer of little to no business and their customers not being able to 
reach them.
    Customers can travel across the big lake via boat staying in MN 
waters, however, with 40 miles across a huge lake with waves reaching 
over eight feet tall at times, is unrealistic for most. There are many 
scary stories where various groups including families with young 
children have had close calls.
    We have been working on two initiatives. One, to open the 40 miles 
through Canada to the NW Angle. Ultimately, allowing Americans to 
access America.
    The second initiative is to provide some kind of forgivable loan 
program to the businesses up at the Angle who have faced unprecedented 
loss due to the pandemic and border closure. We are appreciative of the 
legislation presented by Senators Klobuchar and Smith that addresses 
this.
    These are hardworking Minnesotan's who don't want handouts. Running 
a resort, you wear a lot of hats and work long hours. As beautiful as 
the Angle is, it is a harsh environment that goes from -40 in the 
winter to 100 degrees in the summer. It is the hard work of resort 
owners and their employees that make it possible for visitors to 
experience this area.
    So far, these hard-working Americans who own businesses up at the 
Angle have not received one penny more than any other business 
throughout the state whose customers were actually able to access them. 
This just doesn't feel right with all of the money being distributed to 
those in need as a result of COVID-19.
    Many of the resorts are down 75--90 percent in revenue. They are 
hanging on by a thread. We are hoping our government steps up to 
retroactively support these Americans put in this predicament to no 
fault of their own.
    Human nature being what it is, what was the NW Angle customer base 
has been forced to vacation in other areas, and guess what, they like 
them. We believe a percentage of what were NW Angle customers have 
found some new traditions and this segment of customers will have to be 
built up again.
    Some local business owners and their families are considering 
moving out of the area. There are 120 residents at the Angle and having 
good families move away will hurt.
    There has been an effort for a NW Angle airport which would provide 
both residents and guests quicker access to medical facilities, a way 
to avoid the border crossing as well as a new kind of tourist, but 
efforts are running into roadblocks.
    Shifting away from the NW Angle and looking at Minnesota's tourism 
and hospitality industry as a whole, there are many positives and 
things are improving. We see occupancy numbers in lodging increasing 
and tourism in on the rise.
    With that being said, there are some challenges facing the 
industry.
    The first big challenge is labor, or lack thereof. It is a well-
known fact businesses across the country are struggling to gain 
workers. This is true within Minnesota as well. Businesses throughout 
Minnesota, and most certainly those involved in tourism and hospitality 
are having a difficult time attracting workers both in the metro areas 
as well as greater Minnesota.
    As they are out of options in finding and attracting employees, 
some businesses are reducing hours. Some have implemented different 
business models to accommodate a reduced workforce. As an example, 
there are resorts only offering meals to those staying at the resort 
and no longer offering meals to other visitors as they cannot 
accommodate them due to lack of staff.
    Some resorts have actually closed down various segments of their 
business such as the bar and restaurant. It is very difficult to find 
anyone to work.
    Even larger, well-known companies are having a hard time attracting 
workers. Many offer hiring bonuses, free lodging for 90 days and good 
pay with benefits. Imagine trying to compete with that if you are a 
small business.
    Second, if you are able to recruit workers from outside the area, 
there is no short-term lodging available for them to live. Larger 
resorts are using their own cabins or building employee housing to 
accommodate as a desperate measure. Medium and small resorts don't have 
these options.
    Many prominent resort owners find themselves working around the 
clock just trying to keep up. One example this past week was a resort 
owner making breakfast at 5:00am, performing their normal tasks during 
the day and answering phones and catching up with paperwork at night. 
There is definitely burnout within the tourism and hospitality 
industry.
    Lack of workers is affecting the reputation these businesses strive 
for, the kind of service they want to provide and ultimately, their 
brand is going downhill.
    The third issue affecting Minnesota is daycare. There isn't enough 
of it to satisfy demand. In some areas where there are industries 
running two or three shifts, daycare is only offered during daytime 
hours.
    Finally, broadband. Not all areas of the state have reliable 
broadband and this is a detriment to both business as well as those in 
school.
    Shifting gears, allow me to shed some light on outdoor recreation 
in Minnesota. This past year, I had the privilege of participating in 
an outdoor recreation task force for the state of Minnesota.
    Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes with a plethora of 
natural resources along with the accessibility to these resources for 
both residents and visitors alike.
    From April 2020 to March 2021, the Minnesota Outdoor Recreation 
Task Force worked to develop a set of recommendations intended to 
support accessible and equitable outdoor recreation across multiple 
sectors as well as build a stronger outdoor recreation community in 
Minnesota. The Task Force identified three key action areas and 
recommended the creation of an Office of Outdoor Recreation to 
accomplish them. The key action areas are:

   Increase participation to advance equity, diversity and 
        inclusivity

   Unite Minnesota's outdoor recreation community

   Unify communications amongst Minnesota's diverse outdoor 
        recreation sector

    As mentioned, and widely known, outdoor recreation during the 
pandemic has been strong throughout Minnesota and the rest of the 
United States.
    Data from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shows park 
visitation, state trail use and fishing licenses sales are up. Hunting 
licenses, state park permits, biking, hiking, ATV riding, camping, it's 
all up.
    Not only are the activities up, but the sales of products that are 
involved with these activities are up as well. In many cases, this has 
led to shortages in the supply chain for many of these items. Potential 
sales are available, but the products to sell are not.
    In addition to people who were already getting outside to recreate, 
we are seeing a variety of new groups getting outside and enjoying 
outdoor recreation.
    There are many positives with this trend of increased interest and 
participation in outdoor recreation. It is one of the good things that 
has happened as a result of the Americans not congregating and having 
to take safety measures during the pandemic.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. We are grateful for 
your leadership and support of the outdoor tourism, recreation and 
ecotourism industries. We need to ensure these businesses and their 
workers can survive the remaining challenges ahead. I look forward to 
your questions.
    Thank you.

    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Mr. Henry, for your remarks. 
Senator Scott, I am going to turn it over to you to introduce 
our fourth and final witness.
    Senator Scott. So, our fourth witness is Zachary Hartman.
    Senator Rosen. Your microphone.
    Senator Scott. The----
    Senator Rosen. Your microphone.
    Senator Scott. Oh, thanks. So, our fourth witness is 
Zachary Hartman with Ducks Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited is a 
great organization. They--they--they are very focused on 
conservation. And the individual that runs it was the 
Agriculture Commissioner the same 8 years I was Governor, Adam 
Putnam. He does a great job, and I am not sure what Nick's 
title is, but Nick Wiley ran the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 
Commission for Florida. And by the way, I had about 3,000 
appointments as Governor. The most coveted appointment was the 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because you could go 
hunt and fish anywhere you wanted to.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Scott. And there are plenty of people, all over 
this country, that love that. But Ducks Unlimited does a great 
job. They do a great job all across the country. So, Mr. 
Hartman.

   STATEMENT OF ZACHARY HARTMAN, CHIEF POLICY OFFICER, DUCKS 
                           UNLIMITED

    Mr. Hartman. Thank you. And if there is one question that I 
get right today, it is Nick's title, which is Chief Operations 
Officer. Since he is my direct boss, I do not want to miss that 
one.
    But, Madame Chair, Ranking Member Scott, and members of the 
committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on 
the state of the outdoor recreation economy.
    As a native son of Florida, I fell in love with the 
outdoors while fishing on the waters of Sarasota Bay, the Gulf 
of Mexico, and the lakes of Central Florida with my dad, who is 
now a light-tackle fishing guide in Sarasota, at the ripe old 
age of 73. He did three tarpon charters last week. I hope I am 
that healthy and strong when I am his age, and I can keep up 
with him.
    Also, given that my spouse works in the hospitality and 
travel industry, the economic impact of tourism and outdoor 
recreation has always hit close to home.
    Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands 
conservation, and proud to call Memphis, TN home for our 
National Headquarters. We work hand-in-hand with private 
landowners, conservation partners, farmers and ranchers, 
tribes, and government agencies to conserve wetlands sufficient 
to fill the sky with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.
    While the pandemic has hit American businesses hard, it has 
also helped many of us reconnect with the outdoors and our 
hunting heritage. A recent study found that hunting license 
sales increased in all regions of the U.S. during 2020. On 
average, resident license sales were up 5.4 percent and non-
resident sales increased by 1.6 percent. Bottom line, Americans 
were traveling to hunt, even in a pandemic, and doing it 
safely.
    These hunters were visiting local outfitters, stopping at 
local diners, and staying at local motels along their journey, 
leaving a small trail of economic stimulus along the way. Add 
all those trails up, and it starts to make a big difference.
    There should be no doubt that outdoor recreation, 
especially waterfowling, is an essential part of the U.S. 
economy and will continue to play a critical role in our 
recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As previously mentioned, 
according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor 
recreation accounts for 2.1 percent of U.S. GDP. The economic 
impact of hunting alone is $110 billion in the United States. 
In Nevada, outdoor recreation provides $5.5 billion in value 
added economic activity. And in Florida, outdoor recreation 
accounts for $49.1 billion.
    But waterfowlers have billions of reasons to be proud of 
what we contribute to the economic activity and our rural 
communities, as well. According to recent data published by the 
National Shooting Sports Foundation, waterfowling contributed 
$4 billion to U.S. GDP and supported 56,900 jobs, paying a 
total of $2.4 billion in wages. Waterfowlers also paid more 
than $509 million in Federal taxes and $399 million in State 
taxes. Of that $2.4 billion in economic activity, $663 million 
is attributed to trip expenditures benefiting the travel and 
service industries.
    What many Americans may not realize is the link between 
hunting and fishing, the conservation investments that 
sportsmen and women enable, and the Americans? expansive access 
to public lands. Much of the outdoor recreation that Americans 
enjoy is made possible by voluntary user fees and taxes, paid 
for and supported by hunters and anglers. These programs 
include the Federal Duck Stamp, taxes on firearms, ammunition, 
and other hunting, fishing, and boating equipment, as well as 
State excise taxes and hunting and fishing license revenues. 
Ducks Unlimited has completed projects in approximately 1,700 
public land areas to expand or enhance the American public's 
access to hunting and other outdoor recreation opportunities.
    Of particular interest to this committee should be NOAA's 
Large Scale Habitat Restoration to Build Climate Resilience 
Grant Program. This program will enable large-scale habitat 
restoration across coastal systems, expand outdoor recreation 
opportunities, and build costal resiliency to mitigate the 
impact of storm damage from hurricanes and other floods. A 
recent report found that coastal wetlands prevented more than 
$625 million in property damage during Hurricane Sandy. 
Requested for $40 million in the President's FY22 budget 
proposal, this is a logical investment that would provide a 
myriad of benefits to all Americans.
    As Senator Scott mentioned, America's natural resources and 
public spaces are the envy of the world. This has been made 
possible, in large part, by hunters and anglers, and 
organizations like Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional 
Sportsmen's Foundation, and so many others, who, for nearly 100 
years, have invested in the well-being of our wildlife and its 
habitat.
    Congress can build on the strong foundation of conservation 
programs, and the public-private conservation delivery model, 
to secure a durable legacy for the future generations of 
Americans to enjoy.
    Thank you, and I would be happy to answer any questions.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Hartman follows:]

     Prepared Statement of Zachary Hartman, Chief Policy Officer, 
                            Ducks Unlimited
    Madame Chair, Ranking member Scott, and members of the committee--
thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the state of the 
outdoor recreation economy. It is an honor to represent Ducks Unlimited 
and our one million supporters across the United States, as well as all 
of our Nation's waterfowlers, our outdoor industry and conservation 
partners, and the millions of Americans who enjoy our great outdoors 
every day.
    Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands conservation, and 
proud to call Memphis, TN home for our National Headquarters. As Chief 
Policy Officer of Ducks Unlimited, I have the privilege of working with 
a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers in Washington, DC, and 
in State Capitals across the United States. We work hand-in-hand with 
private landowners, conservation partners, farmers and ranchers, tribes 
and government agencies to conserve wetlands sufficient to fill the sky 
with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.
    Most relevant today, Ducks Unlimited's work, and the access to 
outdoor recreation opportunities it provides, is an indispensable 
driver of economic activity, particularly in rural communities. Ducks 
Unlimited's work doesn't just benefit the outdoor recreation economy 
and waterfowl and wildlife. All Americans also enjoy the Ecosystem 
Services that wetlands provide in the form of carbon sequestration, 
clean water, groundwater recharge, flood attenuation, and coastal 
resiliency.
    Everyone who works at Ducks Unlimited, and in our outdoor 
recreation industry, has a deep and personal connection to the 
outdoors, and I am no different. As a native son of Florida, my love 
for the outdoors began on the waters of Sarasota Bay, where my father 
now works as a light-tackle fishing guide. Whether fishing the turtle 
grass flats of the middle grounds for trout or pompano, or the 
backwater mangroves near Jackrabbit Island for snook and redfish, those 
experiences instilled in me a great appreciation of our responsibility 
to that resource, and the many ways it makes Sarasota one of the 
greatest vacation destinations in the country. If you're interested, we 
have the best beaches too.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the American economy, 
including nonprofits like Ducks Unlimited, but especially on the 
tourism industry. As the husband of a travel industry employee, I have 
watched first-hand as hotels have worked to navigate through these 
difficult times with the hope to rebuild soon. I also think about the 
many small business owners of hotels, restaurants, and retail 
establishments in cities and towns across the U.S. who have had to 
close their doors to prevent the spread of COVID-19, only to watch the 
businesses they have built over a lifetime waste away over a period of 
months.
    While the pandemic has hit American businesses hard, it has also 
helped us reconnect with the outdoors and our hunting heritage. A 
recent study from the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports 
found that hunting license sales increased in all regions of the U.S. 
during 2020. Of the 40 states included in the study, 35 experienced an 
increase in 2020 compared to 2019. Overall, resident license sales were 
up 5.4 percent on average, and non-resident license sales increased by 
1.6 percent. Bottom line, Americans were traveling to hunt, even in a 
pandemic.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports, COVID-19 and 
Hunting License Sales. (April 2, 2021) https://cahss.org/covid-19-and-
hunting/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    There is no doubt that, when permitted, these hunters were visiting 
local outfitters to gear-up and seek the local knowledge, and they 
stopped by the diners to have lunch and swap stories about their 
experiences along the way. These hunters were also staying in the local 
motels, and others along their journey, as they struck out on the road 
for their next great adventure, leaving a small trail of economic 
stimulus. Add all those trails up, and it starts to make a difference.
    Recent U.S. National Park Service data confirms the direct economic 
impact of outdoor recreation travel on the service industry. According 
to the report, outdoor recreators spent $14.5 billion in communities 
within 60 miles of a national park. Lodging was most greatly impacted 
with $5 billion in economic output, and the restaurant sector was 
second with $3 billion. In Nevada and Florida, park visitors spent 
$278.6 million and $521.1 million as a direct result of their outdoor 
recreation activities, respectively.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ National Park Service, National Park Visitor Spending 
Contributed $28.6 Billion to U.S. Economy in 2020, (June 10, 2021) 
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/vse2020.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I'll always remember something my father would tell me about the 
importance of our seasonal visitors. He'd say, ``Zach--there's 
something important that you have to understand. All these people come 
here, they stay for a little while, and then they leave. But all their 
money stays right here in Sarasota. Be grateful.'' We took care of that 
resource, and it took care of us in so many ways.
    Looking back, it makes a lot of sense. When many Americans think of 
travel destinations, they probably think of Carson City, Lake Tahoe, 
Las Vegas, or maybe Orlando, Key West, and St. Augustine. When I think 
of my favorite destinations, I think of backwoods fish camps on Lake 
Istokpoga, boating on Crystal River and the beautiful Central Florida 
springs. And I think of all the great local outfitters, diners, and 
hotels that we visited along the way.
    There should be no doubt that outdoor recreation, especially 
waterfowling, is an essential part of the U.S. economy and will 
continue to play a critical role in our recovery from the COVID-19 
pandemic. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor 
recreation accounts for 2.1 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product 
(GDP) valued at approximately $460 billion, and generates 5.2 million 
high-paying jobs \3\. The economic impact of hunting alone is more than 
$110 billion.\4\ In Nevada, outdoor recreation provides $5.5 billion in 
value added economic activity, representing 3.1 percent of state GDP 
and 59,499 jobs \5\. In Florida, outdoor recreation accounts for $49.1 
billion, 4.4 percent of state GDP, and 511,100 jobs \6\.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite 
Account, U.S. and States, 2019, (Nov. 10, 2020) https://www.bea.gov/
sites/default/files/2020-11/orsa1120_1.pdf
    \4\ Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Outdoor Recreation Drives The 
American Economy, Industry Statistics, (June 10, 2021) https://
recreationroundtable.org/impact-2/
    \5\ Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite 
Account, 2019--Nevada,
(Nov. 10, 2020) https://apps.bea.gov/data/special-topics/orsa/summary-
sheets/ORSA%20-%20
Nevada.pdf
    \6\ Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite 
Account, 2019--Florida,
(Nov. 10, 2020) https://apps.bea.gov/data/special-topics/orsa/summary-
sheets/ORSA%20-%20
Florida.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Waterfowlers have billions of reasons to be proud of how our 
tradition drives economic activity and supports our rural communities. 
According to recent data from a study published by the National 
Shooting Sports Foundation, waterfowling contributed $4 billion to U.S. 
GDP and supported 56,900 jobs, paying a total of $2.4 billion in wages. 
Waterfowlers also paid more than $509 million in Federal taxes and $399 
million in state taxes.\7\ According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, $663 million is attributed to ``Trip Expenditures'' benefiting 
the travel and service industries.\8\ Recent National Park Service data 
confirms the direct economic impact of outdoor recreation travel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ Southwick Associates. Hunting in America: An Economic Force. 
2018 edition
    \8\ US Fish and Wildlife Service, Economic Impact of Waterfowl 
Hunting in the United States, (March 2015) https://
outdoorrecreation.wi.gov/Documents/Research%20Library%20Page%20
files/US%20-%20Economic%20Impacts/
Economic%20Impact%20of%20Waterfowl%20Hunting_
2011.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    What many Americans may not realize is the link between hunting and 
fishing, the conservation investments that sportsmen and women enable, 
and Americans' expansive access to public lands. Much of the outdoor 
recreation that Americans enjoy is made possible by voluntary user fees 
and taxes, paid for, and supported by, hunters and anglers. These 
programs include the Federal Duck Stamp, taxes on firearms, ammunition, 
and other hunting, fishing and boating equipment, as well as state 
excise taxes and hunting and fishing license revenues. Ducks Unlimited 
has completed projects in approximately 1,700 public lands areas to 
provide or enhance the American public's access to hunting and other 
outdoor recreation opportunities.
    Under the North American Model of Conservation, America's wildlife 
resources are shared with all people and are considered an 
international resource. Conservation programs take Federal dollars and 
match them with state and private dollars from organizations like Ducks 
Unlimited, to provide habitat for wildlife and access for all to enjoy. 
According to the U.S. Department of Interior, as of March, 2020, the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had distributed more than $22.9 billion 
for state conservation and recreation projects, which was then matched 
with an additional $7.6 billion.\9\ Today, hunters and shooters 
generate more than $1.8 billion each year for wildlife 
conservation.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ US Department of Interior, Sportsmen and Sportswomen Generate 
Nearly $1 Billion in Conservation Funding, (March 19, 2020) https://
www.doi.gov/pressreleases/sportsmen-and-sportswomen-generate-nearly-1-
billion-conservation-funding
    \10\ Southwick Associates. Hunting in America: An Economic Force. 
2018 edition
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Congress has recently taken major steps to further support the 
conservation, enhancement, and expansion of Americans' public spaces. 
The passage of the ``Great American Outdoors Act'' and the ``American 
Conservation Enhancement Act'' during the 116th Congress, represent a 
significant commitment to key conservation programs with the 
reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the 
North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), respectively. These 
voluntary and incentive-based programs conserve and enhance our 
Nation's most important habitats and landscapes, and expand public 
access for all Americans to enjoy the outdoors. But there is more to be 
done.
    Streamlining program delivery and growing investments in 
conservation and other natural infrastructure solutions that expand the 
American public's access and opportunities for outdoor recreation, 
especially hunting and fishing, is a commonsense way to get more value 
out of taxpayer dollars. These investments encourage healthy, active 
lifestyles and provide economic stimulus to nearby businesses, many of 
them small businesses.
    Of particular interest to this committee should be the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ``Large Scale Habitat 
Restoration to Build Climate Resilience Grant Program.'' This program 
will enable large-scale habitat restoration across coastal systems and 
provide more outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as costal 
resiliency to mitigate the impact of storm damage from hurricanes and 
flooding. A recent report published by Lloyds Tercentenary Research 
Foundation found that coastal wetlands prevented more than $625 million 
in property damage during Hurricane Sandy, reducing property damage in 
the Northeast by an average of 10 percent.\11\ Requested for $40 
million in the President's FY22 budget proposal, this is a logical 
investment that would provide a myriad of benefits to all Americans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ Costal Resilience, Coastal Wetlands and Flood Damage 
Reduction, (October 2016) https://coastalresilience.org/coastal-
wetlands-provide-significant-flood-damage-reduction/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Biden Administration's America the Beautiful Initiative calls 
on a whole-of-government approach to mitigate and address the 
challenges of our changing climate. Congress and the Administration 
should consider the following steps to support the outdoor recreation 
economy as they pursue that goal:

   Prioritize Natural Infrastructure Solutions.

   Pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act.

   Eliminate regulatory ``green tape'' that hinders the 
        delivery of scientifically beneficial conservation programs.

   Enhance voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs 
        for working lands to support farmers and ranchers.

   Expand programs to meet the local needs of conservation on 
        tribal lands and in areas that are accessible to socio-
        economically disadvantaged communities.

    America's natural resources and public spaces are the envy of the 
world. This has been made possible by hunters and anglers, and 
organizations like Ducks Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen's 
Foundation, and others, who, for nearly 100 years, have invested their 
time and treasure into the wellbeing of our wildlife and its habitat. 
For many reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired Americans to 
reconnect with the outdoors. Congress can build on the strong 
foundation of conservation programs, and the public-private 
conservation delivery model, to secure a durable legacy for future 
generations of Americans to enjoy.
    Expanding public access opportunities for outdoor recreation, 
particularly hunting and fishing, with innovative utilization of new 
and existing programs will not only result in more waterfowl and 
wildlife and stimulate greater economic activity in our tourism 
industry. These efforts will also make our air and water cleaner, 
recharge precious groundwater systems, and fortify our communities 
against the threats of extreme weather. These are things that all 
Americans need and support.

    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Mr. Hartman. And again, I want to 
thank all of our witnesses, the three that are here and one 
that is remote, for joining today, for your thoughtful opening 
statements. I am going to defer my first questions to my 
friend, Senator Capito, from the great state of West Virginia.

            STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, 
                U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA

    Senator Capito. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank all of 
you for being here today. Really very interested--I am from the 
state of West Virginia and I know my two, Chair and Ranking 
Member have--have huge outdoor recreation. Well, we have quite 
an outdoor recreation industry in our state, as well. And 
interestingly, it has just flourished under the pandemic, 
because of the proximity to the more populated parts of the 
Eastern--the Eastern seaboard, and easy to get there, and a 
quick drive, and spend the day if you did not want to spend the 
night. Which many of us were thinking about at certain times 
last year.
    I would note that our Governor, in an effort to get the 
remaining West Virginians that have not taken up the 
vaccination, is offering free fishing licenses as an incentive. 
And I do not know if any of you all know of other states that 
are doing that. Does anybody know offhand? I do not think we 
are alone there, but I know that it is a popular thing in our 
state. Is it--you doing it in Florida?
    Senator Scott. I do not think so----
    [off mic].
    Senator Capito. No? I think it is a good idea. In any 
event--of course, he has got some trucks going and some other--
million-dollar lottery and a whole bunch of other things. But 
he does have the free fishing license. So, a thanks--a shout 
out to Governor Justice.
    I think one thing that, as we are looking at the future of 
the outdoor industry, certainly--we have a new National Park in 
West Virginia. We want to make sure that we have capacities 
there for parking and to--and for stay overnight, restaurants, 
and all that. And so, that is new for us.
    But as I think about how this pandemic has really hit us 
and more families traveling together, maybe for short-term 
trips, I think it is inspiring that next generation to outdoor 
recreation. And I am curious to know, of our panelist--and I 
would be happy to hear from all of you--what your--what focus 
you are placing on that next generation? Whether it is a sport 
fisherman or woman--or to inspire them to go outside and enjoy, 
as we have over the pandemic. Is this something that you all 
have thought about? What kind of programs are you aiming to 
that next generation? We will start at the end there, Mr. 
Robertson.
    Mr. Robertson. Colin Robertson, for the record. Thank you 
so much for that question, Senator Capito. The wonderful thing 
about--I hesitate to say anything was a silver lining in the 
midst of the pandemic, but one of the positive outcomes of that 
experience has been the just overwhelming increase in 
participation by lots of new participants in outdoor 
recreational activities.
    I am very proud of a number of different kinds of 
organizations in Nevada, one of which I will mention is an 
organization called Get Outdoors Nevada, which provides 
opportunities for underprivileged youth, in particular, to 
experience outdoor activities, in ways that they might not 
otherwise have been able to. And particularly because of the 
impact of the pandemic on the tourism and hospitality industry 
in Nevada, a lot of children and young people were 
disproportionately affected by that terrible economic 
consequence of the pandemic.
    So, Get Outdoors Nevada, among a slew of many other non-
profit education organizations in the state, have really tried 
to increase access and opportunity for--for kids and youth. And 
I think, my office and my counterparts in--in the 13 other 
states that are part of the Confluence of States, are working 
very diligently to increase access and equitable access to 
outdoor recreational activities.
    I think I will leave it at that, so that----
    Senator Capito. Thanks.
    Mr. Robertson. We have plenty of time.
    Senator Capito. Anybody else have anything to add there?
    Mr. Hughes. I do, Senator, thank you.
    Senator Capito. Mr. Hughes.
    Mr. Hughes. So, for more than 20 years, recreational 
boating and fishing foundations existed to increase 
participation in fishing and boating. And that money that they 
have is established through our Sportfish Restoration Boating 
Trust Fund, which is based on excise taxes and motorboat fuel 
taxes. So, we are investing in the future of anglers. They get 
2 percent of the fund.
    At the same time, we understand that it is really a four-
legged stool. It is the RBFF. It is the states. It is Federal 
agencies, and it is also industry. And so, the industry, we are 
spending a lot of time with the RBFF on this, to communicate 
about how we make sure that folks have a good experience.
    So, I mentioned earlier that fishing has increased from 50 
million to 55 million participants, just in this past year 
alone. Which is tremendous, but now, they need to have a good 
experience out there. They need access. They need clean water. 
They need abundant fisheries. And so, that is where a lot of 
time and money is spent. But that good experience is also going 
to be dependent upon all of us. Fish and wildlife agencies and 
the State agencies need to be able to communicate with these 
anglers and make sure they have the information that they need 
to make--to be--have positive day on the water.
    And same thing for the industry, whether it is 
manufacturers or retailers. Retailers have a responsibility to 
make sure, when someone buys a fishing rod, reel, line, and 
lure, that they know how to use it and that they know where to 
go, and they know what they are fishing for. So, this is a 
communication issue that we want to work through the entire 
community with. Thank you.
    Senator Capito. Yes. Mr. Hartman, did you want to add 
anything? Or Mr. Henry?
    Mr. Hartman. Thanks, Senator Capito. I would just like to 
say, you know, Ducks Unlimited is a membership organization 
that is led by our volunteers. So, this is a critically 
important issue for us. We have had programs in place, for many 
years, and are building on those and expanding our Green Wing 
program for younger children. We have our Varsity program, 
which is our high school students, which has a trap and skeet 
team aspect, which is rapidly growing. And then, our--our 
university chapters, which are some of the fastest growing 
chapters. And most importantly, and pleasing to us, really 
diversifying the demographics of our membership. They are 
approaching nearly 50 percent women and we are really excited 
about that.
    Senator Capito. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair--Madam 
Chair.
    Mr. Henry. Thank you, Senator.
    Senator Rosen. I was going to say, yes, Mr. Henry, please 
go ahead and answer Senator Capito's question.
    Senator Capito. Thank you.
    Mr. Henry. Thank you very much. Yes, to answer your 
question, we are looking forward at these different 
demographics that are interested in this. And you know, that is 
one of the silver linings of the pandemic, is that more and 
more people--different groups that we have not seen before, 
have gotten into outdoor recreation. Very exciting.
    And you know, we--I mean, at the Minnesota DNR, the 
National Professional Angling Association, tourism 
destinations, like myself, you know, you would be crazy not to 
look at that and say, gosh, not only create a welcoming 
environment for these people, but also make sure that you are 
including all different types of people in your marketing and 
your promotions and your--and your messaging, because that is 
part of making them feel welcome. And also, addressing the 
security part of things. Do people feel safe coming to your 
destination? When they look at your materials, do they see 
people like themselves and they would feel, you know, 
comfortable bringing their families there.
    So, yes, it is very important, and we certainly see a 
silver lining coming to the future.
    Senator Capito. Thank you, thank you.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I want to begin by, again, 
thanking all of your for being here because we really do have 
to promote our outdoor tourism. Not just for Nevada, that is 
60,000 jobs, I can tell you, every state has--depending on the 
size of your state--we only have three million people. Florida, 
millions, millions of people. And so, percentage wise, it 
really makes a difference. And these workers' livelihoods, they 
really depend on the visitors, not just across the country, but 
really from--coming from around the world.
    So, with this in mind, the American Rescue Plan, Congress 
did set aside $750 million in grants to assist States and 
communities that have had job losses in tourism and outdoor 
recreation sectors. So, Senator Cortez Masto, Klobuchar, and I, 
we have made this clear. The administration should make these 
funds available for tourism marketing and promotion activities. 
We need to make them available as quickly as possible, so that 
we can bring visitors back to our top tourist destinations. But 
these funds are just a small part.
    So, Mr. Robertson and Mr. Henry, can you discuss the 
importance of travel promotion, like, Brand USA, our direct 
marketing--our local direct marketing organizations, DMOs as 
they are known in the industry--to attracting both 
international and domestic visitors to our wonderful states? 
Mr. Robertson, you can go first, and then, Mr. Henry.
    Mr. Robertson. Thank you, Chair Rosen. Colin Robertson, for 
the record.
    Nevada was desperately affected by the downturn in tourism 
and travel, obviously, as a result of COVID-19. But Brand USA's 
efforts and the local DMOs, including Travel Nevada in the 
State of Nevada, are doing really important work to bring--to 
build back better the tourism economy of the state. And 
especially, in a state like Nevada, our rural communities 
which, from an outdoor recreation perspective, are gateways to 
some of Nevada's most beloved recreational places and 
opportunities.
    In particular, I think it is very important for 
organizations like Brand USA to be working collaboratively with 
State offices of outdoor recreation and State and local DMOs on 
things like, rural--positioning rural communities to 
participate in that building back better, by implementing 
strategies and initiatives around rural community and economic 
development, particularly oriented to outdoor recreation. And I 
think it is very important that we work together to try to 
identify strategies to inform, educate, influence visitors 
about how and why to travel and to recreate outdoors 
responsibly and sustainably.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. Mr. Henry, can you talk a little 
bit about Brand USA and importance of travel promotion efforts?
    Mr. Henry. I can. Well, first off, travel promotion 
efforts, I mean, destination marketing organizations, they fuel 
the desire. I mean, they tell the story, and they paint the 
pictures, to not only attract visitors, but also, to really 
motivate them to get out there and explore and travel.
    You know, as I mentioned in my comments, for instance in 
Minnesota, for every dollar spent on lodging, there is a five-
to-seven-time trickledown effect to the local economies. And 
that is huge. You know, when tourism is good, everybody wins. 
Gas, food, beverage, fishing guides, hardware stores, grocery 
stores, very important.
    You know, when you bring up Brand USA, had an opportunity 
to talk to Explore Minnesota Tourism recently and, you know 
that Brand USA is going to be Explore Minnesota Tourism's main 
foray back into international market. So, they are very much in 
support of reauthorizing funding for Brand USA. That is very, 
very important to get that segment of our tourism back rolling 
again. Thank you.
    Senator Rosen. And for all of you, and you can just answer 
this quickly as a yes or no question because then, we will go 
to Mr. Scott--Senator Scott. We will go back and forth. But how 
important--or do you think, to revitalize our rural areas in 
particular, and tourism in general, how important do think 
investment in broadband is? If you would just give a quick 
answer, then all four of you can do that. Mr. Robertson, we 
will start with you first.
    Mr. Robertson. Essential.
    Senator Rosen. Essential. Mr. Hughes?
    Mr. Hughes. Very.
    Mr. Hartman. It is very essential and Ducks Unlimited is a 
proud member of the American Connection Project, which is a 
conglomeration of many agri-businesses, telecom companies, 
healthcare industry folks, that are--that are working to 
advance that priority.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. And Mr. Henry, how important do 
you think broadband is to tourism in your state?
    Mr. Henry. Thank you. As I mentioned in my comments, 
extremely important. It levels the playing field, and it makes, 
you know, all areas of the state and the country, you know, 
accessible to different kinds of jobs and certainly, education.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. Senator--I turned off my 
microphone. Senator Scott.
    Senator Scott. Thank you, Chair Rosen. Well, I think even 
when the senator from Alaska is in the room, we would have to 
all agree that the fishing capital of the world is Florida.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Rosen. We have a couple of fish in Nevada.
    Senator Sullivan. Madam Chair, I am going to object to 
that.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Rosen. Duly noted, duly noted.
    Senator Scott. So, Mr. Hughes, whether we are the fishing 
capital or not, we all love our fishing. And all the states 
have great fishing and different fishing. Can you talk about, 
all around our country, how sportfishing impacts your local 
communities and jobs?
    Mr. Henry. Certainly, thank you. So, the beauty about 
something like fishing is that it is--you can talk about it 
nationally, but you can act locally. There are so many events. 
There are--the manufacturers in our membership is about 700, 
but there are about 3,500 retailers out there selling product, 
besides the 4,000 Walmarts or the 2,000 Bass Pro and Cabela's, 
or the 700 Dick's Sporting Goods or the 250 Academy Sports. 
Everybody sells fishing equipment. So, it is supporting those 
local markets.
    Obviously, there is so much public land and water that we 
are fishing from--from each state, for that matter. And so, we 
have got funds that have been invested into each State to make 
sure that we have--have this access to these fish. And so--and 
fishing is for everyone, whether you are 2 years old or 92 
years old, or even 102 years old. And so, we are only asking 
for fishing license fees, mostly for the 16-to 65-year-olds. 
But everybody has an opportunity to enjoy to--participate on a 
day on the water.
    And again, it is not just the retail, it is everything you 
think about when it comes to paying for a boat or fuel or 
motors or paying for equipment or chartering a boat or being 
able to enjoy food at restaurants, before, during, and after, 
as well. So, everything is tied to fishing in my world, and we 
want to share it with the rest of the world.
    Senator Scott. Thank you. Mr. Hartman, can you talk about--
we have seen, I think, around the country, a significant 
increase in both hunting and, you know, sporting, almost--
probably almost in every State. Can you talk about what is 
driving this and how we are going to be able to continue this?
    Mr. Hartman. Thank you, Senator. I think that, for a lot of 
different reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired Americans 
to get outdoors. I think that a lot of that has to do with, 
after being--having to confine yourself to your own home, for 
the safety of yourself and others for extended periods of time, 
you really reconnect--you really, kind of, yearn for that.
    But I also think that a lot of that is driven by a lot of 
the public investments that we have made in outdoor recreation 
access. And I think that outdoor recreation access really 
equals outdoor recreation economic activity. We see that in 
your state, where we have so many state and parks and 
opportunities and wonderful beaches for people to visit. You 
know, I will not say anything about Siesta Key, but just ask 
Dr. Beach.
    [Laughter.]
    Mr. Hartman. I think that one of the ways we can keep that 
going is, we can seize this moment, where so many people have 
reconnected with that. And we can build on the strong 
foundation that the previous Congress laid by passing historic 
investments in outdoor recreation and conservation funding 
through the American's Conservation Enhancement Act and the 
Great American Outdoors Act. And we can do--do the best to 
build on that foundation, as we move forward.
    Senator Scott. Can you just talk about, a little bit, how 
the benefit of your conservation efforts has impacted local 
communities and jobs?
    Mr. Hartman. Yes, Senator, I appreciate that. I can give 
you an example here from Florida. You know, DU is proud to work 
on a project just north of Jupiter, in Martin County, in the 
Jonathan Dixon State Park. DU enhanced 1,791 acres in that 
park, which is, as you are aware, Florida's largest State park.
    And what they did was they--they adjusted two drainage 
systems and changed the hydrologic flows to benefit wetland 
dependent wildlife species that had declined in the area. And 
that water management infrastructure restored the wetlands 
system and aided in vegetation management and increased 
biodiversity, thereby creating lots of other reasons for 
visitors to visit that park. To observe and go bird watching 
for all the beautiful, tropical, and migratory birds, and 
everything, other wildlife that benefited from that.
    Senator Scott. Well, and we have got great conservation 
efforts all over this country, and I know we have done a lot of 
it in Florida, but thanks for what Ducks Unlimited has been 
doing.
    While I finish and give it back to Chair Rosen, I want to 
tell you that, while it was not fishing in my State, one of the 
best fishing days I ever had is, I actually took a small plane 
up to a glacier lake in Alaska. And we caught trout up there 
and cooked it right there. And it could not have been much 
better fishing than that day.
    So, I will turn my time back to Chair Rosen.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Senator Scott. I would like to 
recognize next, Senator Klobuchar, via WebEx.

               STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA

    Senator Klobuchar. Well, thank you so much, Chair Rosen and 
thank you, Senator Scott. I just heard your closing comment, 
Senator Scott, and I will say you have not fished until you 
went to Minnesota and fished for Walleye.
    Which is just a great segue for me to thank Mr. Joe Henry 
and thank the Chair for having him come today. We take pride in 
our outdoor recreation in Minnesota in a big way, and I would 
have been there at the beginning of the hearing, but I am 
chairing another hearing as we speak, over in Judiciary. And I 
have had the experience--great experience of working with Joe 
in the past, in my visits to Northern Minnesota.
    And I think we all know what has been going on with 
tourism. We had the pandemic hit so many areas hard. We now 
have labor shortage in some of the areas of our state. And 
then, there is always supply chain issues that have hit in so 
many ways.
    So, why do I not start with you, Mr. Henry. I know of one 
resort near the Canadian border. I have been pushing to open 
that border, of course, near the Canadian border, Jake's 
Northwest Angle Resort, that lost 85 percent of its business 
since the pandemic started. Can you speak to how this 
legislation, the Remote Recreational Small Business 
Interruption Program Act, that Senator Smith and I introduced, 
would help? We all know--we are not going to tell our whole 
story of these Minnesotans that live an hour and a half through 
Canada. We hope all the senators will visit them 1 day, when we 
can finally come through. But why do you not answer, Mr. Henry. 
Thanks.
    Mr. Henry. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar. And all the 
senators are welcome to come up to the Northwest Angle. Would 
love to have you.
    You know, it has been tough. You know, the pandemic has 
closed down--basically, it has cutoff customers from these 
Northwest Angle Resorts. So, many of the resorts are down 75 to 
90 percent in revenue. You know, when you talk about last 
summer, Jake's Northwest Angle paid, for the summer, $3 in 
taxes. There are just no sales. There are no people there.
    So, this--this deal that you speak of would be absolutely 
detrimental to helping these poor people survive. You know, 
they are caught in a--they are caught in a very, very difficult 
situation--a very unique situation. And they are hanging on by 
a thread. So, what it would do is, it would help them sleep 
better at night and it would, basically, help them hang on to 
fight another day. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar.
    Senator Klobuchar. OK, well, I am so glad you are with us. 
Mr. Hughes, Mr. Robertson, improving recreational trails is 
important in my state. Snowmobilers, hikers, ATV users, 
cyclists, countless others--we have actually been able to get a 
coalition together with these cyclists and ATV users, with our 
skiers and our snowmobilers, to promote recreational trails. 
And that is the RTP program, which funds off highway vehicles, 
snowmobile, and non-motorized trail uses.
    In 2020, our state trail usage was up 50 percent, as more 
people were finding ways to get outdoors. And I have been 
leading this effort in the Senate for a long time. Mr. Hughes, 
you highlight the need to secure increased funding for the 
Recreation Trails Program. Can you elaborate on why this 
program is critical? And Mr. Robertson, could you also talk 
about the local impact on communities? Mr. Hughes.
    Mr. Hughes. Yes, thank you, Senator, for the question. So, 
the Recreational Trails Program, right now, is getting about 
$85 million from the Highway Trust Fund. But it is not funding 
what is needed, which is about the $270 million annually, which 
is, kind of, a conservative estimate, in terms of what is 
probably needed for this. And until we have that, the lack of 
access will limit the participation, limit the number of folks 
that will get involved in this.
    And so, if we can make sure that we ensure that funding, it 
is a user benefit, and it supports all recreational forms of 
participation, not only in the State of Minnesota, but 
throughout the country. So, we need more support of these non-
motorized trails and just some of the infrastructure will be 
supported through this RTP program.
    So, that is what that is what I----
    Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Robertson?
    Mr. Robertson. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar, for the 
question. The importance in, especially rural communities, of 
RTP investments is--cannot be oversold. It is essential to 
creating infrastructure, from an outdoor recreation standpoint, 
that helps those communities build sustainable community and 
economic development strategies around the natural capital that 
exists in those places. And alongside it, I would submit that 
the Federal Lands Access Program does really important work to 
make access to those public lands happen, as well. Thank you.
    Senator Klobuchar. OK, very good. I would just close by 
saying Senator Blunt and I lead the Brand USA. That will be 
coming up for reauthorization at some point. We all know we 
have suffered in the tourism area. A lot of financial loss from 
the international tourism market and I would note, as this 
focus, Chairman Rosen and the Ranking Member have a good 
hearing on international tourism.
    But I would say, even in the recreational area, there are 
many people visiting from around the world who want to come to 
America to experience the great outdoors. And they are a big 
part of that tourism package, as well. And that part of our 
tourism economy is really important to bringing a bunch of them 
in. And we would like to make it even more important, as we 
look at having the industry rebound after these years of the 
pandemic.
    So, thank you to all of our witnesses. Look forward to 
seeing you out there fishing, Mr. Henry, and I will talk to you 
all soon. Thanks, everyone.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Senator Klobuchar. And now, 
someone who is no stranger to the snow, Senator Sullivan.

                STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA

    Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair, and before 
Senator Klobuchar leaves, you know--hopefully, she is still on. 
We all get to flex a little bit about our states and tourism 
and, you know, I want to return the compliment from Senator 
Scott. I--I love fishing in Alaska, of course, some of my best 
fishing has also been deep sea fishing in Florida. So, I think 
we all--all benefit, all appreciate it, you know--even--I did 
not know there was a lot of fishing in Minnesota. I think it is 
called the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I think--I was just checking. 
I think Alaska, we have three million lakes, so----
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Sullivan. Sorry. We have got a little bit more 
lakes. Amy, I do not know if you are still on, but----
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Sullivan. Just thought you would want to hear that. 
But one issue, in all seriousness, I really thank the Chair and 
the Ranking Member. I think this is a great subcommittee. It is 
an active subcommittee, which is really important because this 
is a really key part of our economy that I actually think 
deserves more attention, because it is very bipartisan. But it 
is very strongly American in terms of, when compared to other 
industries, it is highly dependent on human capital, human 
labor. It cannot be outsourced. It is a great component of our 
international trade balance when people come in. So, it is a 
win-win-win across a bunch of areas.
    I do want to follow on what Senator Klobuchar mentioned. We 
have been having this problem with the closed border with 
Canada. And I actually think it does not just impact border 
states, like mine or Minnesota. It hurts Florida, it hurts 
Nevada. But the Canadians are hearing from us, but I think it 
would be good for all the witnesses here, you know, if you can 
respectfully but forcefully say, ay, Canada, time to open your 
border. It is going to benefit tourism in Canada.
    But my goodness, they are an industrialized democracy. Come 
on, we are not--you know, we are your neighbor to the South, or 
your neighbor to the Northwest, in my State's case. But would 
it benefit you, your industry, both in America and Canada, if 
the Canadians finally got out of their own way and opened their 
border to their American neighbors? Can I ask each witness on 
that?
    Mr. Robertson. Colin Roberston, for the record. Senator, I 
would--I would say--I did not get a chance to say this to 
Senator Klobuchar, but as a kid from Minnesota, I appreciate 
and understand that issue very well. And both Minnesota and 
Nevada have a history with the Hudson Bay Company. So, I think 
there are reasons that we should be looking to history for some 
of the opportunities to build an outdoor recreation-oriented 
economy, collectively, with Canada.
    Senator Sullivan. So, you would appreciate an open border 
this summer?
    Mr. Robertson. I sure would.
    Senator Sullivan. Good, so would we.
    Mr. Hughes. Senator Sullivan, it is nice to see you again. 
Thanks for the question. Of course, it was a few years ago, in 
the Kenai River, one of our staff was speaking at a hearing 
that you had there before the fishing tournament.
    And so, of course, the closing of the Canadian borders hurt 
our business. It has hurt, certainly, the lodges and the 
fishing camps in Canada, as well, for sure. But our trade show 
next month is an international trade show and the manufacturers 
from Canada are not coming. And so, that hurts our business. It 
hurts their business.
    Senator Sullivan. It is a real self-inflicted wound on the 
Canadians, too. It is remarkable to me.
    Mr. Hughes. It certainly is. Yes, we look at--of course, we 
talk about fishing in America, it is North America.
    Senator Sullivan. Yes.
    Mr. Hughes. And so, Canada is an important part of that. 
And of course, there are plenty of conversations to be had 
about salmon fishing between the Alaskan and the Canadian 
borders and Washington and Oregon and California. And so, they 
are a part of the ecosystem and, of course, they should be 
open, and everyone will benefit from that, yes.
    Senator Sullivan. I agree. Mr. Hartman?
    Mr. Hartman. Thank you, Senator Sullivan. As you mentioned, 
that is up to the Canadians, but----
    Senator Sullivan. We know it is up to the Canadians.
    Mr. Hartman. It certainly----
    Senator Sullivan. I am just trying to make a point that--
they have been hearing from us, of course.
    Mr. Hartman. Yes, sir.
    Senator Sullivan. But I think hearing from all of you 
really matters and it matters to Canadians whose voices are, 
obviously, not being heard by their own government. I mean, 
they are hurting their own tourism industry, as well.
    Mr. Hartman. Yes, sir. I am not offering any dissenting 
views. It obviously matters to waterfowlers, very much.
    Senator Sullivan. Yes.
    Mr. Hartman. In a lot of different ways, beyond tourism. 
The closure of the Canadian border has interfered with 
scientific research that is conducted. Waterfowl and wildlife 
resources, according to the North American Model of 
Conservation, are an international commodity. They are things 
that we all own together. Ducks and geese do not know the 
northern border. They fly across it. They fly across the 
southern border. They live their whole entire life cycles in 
North America, which is why Ducks Unlimited is a North American 
conservation organization, with our sister organizations in 
Canada----
    Senator Sullivan. Yes.
    Mr. Hartman. And DUMAC, which is our subsidiary--our 
partner organization in Mexico. But American waterfowlers 
travel by the tens of thousands to Canada every year to enjoy 
waterfowling.
    Senator Sullivan. And they are not going right now, right?
    Mr. Hartman. They missed last season and they would be very 
disappointed--I know a couple of them personally that would be 
very disappointed to miss next season, as well.
    Senator Sullivan. And Madam Chair, if I can just ask Mr. 
Henry, if you are still on the line. I am sure you have a very 
strong view on this. But again, loud, respectful voices from 
Americans in the tourism industry, I think can help us, if the 
Canadians are listening. So, Mr. Henry, do you have a view?
    Mr. Henry. I do, Senator, thank you. You know, this is 
going to be the second Summer that our Northwest Angle resorts 
have been cutoff from--from their visitors being able to come 
up to see them. But so, not only are Northwest Angle guests 
cutoff, it is that whole region of Canada that relies on 
Americans to come up and fuel their tourism industry. They have 
been cutoff, as well.
    You know, we believe that that border can be opened in a 
fair manner, a very safe manner. And yes, we certainly believe 
that that could have been opened a while ago, certainly now.
    Senator Sullivan. And now, Madam Chair, as so many 
Americans are becoming vaccinated, and Canadians, too, this 
really self-defeating policy needs to--in my view, would be 
very important for the Canadians to change it. Benefit all of 
us. But thanks again. These hearings are very important. I look 
forward to major legislation on tourism coming out of this 
subcommittee.
    Thank you for the witnesses. I have a few additional 
questions I am going to submit to all of you, for the record. 
Thank you.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Senator Sullivan. Next, via 
WebEx, we have Senator Hickenlooper.

             STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HICKENLOOPER, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

    Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I 
appreciate all the testimony of all the panelists today--what a 
great group. And I want to start--I have got three questions, 
so if everyone can keep their answers relatively concise, I 
will try to keep my questions concise.
    Mr. Robertson, I am a huge fan of the Office of Outdoor 
Recreation. Actually, I stole that idea from the Republican 
Governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, not quite 10 years ago. And we 
hired--I think you know Luis Benitez, who was our first Head of 
the Office of Outdoor Recreation. He is half-Ecuadorian, half-
Missourian, but has been a remarkable contributor to outdoor 
recreation in Colorado and has helped start--I think they are 
now--and maybe you could enlighten me about how many other 
states. I think there are 20 other states that have Offices of 
Outdoor Recreation, now. Again, creates healthier citizens, 
generates economy, it creates jobs, all those benefits.
    I wanted to ask, do you see a benefit or a point to having 
an Office of--a National Office of Outdoor Recreation? I 
realize this was eluded to in the opening comments, but I 
thought I would ask straight on.
    Mr. Robertson. Senator Hickenlooper, thank you very much 
for the question. I do know Luis. He is a force of nature, 
himself, and a force to be reckoned with in promoting outdoor 
recreation, which is wonderful.
    The answer to your first question is that there are 13 
offices that are formal offices, as part of the Confluence of 
States. But then, the National Governor's Association of 
Outdoor Recreation and Learning Network expands that number to 
about 28 states, I believe, currently, with programs, 
commissions, or advisory boards tied to outdoor recreation.
    There would be a great use for and a great opportunity to 
create a National Office of Outdoor Recreation for the 
Confluence of States members and the NGAORLN to contribute 
their expertise and to share resources across a variety of 
interagency partners that really touch all kinds of 
recreational activities. So, I would definitely say yes.
    Senator Hickenlooper. Great. Just the answer I was hoping 
for and certainly, from my experience with all the other 
states, it is bipartisan, as many red states as blue states. It 
is certainly a universal good.
    Mr. Henry, I was going to ask, just quickly, is there a 
real benefit when Governors or even communities--counties or 
municipalities are thinking about their area as an attraction, 
as a place to attract tourists and people that will recreate 
and spend money, does it help to have variety?
    And I was thinking, specifically, we are just about to open 
up a Cameo, which is a shooting range, out near Rifle, 
Colorado, with stops. You go around in a big circle--there are 
a number of these shooting ranges in various cities. I know 
there is an amazing one in Las Vegas. Then, you go, and it is, 
like--it is, like, going in a golf cart and you go around, and 
you have clay pigeons get shot up into the air and you have to 
react rapidly. It is--I think it is much more fun that golf. I 
do not want to offend anybody's sensibilities.
    But we have that and then, about five miles away, we are 
creating something this Summer that is going to open, called 
the Palisade Plunge, which is a mountain biking trail from the 
Grand Mesa, all the way down to the Colorado River, that will 
have over a 4,000-foot drop. By putting these things together, 
we are going to try to market--or the State of Colorado is 
going to try to market them together.
    In that--in your estimation, is that a useful--or a useful 
synergy to put those together, that kind of thing?
    Mr. Henry. Thank you, Senator. Yes, I absolutely think it 
is. You know, not only do you have more to offer more people, 
but now you have groups that might have varied interests. You 
are deflecting risk. There are a lot of great reasons for it. 
And, you know, I think it is important to know what you are 
great at and own it. But at the same time, if you can have 
diversification, it is hugely important for the future, no 
doubt.
    Senator Hickenlooper. Yes. No, I appreciate that, thank 
you. And then, the last question I wanted to ask Mr. Hartman, 
the question on--we are about to open a--or Michael Bennet and 
I have introduced, not opened, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation 
and Economy Act, which includes the creation of 17,000-acre 
recreation management area in the Tenmile Range, in Western 
Colorado, for mountain biking, hiking, hunting.
    Mr. Hartman, can you, obviously briefly, speak to the role 
that land conservation plays in ensuring--ensuring that future 
generations have the same ability to enjoy the outdoors, that 
we do today?
    Mr. Hartman. Yes, thank you, Senator. I think that that 
really strikes right to the point. I think that, if you look 
back on our Nation's history, and you look at the major 
investments that we have made in conservation, a lot of that 
has revolved around wildlife in our most beautiful places. And 
as a result of that, we all have the benefit of enjoying those 
natural places today.
    And when you think about outdoor recreation, the economic 
activity that surrounds it, access is at the center. And so, we 
should do everything that we can, within reason, to expand that 
access for more Americans, so that they all have, like was 
previously mentioned, lots of options to get outdoors and have 
a great time and enjoy nature.
    Senator Hickenlooper. Perfect. Thank you very much. I yield 
back to the Chair.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I would like to recognize Senator 
Scott for a second round of questioning.
    Senator Scott. Well, thank--first off, thank you all for 
all your answers and thank you for you commitment to outdoor 
recreation.
    What--how do you all think that we are going to be able to 
capitalize on the unbelievable increase in our state--our 
National Parks--the--I mean, we have had unbelievable growth. 
There was, I think it was an article in the ``Wall Street 
Journal'' today that talked about the surge. How do you all 
think we are going to be able to keep that going and capitalize 
on it, to create more jobs?
    Mr. Hughes. Just a comment on that. Thank you, Senator. I 
think it is important for us to realize that is the--the 
infrastructure is going to be the key there. Unless we have the 
proper infrastructure, we are not going to be able to handle 
more folks coming to these parks. And so, that investment has 
to be made, via Congress, to ensure that those monies are spent 
accordingly, because the backlog is--is large. And so, if we 
can accommodate that backlog and provide that--the opportunity 
for folks to participate and enjoy everything from picnic 
tables to bathrooms and, as we said, wanting to have some form 
of broadband, then we will be able to satisfy more customers. 
If we cannot provide those things then, we will not be able to 
support more participation.
    Senator Scott. Mr. Robertson----
    [off mic].
    Mr. Robertson. Thank you, Senator Scott. I would--I would 
add that I think rebuilding and adding to the budgets of our 
Federal land management agencies, recreation specific budgets 
for personnel and programs is essential, in particular, to 
avoid loving to death our most treasured gems in the national 
park system. Without which, we lose everything that is tied to 
this outdoor recreation economy.
    Senator Scott. Mr. Hartman?
    Mr. Hartman. Thank you, Senator. I think one important way 
that we can do that is to--is to fully utilize the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund and the historic spending that was 
approved, during the 116th Congress to permanently reauthorize 
that program.
    There are a lot of different challenges associated with 
delivering such an ambitious initiative, or fulfilling such an 
ambitious promise to America, to conserve and reduce the 
backlog of maintenance and improvements on all of these, you 
know, iconic landscapes. But I think that those are challenges 
that we can meet if--if it all fits together, but it is going 
to take people and it is going to take some changes to policy 
to really enable all of the partners that worked together on 
these issues, including the Federal Government and agencies, 
State agencies, to be able to deliver on that promise.
    Senator Scott. Thanks. Mr. Henry?
    Mr. Henry. Thank you, Senator. You know, I think part of it 
is having an experience, which is very important. I think the 
other part of it is, having a quality experience. And that is 
where--the quality experience part of it, it comes down to 
protecting the natural resources and the infrastructure piece 
of it. You know, it is a double-edged sword because we want 
more people getting into the outdoors, but at what point in 
time are too many people too many for that given resource?
    So, we have to make sure that we are cognizant of that, 
and, you know, everything from aquatic invasive species to 
infrastructure, to making sure we have available lands and the 
accessibility to those lands. Thank you.
    Senator Scott. Do you--do any of you have experiences where 
you have seen the private sector work with our park systems, 
either at the State or the Federal level, to raise money to be 
able to deal with some of this backlog? Because we know, you 
know, there is always--there is--there is always a limited 
amount of resources in any--whether it is State Government or 
Federal Government. Have any of you seen any of that?
    Mr. Robertson. I can take a pass at that question and say 
that, especially on the non-profit side, the Friends 
organizations and Friends of Great Basin--the Great Basin 
National Park Foundation in Nevada is a Friends-like 
organization that raises a lot of money to keep that park's 
programming as wonderful as it is. And that kind of effort is 
essential in the mix.
    Senator Scott. Anybody else?
    Mr. Hartman. Not specifically to National Parks, but I 
would say that DU partners with lots of corporations and 
private entities to collaborate and deliver conservation that 
benefits outdoor recreation and tourism. Those projects that we 
do together not only deliver habitat for wetlands and 
waterfowl, but they deliver cleaner air and cleaner water, and 
they reduce nutrient runoff in our Nation's streams and rivers 
and watersheds that benefit all Americans, whether they go 
outdoors or not.
    And so, it might not be at the heart of the partnership 
that we have with corporations and State and Federal Government 
agencies, but it is certainly--the outdoor access for 
recreation is definitely a welcome by-product of a lot of that 
great conservation work that we do with them.
    Senator Scott. Glenn.
    Mr. Hughes. Thanks. I will say that there are thousands of 
small projects that are going on. So, we have a 501c3 called 
Fish America Foundation. And so, we support a number of fishery 
habitat projects each year and they are funded by folks like 
Brunswick, and other organizations that--that provide the 
funding so that we can do the work. But there are thousands of 
these small projects around the country.
    Senator Scott. Yes. Mr. Henry?
    Mr. Henry. Yes, and I was just going to comment, too, on 
the smaller projects going on. You know, in Minnesota, you 
know, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, we have a lot of aquatic 
invasive species as, you know, a pretty common topic right now. 
And, you know, we have a lot of lake associations and smaller 
groups that are volunteering their time to get to help out with 
that. There are a lot of smaller groups, grassroots efforts 
that are making a big difference in a smaller scale, I should 
say.
    Senator Scott. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Rosen.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I will say that, for over 50 
years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, it really has been 
essential in protecting our public lands. We have addressed the 
deferred maintenance backlog somewhat and that will help our 
public lands and will make the tourist destinations more 
accessible to visitors, the like. But I have a couple last 
questions, as we talk about the maintenance backlog and 
tourists and loving it to death and making sure it is fine for 
more people, and all of that.
    So, the first question, you talk about--little bit about 
labor shortages. And so, how important is it to have affordable 
housing and daycare as part of a possible funding package, to 
help you get labor up there to do these, sometimes it is 
seasonal work? Certainly, in Minnesota. But some places where 
it is very hot, you have to still do it--you come down, in the 
Winter, down South, and if you go up North to do the project in 
the Summer. But how important is daycare and affordable housing 
to address these labor shortages?
    Mr. Robertson. Thank you, Senator Rosen, for the question. 
Colin Robertson, for the record. It is a--it is a--it is an, 
almost, intractable problem, I think, across the country. It is 
certainly true in Nevada. Where--in a State where 87 percent of 
the land area of the state is managed by Federal agencies. 
There is just a dire shortage of housing, especially for 
Federal Land Management Agency staff, who are becoming priced 
out of the market to be able to afford to live where they work. 
And that is true across communities everywhere in this country. 
No sector is left untouched by that challenge.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you.
    Mr. Hughes. I just--I do not think I am in a position to 
answer that. I do not have good data for you.
    Senator Rosen. That is fine. Mr. Hartman?
    Mr. Hartman. Likewise, I am not sure that our industry 
typically deals with the types of seasonal labor issues that 
other parts of the outdoor recreation economy deal with. So, I 
would not see myself as an expert on that, except for being a 
father and knowing that, during the pandemic, and trying to 
work from home with an 8-year-old and a five-year-old crawling 
up my leg, made it really hard.
    [Laughter)
    Senator Rosen. Yes, I--I can imagine that. Mr. Henry, how 
do you feel, up in Northern Minnesota, about daycare and 
affordable housing to get people up where you are, to do some 
of the--not just the work when there is a lot of tourists, but 
address some of this backlog of maintenance that we need to 
work on?
    Mr. Henry. Yes, absolutely. It is--it is--thank you, 
Senator. It is hugely important. You know, labor--labor is 
probably the number one issue facing us right now and it is not 
just Lake of the Woods. It is across all of Minnesota. And, you 
know, it is one thing if you can recruit people from outside 
your area to come up to your area to work, that is great. But I 
can speak for our area, across Northern Minnesota, there is 
nowhere to live. There is no short-term housing to live in. So, 
it just makes it next to impossible.
    And then, of course, if you can get people to come up and 
if--you know, what is happening is, some of our larger resorts 
are either taking--dedicating cabins toward employee housing 
or, if they have the means, they are building employee housing 
on their own. Well, that eliminates the medium and small 
resorts, certainly.
    And then, of course, daycare. Yes, well, if you have kids 
and--it eliminates so many workers. So, both are--they go hand 
in hand, and they are both very big issues across our entire 
State.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that. and this is my 
last question. Because we do want to prepare and plan, so what 
do we need to do that? Good data, right? What do we--what has 
happened in the past, is that a predictor of what is going to 
happen, or what happens if we project? Us as appropriators may 
need to know some of those numbers so we can help fund and be 
good partners with all of you.
    So, I know I just have a little bit of time left. So, do 
you think there is a good way to measure tourism? Are you doing 
it all right or are there tools that we can help you with to 
measure tourism better, so that we can better plan and prepare 
for more robust future?
    Mr. Robertson. Thank you, Senator Rosen, for the question. 
I would--I would say that there are a number of things that we 
could do. The Federal Land Management Agencies rely on a 
variety of methods for counting outdoor recreation. And those 
could be--they do what they can with the resources that they 
have. What we need are more resources, basically, to do better 
counting and better analysis of the impacts of outdoor 
recreation.
    The Headwaters Economics department--Headwaters Economics 
Organization's researcher Megan Lawson has done some really 
great research on this and some of the innovative ways that we 
could expand data collection and analysis on outdoor 
recreation, especially in public lands.
    Senator Rosen. Wonderful, thank you. Mr. Hughes?
    Mr. Hughes. Thank you. I probably have two comments on 
this. First, I think that it is also taken at a State and 
regional level. So, a State like Florida has Visit Florida, 
that has a lot of data about----
    Senator Rosen. Mm-hmm.
    Mr. Hughes. Their--their participants and their visitors 
each year and they--especially when you have 100 million of 
them each year, there are a lot of folks to talk to about that. 
And so, I think each statement--and the National Governor's 
Association has the opportunity to share data and probably, you 
know, communicate with each other on what is working, what is 
not working.
    From a fishing perspective, we have got annual research 
that is done, again, through the Recreational Boating and 
Fishing Foundation. They hire the Outdoor Foundation to do an 
annual survey regarding anglers and what are their likes and 
dislikes and why they are fishing and why they are not fishing 
and whether they are children, women, multicultural families, 
African-Americans. And so, we have a good feel right now for 
who these folks are that are coming to fish.
    One of the issues we are trying to get our arms around is 
why they stop fishing. And so, we have an idea of who these new 
anglers are and now we need to understand why they are fishing 
and why they decide not to fish any longer. So, I mentioned 
that we were increasing participation from 50 to 55 million, 
but we have lost nine million anglers each year, as well. And 
so, why have we lost them? And these are the questions we need 
to ask so we can understand, not only their fishing, but also 
the traveling and tourism that they would provide, as well.
    Senator Rosen. Maybe share that across the board. Mr. 
Hartman, any thoughts on how we better collect our data to help 
us do all of this better, everything we need to do?
    Mr. Hartman. Well, thank you. This--as far as tourism is 
concerned, this is not an area that we are particularly experts 
in, but I would note a couple of things. Our State Fishing and 
Wildlife agencies do a really great job of keeping track of--
of--harvest and other things, with waterfowling on an annual 
basis, that will provide us some insights, as well as tracking 
in-state and out of state license sales.
    I think one thing that the committee and Congress could 
consider is, you know, providing more resources to our Federal 
agency partners to conduct more periodic reporting and data on 
this. In preparation for this hearing, I think one of the 
things that I noticed was that a lot of the information was 
older. And that is, by no means, a criticism of our--our public 
employees and our servants that work in those agencies. I think 
it is more product of how much stuff they have on their plate 
and what is important at any given moment.
    Beefing up those opportunities to have fresher information 
would definitely be something that I think would benefit the 
committee and the tourism economy, in general.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. Thoughtful answer. Mr. Henry, 
will you want to--any thoughts on how data might help you and 
some of your peers do what you need to do and plan for, going 
forward?
    Mr. Henry. I appreciate that. You know, we get pretty good 
information. You know, we try to keep track of things locally. 
Explore Minnesota Tourism does a nice job. You know, it is also 
information about our resources, and it is crossing State 
lines. For instance, aquatic invasive species, you know, when 
they travel on a boat or a trailer, they do not care what State 
they are going to. The bottom line is, there is not 
consistency, necessarily, between States when it comes to rules 
on AIS and different measures like that.
    You know, technology--and so, more people fishing, and 
technology is playing a role in fish. Because people are 
catching more fish, they are more productive and just creating 
sustainable fisheries, and things. So, you know, that does 
affect tourism, if you are into outdoor recreation tourism and 
ecotourism.
    So, you know, all those things--monitoring our natural 
resources, monitoring what kind of people, you know, are 
coming, and what kind of people we need to get into the 
industry, are very important. Any--any information is certainly 
welcomed.
    Senator Rosen. Well, thank you, I appreciate that. And so, 
Senator Scott, do you have anything else you want to add?
    Senator Scott. Nope. Thank you, Chair Rosen, for organizing 
this event and thanks all of our witnesses here.
    Senator Rosen. Well then, I want to thank you all so much 
for participating in today's hearing. I want to go do all the 
outdoor recreation now in every state. But what I want to say 
now is the hearing record will remain open for two weeks, until 
Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Any Senators that would like to submit 
questions for the record, should do so by Tuesday, June 19, 
2021. For those of you who testified today, we ask that your 
responses be returned to the committee as quickly as possible, 
and in no case, later than two weeks after receipt.
    This conclude today's--this concludes today's hearing. 
Thank you.
    [Whereupon, at 4:40 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                            A P P E N D I X

    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to 
                            Colin Robertson
Federal Conservation and Recreation Programs.
    Question 1. Can you talk about which Federal conservation programs, 
including LWCF, are most important to reviving and enhancing the 
outdoor recreation economy and bringing more visitors to our Nation's 
parks, mountains, deserts, lakes, and beaches?
    Answer. Numerous Federal conservation programs contribute to the 
vibrancy, vitality, and sustainability of the outdoor recreation 
economy in the U.S. My response will focus upon three key programs 
Congress can continue to support and expand to sustain this important 
emerging sector of the American economy.
    First, the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, 
which authorized full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
(LWCF) and the deferred maintenance funds associated with the National 
Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) are key funding 
streams for federal, state, and local land management agencies. Both 
LWCF and LRF investments in outdoor recreation support jobs and 
businesses in local economies across the Nation. Stateside grants made 
possible by LWCF are essential to supporting the acquisition of land 
and the construction of outdoor recreation infrastructure at state and 
local levels. The LRF funds focused on deferred maintenance backlogs 
help rehabilitate key outdoor recreation infrastructure for which 
Federal land management agencies have not received general 
appropriation funds to maintain or operate appropriately. It is 
important to recognize that the deferred maintenance funding authorized 
by the LRF is time-limited to five years, and yet addresses perhaps 
only half of the deferred maintenance backlog for outdoor recreation 
infrastructure on America's federally managed public lands. Updating 
and permanently authorizing the Great American Outdoors Act and 
especially the LRF are necessary to ensure Federal land management 
agencies can safely operate and maintain infrastructure that already 
exists for the public's use and enjoyment into the future.
    Second, since the early 1990s, the Recreational Trails Program 
(RTP) has provided funding to states and local governments to develop 
and maintain outdoor recreational trails, allowing millions of 
Americans and their families to enjoy activities such as hiking, 
bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and off-road and 4-wheel 
driving. Although RTP has funded more than 25,000 projects nationwide, 
the program has only been allocated $84 million per year, which is less 
than has been collected in taxes on fuel used to access outdoor 
recreational activities. Fully funding RTP would help provide states 
and local governments low-barrier-to-entry grant funds to build and 
maintain the trails and outdoor recreation infrastructure that creates 
jobs, improves multiple quality of life indicators, and provides a key 
tool for community and economic development across the country.
    Finally, the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities Program 
(RERC) was established in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 
2019. The pilot program provided grant funds to ten American 
communities seeking to foster environmentally friendly community 
development strategies and Main Street revitalization through 
conservation of public lands and waters, and sustainable outdoor 
recreation and tourism. More than 170 U.S. communities applied for 
these funds, but there was enough funding for just ten. Supporting the 
expansion of RERC would help communities across the country create 
jobs, build upon their recreation economies, and invest in the 
sustainability of the public lands and natural resources that make 
rural recreation economies possible.

    Question 2. In order to continue enjoying the outdoors and lands we 
love, we all must recreate responsibly and conserve our wildlife and 
natural habitats. Can you talk a bit about the work you do with 
educating the public on best practices for both enjoying and protecting 
places for outdoor recreation and tourism?
    Answer. My counterparts and I in state offices of outdoor 
recreation work closely with state and Federal agencies and local 
governments on a wide variety of initiatives to amplify the work of our 
often very small offices. Especially in 2020 and since the pandemic, 
those efforts have been particularly focused on outdoor ethics and 
education messages associated with sustainable and responsible outdoor 
recreation and tourism. Working collaboratively across agencies to 
develop integrated and unified communications supporting outdoor ethics 
and responsible recreation messages and education is key to protecting 
places for outdoor recreation and tourism. In the Lake Tahoe Basin, for 
example, I have worked closely with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency 
(TRPA), local, state, and Federal land management agencies and their 
public information officers, non-profit organizations, and local 
tourism authorities to develop and implement shared communications, 
social media, and public relations strategies supporting responsible 
outdoor recreation and outdoor ethics. This is essential to ensure that 
new, inexperienced, or apathetic outdoor visitors learn how to recreate 
responsibly, reduce impacts, and mitigate resource damage. 
Additionally, several offices of outdoor recreation are currently 
working with Federal land management agency partners to collaboratively 
develop visioning documents supporting sustainable and responsible 
outdoor recreation and tourism strategies--something akin to the U.S. 
Forest Service's Shared Stewardship Agreements, for example, focused on 
outdoor ethics and recreation.

    Measuring the Outdoor Recreation Economy. To fully support the 
outdoor tourism industry, we need to make sure we are accurately 
measuring the outdoor recreation economy. Data from the Department of 
Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis--tasked with measuring this--
shows that in 2019, the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.1 
percent or $459.8 billion of U.S. GDP. It is difficult, however, to 
precisely measure the total amount of outdoor recreation that Americans 
engage in, due to differences in data collection, measurement, 
definitions, and other factors. More accurate data will help local, 
state, and Federal governments and private industry more clearly 
measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation, leading to policies 
that better support local economies, businesses, workers, and our 
public lands and waters.

    Question 3. Can you talk about the issue of robust data and 
challenges with measuring outdoor recreation; and specifically in 
Nevada, how traditional methods of counting visitation or use may not 
be sufficient or completely accurate? What might be a better way to 
measure types of tourism?
    Answer. Public land management agencies do their best to estimate 
the visitation and use of our public lands. In 2020, however, dramatic 
increases in visitation to public lands took place in general, 
dispersed, and wilderness areas, rather than developed recreation 
areas, which were frequently subject to pandemic-related closures or 
reduced operations. These general, dispersed, and wilderness areas are 
frequently the most ecologically fragile, and have the least resources 
allocated for their maintenance, operations, and sustainable 
management. Because these areas are not developed and managed for 
recreational impacts, the impacts are more significant and long-
lasting. Therefore, it is important to improve the ways and methods by 
which outdoor recreation and public lands visitation are counted, to 
ensure our public land management agencies have the resources they need 
to manage, maintain, and sustainably operate the Nation's public lands. 
One way to address this would be through public-private partnerships 
with the diverse array of technology companies that increasingly 
provide tourism-, health-, and recreation-related applications for 
users to track their outdoor use and experience. Numerous popular 
mobile applications provide users aggregated information about trails 
for hiking, bicycling, and other popular outdoor recreational 
activities. Partnerships between land management agencies and private 
entities such as these mobile application providers could help more 
accurately estimate visitation and use of outdoor recreation 
infrastructure and public lands at specific sites, and in so doing help 
ensure that the land management agencies can justify requests for the 
funding necessary to sustainably manage these natural assets. 
Headwaters Economics economist Megan Lawson has done some very good and 
important work to support innovative ways to count outdoor recreation, 
which has implications for both use, funding, and economic impact 
analysis.

    Expanding Access to Outdoor Tourism. According to a recent Outdoor 
Industry Association report, new participants in outdoor activities 
during this past year were more likely to be female, younger, living in 
an urban area, and slightly more ethnically diverse than prior 
participants. This is incredibly encouraging, especially since 
according to research, Black and Brown communities are more likely to 
face more barriers to accessing outdoor recreation. Without access to 
the outdoors, whole communities are cut off from the health benefits of 
time spent in nature, and also from participating in the activities 
that drive the outdoor recreation economy.

    Question 1. As you know, in southern Nevada, the ``Neon to Nature'' 
initiative is an online tool that aims to help people find walking and 
bicycle trails right in their backyard. This is a great first step, but 
in the wake of demographic shifts in outdoor tourism participation 
during COVID, how do we build on this new participation and encourage 
people to continue to enjoy recreating outdoors when the pandemic is 
over?
    Answer. We need to encourage and sustain new participant interest 
in and use of public lands for outdoor recreation, but also participant 
engagement with simple, low-barrier-to-entry activities such as 
walking, running, and bicycling, especially in close-to-home urban 
spaces. This means investments in innovative communications and public 
information strategies, social media campaigns, and programs run by 
community-based organizations that are well-positioned to foster and 
support the nascent interest of new users, and encourage their 
continued participation.

    Question 2. The nation's current rental car crisis is having a 
significant impact on access to the outdoor recreation economy--outdoor 
tourism destinations generally require visitors to drive long distances 
from the closest airport, train station, or hotel. Have you seen the 
current shortage take a toll on tourism in your own state, what other 
barriers are outdoor tourism visitors currently facing, and how can 
Congress help?
    Answer. The rental car shortage is real, and anecdotally I have 
heard about some of the impacts the liquidation of the Nation's rental 
fleets has had, but otherwise this question is beyond the scope of my 
immediate expertise. I would add, however, that news coverage has also 
recently indicated that the high demand for low supplies of rental cars 
has begun to equalize. The rental car shortage also represents an 
important moment to encourage and invest in studying alternative and 
active transportation planning for the future.

    Question 3. What ways is your organization expanding access to 
recreational opportunities for communities that may have been unable to 
participate due to transportation or income barriers?
    Answer. Inequitable access to and even the availability of close-
to-home opportunities to participate in outdoor recreation are key 
barriers for many communities across the country. Simultaneously, many 
land management and parks and recreation agencies at the local, state, 
and Federal levels lack adequate funding and staffing resources to 
maintain, operate, and sustainably manage parks and outdoor recreation 
infrastructure that already exists, let alone funding for new 
infrastructure needed to support growing communities. This is why my 
counterparts and I in the Confluence of States and the National 
Governors Association's Outdoor Recreation Learning Network collaborate 
with professional and industry organizations and non-profits such as 
the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals, the Association of 
Outdoor Recreation and Education, Latino Outdoors, HECHO: Hispanics 
Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors, Outdoor Afro, Natives 
Outdoors, the Outdoor Industry Association, the National Recreation and 
Park Association, and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable--among many 
others--to advocate for increased resources for land management and 
parks and recreation agencies to address these key challenges. My 
counterpart in New Mexico, Axie Navas, and the New Mexico Office of 
Outdoor Recreation are leading the way to reducing barriers to access 
through innovative programs such as New Mexico's Outdoor Equity Fund, 
which provides microgrants to support equitable access to outdoor 
recreation activities and experiences that have profound impacts on 
numerous quality-of-life indicators. The Nevada Outdoor Education and 
Recreation Grant Program will do the same kind of work.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                            Colin Robertson
    Question. The tourism industry has gone through a terrible time due 
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    What effect would the reopening of international travel have on 
outdoor tourism and the local economies that revolve around outdoor 
recreation?
    Answer. International travel plays a key role in outdoor tourism 
nationwide and in the communities that rely on outdoor recreation and 
tourism for their economic wellbeing. In Nevada, for example, the lack 
of international tourism has contributed to the state's overall room 
tax collection revenue declining by 56.8 percent between 2019 and 2020, 
led by losses in Clark County and Las Vegas, Nevada. At the same time, 
however, rural visitor volume in the same period was down by only 20 
percent, and visits to U.S. national parks and public lands more 
generally experienced historic visitation by domestic U.S. travelers in 
the pandemic period. For example, visitation to U.S. Forest Service 
wilderness areas and dispersed camping areas increased by 70 percent 
and 40 percent, respectively, in 2020. This jump in domestic visitation 
resulted in significant user impacts to the Nation's outdoor recreation 
resources represented by these parks and public lands, particularly in 
undeveloped areas--and are the result of significant increases in 
domestic visitation. Unprecedented domestic demand for outdoor 
recreation opportunities in parks and campgrounds is stretching to the 
limit recreation infrastructure, staff, and the sites themselves--
without the addition of international visitation. Thus, while the 
decline in international travel has clear economic impacts, the overall 
effect of a return to pre-pandemic levels of international travel on 
the local economies that rely on outdoor recreation and tourism would 
depend largely on whether U.S. residents continue to flock to our 
Nation's public lands, parks, and forests.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to 
                              Glenn Hughes
    Expanding Access to Outdoor Tourism. According to a recent Outdoor 
Industry Association report, new participants in outdoor activities 
during this past year were more likely to be female, younger, living in 
an urban area, and slightly more ethnically diverse than prior 
participants. This is incredibly encouraging, especially since 
according to research, Black and brown communities are more likely to 
face more barriers to accessing outdoor recreation. Without access to 
the outdoors, whole communities are cut off from the health benefits of 
time spent in nature, and also from participating in the activities 
that drive the outdoor recreation economy.

    Question. What ways is your organization expanding access to 
recreational opportunities for communities that may have been unable to 
participate due to transportation or income barriers?
    Answer. As an industry, we continue to provide equipment for many 
organizations that introduce youth, women and multi-cultural families 
to fishing. Also, our sportfishing industry pays an excise tax on 
fishing equipment through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust 
Fund that totaled more than $200 million in fiscal 2020. 58 percent of 
those funds go to the states to provide conservation and access for 
these anglers.
    The funds also go to support the Recreational and Boating Fishing 
Foundation, who promotes fishing to these individuals via their 
TakeMeFishing.org website and Hispanic version titled VamosAPescar.org. 
These websites provide many tools to would-be participants to see how 
easy it is to participate in fishing.
    We have also begun a program called `Fishing In Schools', in which 
we provide schools with fishing equipment and curriculum to teach their 
students at the elementary school level.
    It should be understood that most urban areas have parks and 
locations with access to waterways that are possibly underutilized and 
zero cost to entry. We depend on these local governments to share 
information that support the health and well-being of their residents.
    We also work with state and Federal agencies, sharing information 
regarding opportunities to participate in outdoor activities via their 
respective websites, social media, events and schools.
    We'll continue to work with our manufacturers to ensure they are 
inclusive with their marketing.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Roger Wicker to 
                              Glenn Hughes
    Question. Recreational fishing is a huge part of the heritage and 
economy of Mississippi. About one in three Mississippians fish each 
year, which is nearly double the national average. Mississippi is a 
state with tremendous freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities, 
but given Congress's role in overseeing Federal marine fisheries 
management, Mr. Hughes I'm particularly interested in getting your take 
on what's happening in saltwater fishing, specifically in the Gulf of 
Mexico. I authored the Modern Fish Act to require the National Marine 
Fisheries Service to focus more on improving saltwater recreational 
fisheries management. Mr. Hughes, could you provide your thoughts on 
how the implementation of the Modern Fish Act by the National Marine 
Fisheries Service is going in terms of providing better saltwater 
recreational fisheries management, conservation, and opportunities?
    Answer. The sportfishing industry remains deeply appreciative of 
your leadership of developing and helping pass the Modern Fish Act, 
which remains the only law that focuses on the recreational fishing 
community's priorities for Federal marine fisheries management. ASA 
works with the Center for Sportfishing Policy to track the National 
Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) progress in implementing the Modern 
Fish Act via a report card that scores the agency on each of the five 
sections of the Act.
    Scores for the NMFS in the last version are as follows:

        1 section--``work is on track and satisfactory''.

        2 sections--``work is meeting expectations in part but needs 
        more attention''.

        2 sections--``work is not meeting expectations''.

    One of our biggest challenges is getting NMFS to take action on the 
additional clarification/reinforcement that the Modern Fish Act 
provided regarding alternative management approaches for recreational 
fishing. Proper implementation of this section will require NMFS 
leadership working closely with the Regional Fishery Management 
Councils to encourage and help develop programs, including pilot 
studies, where alternative management approaches are applied. While in 
recent years we have had numerous conversations with NMFS leadership 
about this need, to date we have seen little progress.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                              Glenn Hughes
    Question. The tourism industry has gone through a terrible time due 
to the COVID-19 pandemic. What effect would the reopening of 
international travel have on outdoor tourism and the local economies 
that revolve around outdoor recreation?
    Answer. Without real numbers pre-pandemic, I can't provide an 
actual impact with respect to fishing. We know that millions of 
visitors enjoy our country's natural resources each year and the local 
economies have truly missed this contingent of travelers. As Canada 
continues to be closed, hundreds of thousands of Canadians remain 
`north of the boarder' this year and we've missed their participation 
in our many outdoor activities. The infrastructure that we provide in 
the United States is superior to other parts of the world and 
therefore, anglers from other countries enjoy the amenities that we can 
provide, including hotels, restaurants, transportation and especially 
the fishing.
    Regarding trade, we know that the international markets make up 15-
20 percent of our fishing tackle trade show each year. When the rest of 
the world opens up to travel, that means thousands of participants will 
fly through our airports, stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, 
buy our goods and services. We are one of hundreds of these events and 
locations that will benefit from this.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to 
                               Joe Henry
    Expanding Access to Outdoor Tourism. According to a recent Outdoor 
Industry Association report, new participants in outdoor activities 
during this past year were more likely to be female, younger, living in 
an urban area, and slightly more ethnically diverse than prior 
participants. This is incredibly encouraging, especially since 
according to research, Black and brown communities are more likely to 
face more barriers to accessing outdoor recreation. Without access to 
the outdoors, whole communities are cut off from the health benefits of 
time spent in nature, and also from participating in the activities 
that drive the outdoor recreation economy.

    Question 1. The nation's current rental car crisis is having a 
significant impact on access to the outdoor recreation economy--outdoor 
tourism destinations generally require visitors to drive long distances 
from the closest airport, train station, or hotel. Have you seen the 
current shortage take a toll on tourism in your own state, what other 
barriers are outdoor tourism visitors currently facing, and how can 
Congress help?
    Answer. Thank you, Senator Rosen, for your question.
    The rental car crisis is certainly affecting some travelers. The 
majority of tourists since the pandemic, however, are traveling by auto 
vs air. We certainly see guests arriving via air travel rising each 
month and consequently, if the inventory of rental cars and the 
subsequent high rental car prices don't get corrected, it will continue 
to have negative impacts.
    In our area, the largest barrier to tourism we face is the U.S./
Canada border being closed. On the border of the U.S. and Canada is a 
part of Minnesota called the NW Angle. In order to drive to the Angle, 
one must travel 40 miles through Canada before re-entering the U.S. up 
at the NW Angle. With this being said, the border has been closed to 
non-essential travel since March, 2020. That means resorts, guides and 
businesses have been cut off from their customers for 14 months. Many 
are down 70--90 percent in revenue.
    It also means U.S. citizens who own land and cabins at the NW Angle 
have not been able visit, use or even check on their investments.
    The only way to access the NW Angle without crossing the border is 
to make a long 42-mile trip across the big water of Lake of the Woods 
where waves can exceed 8 feet in height. There have been too many close 
calls and traumatic stories boating across the lake with the border 
being closed.
    In the winter, the lake is frozen and some travel via snowmachine 
across the big lake, again facing risks in an environment that can be 
unforgiving.
    Another area feeling the pain of the border closure are the hotels 
in the small border town of Baudette, MN. This is a popular overnight 
destination for travelers headed into Canada. They make the trip up to 
Baudette, stay overnight, grab dinner and supplies and continue into 
Canada across the international bridge over the Rainy River the next 
morning.
    There are hotel nights and the associated revenue into the local 
economy that has been lost. Baudette is one border town amongst border 
towns across the entire U.S./Canada border who benefit from cross 
border travel.
    Congress can help by allowing American residents, travelers and 
guests to access a very special part of America, Minnesota's NW Angle. 
This 40-mile stretch through Canada deserves an international travel 
corridor. This would provide more security, consistency and peace of 
mind to Americans trying to access their homes, cabins, businesses and 
NW Angle resorts they choose to vacation at.
    Currently, the rules and regulations of NW Angle residents, 
business owners, cabin owners and tourists driving up to the Angle 
through Canada are being made by Canada, not the U.S.
    An international travel corridor would also eliminate many of the 
banned products travelers cannot bring through Canada up to the Angle 
such as live bait, plants, eggs, etc.
    Congress could also support the businesses hurt financially by 
being ``cut off'' from their customers since March, 2020 with grant or 
forgivable loan programs.
    Other barriers outdoor tourism visitors are facing are the closure, 
reduced hours and reduced services of businesses, resorts, restaurants, 
parks and other organizations due to the lack of labor.
    Not having enough workers, a lack of short-term housing, a lack of 
daycare and poor broadband in areas are all having an impact on various 
segments, including outdoor tourism visitors.
    Congress can help by bridging the gap to make these resources 
available. In some instances, such as short-term housing or daycare 
where it doesn't pencil out, for instance, for developers to build or 
daycare providers to start a business, perhaps government could assist.
    Thank you.

    Question 2. What ways is your organization expanding access to 
recreational opportunities for communities that may have been unable to 
participate due to transportation or income barriers?
    Answer. Lake of the Woods Tourism is a destination marketing 
organization representing more than 60 lodging facilities in our area. 
The vast majority of these businesses, along with the local economy, 
are dependent upon outdoor recreation tourism for their livelihoods.
    Our organization is working on messaging and education to 
communities who have not had a strong presence in our area. Part of 
this process is learning proper, tasteful messaging along with 
understanding how best to reach these communities.
    Many outdoor recreation activities offer a lot to do with little 
cost. For example, local groups are creating more opportunities for 
shore fishing with new fishing piers on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy 
River.
    There are numerous state parks, hiking trails and a plethora of 
public land where people can enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational 
activities without much cost. It is important to help others learn 
about these valuable resources, how to use them and how to access them.
    Thank you.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                               Joe Henry
    Question. The tourism industry has gone through a terrible time due 
to the COVID-19 pandemic. What effect would the reopening of 
international travel have on outdoor tourism and the local economies 
that revolve around outdoor recreation?
    Answer. Thank you, Senator Blackburn, for your question.
    Reopening of international travel and specifically the Canadian 
border, would have a very positive impact on outdoor tourism and the 
economies that revolve around outdoor recreation. Those living, 
working, running businesses and looking to vacation in this region have 
been impacted both financially and emotionally.
    On the border of the U.S. and Canada is a part of Minnesota called 
the NW Angle. In order to drive to the Angle, one must travel 40 miles 
through Canada before re-entering the U.S. up at the NW Angle. With 
this being said, the border has been closed to non-essential travel 
since March, 2020. That means resorts, guides and businesses have been 
cut off from their customers for 14 months. Many are down 70--90 
percent in revenue.
    It also means U.S. citizens who own land and cabins at the NW Angle 
have not been able visit, use or even check on their investments.
    The only way to access the NW Angle without crossing the border is 
to make a long 42-mile trip across the big water of Lake of the Woods 
where waves can exceed 8 feet in height. There have been too many close 
calls and traumatic stories of families and other groups boating across 
the lake.
    In the winter, the lake is frozen and some travel via snowmachine 
across the big lake. Most don't have the equipment for this and for the 
small number who does, they face risks in an environment that can be 
unforgiving.
    Another area feeling the pain of the border closure are the hotels 
in the small border town of Baudette, MN. This is a popular overnight 
destination for travelers headed into Canada. They make the trip up to 
Baudette, stay overnight, grab dinner and supplies and continue into 
Canada across the international bridge over the Rainy River the next 
morning.
    There are hotel nights and the associated revenue into the local 
economy that have been lost. Baudette is one border town amongst many 
border towns across the entire U.S./Canada border who benefit from 
cross border travel.
    The effect of international travel and specifically the U.S./Canada 
border opening up will be very positive for outdoor tourism and the 
local economies who depend upon outdoor recreation.
    Thank you.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to 
                            Zachary Hartman
Federal Conservation and Recreation Programs.
    Question. Can you talk about which Federal conservation programs, 
including LWCF, are most important to reviving and enhancing the 
outdoor recreation economy and bringing more visitors to our Nation's 
parks, mountains, deserts, lakes, and beaches?
    Answer. LWCF along with the National Park and Public Lands Legacy 
Restoration Fund that will provide funding to fix deferred maintenance 
at national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other Federal lands 
will be great for our Nation's public lands and the millions of 
tourists a year who visit them. Increased funding for other programs 
like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the North 
American Waterfowl Management Plan/Joint Ventures help deliver vital 
conservation on both public and private lands by leveraging matching 
contributions from nongovernmental partners bringing more money to the 
table and delivering more conservation that is good for tourists, 
businesses, wildlife and all taxpayers.

    Expanding Access to Outdoor Tourism. According to a recent Outdoor 
Industry Association report, new participants in outdoor activities 
during this past year were more likely to be female, younger, living in 
an urban area, and slightly more ethnically diverse than prior 
participants. This is incredibly encouraging, especially since 
according to research, Black and brown communities are more likely to 
face more barriers to accessing outdoor recreation. Without access to 
the outdoors, whole communities are cut off from the health benefits of 
time spent in nature, and also from participating in the activities 
that drive the outdoor recreation economy.

    Question. What ways is your organization expanding access to 
recreational opportunities for communities that may have been unable to 
participate due to transportation or income barriers?
    Answer. Growing the base of supporters for Ducks Unlimited is an 
organizational priority. DU prides ourselves on leaving a legacy of 
cleaner water and fresher air as well as passing along our waterfowl 
hunting heritage to the next generation. DU has recruitment programs 
designed to engage and attract the next generation of conservationists, 
such as our Greenwing program for youth 11 or younger, our DU Varsity 
program for high school aged youth, and our Ducks University program on 
campuses across the US, the latter of which is increasingly female.
    Per our current and previous National Business Plans, as DU 
continues to engage new members, we have prioritized increasing 
diversity in our membership, volunteers and staff. DU has a Diversity, 
Equity, and Inclusion task force to identify new partnerships and 
opportunities to reach and welcome people of color, and others who have 
historically had difficulty connecting with the outdoors due to their 
socioeconomic circumstances or just because of where they live. DU is 
committed to sharing our love of wetlands, waterfowl and the outdoors 
with everyone we can, and we will continue seeking innovative solutions 
to reach new members and volunteers, particularly those for whom 
connecting with nature can be a challenge.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                            Zachary Hartman
    Question 1. In your testimony, you mention the importance of 
seasonal visitors to travel destinations. How important is it for 
businesses and communities to receive clear and concise travel 
guidelines from the Administration?
    Answer. Certainly, clear and concise travel guidelines are 
important. The more informed travelers are the safer they can be.

    Question 2. Tennesseans are proud that Ducks Unlimited calls 
Memphis home. Can you elaborate on how Ducks Unlimited helped encourage 
Americans to enjoy outdoor recreation during the midst of the COVID 
pandemic?
    Answer. Ducks Unlimited (DU) has joined forces with other leading 
conservation organizations to spearhead #ResponsibleRecreation--a media 
campaign encouraging Americans to enjoy outdoor recreation while 
adhering to proper COVID-19 safety protocols.
    In addition to DU, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Theodore 
Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Congressional Sportsmen's 
Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and the Association for 
Fish and Wildlife Agencies are leading the effort.
    Whether participating in hunting, fishing, shooting sports or 
numerous other outdoor activities, the conservation community sees the 
#ResponsibleRecreation campaign as a safe and constructive way to 
encourage individuals and families to get outside and enjoy the 
outdoors as a means to cope with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
    In addition to advocating safe outdoor etiquette, the campaign also 
encourages Americans to take advantage of the numerous opportunities 
this country offers to recreate on public lands, waters and parks.

    Question 3. In your testimony, you state Congress and the 
Administration should consider eliminating ``regulatory green tape that 
hinders the delivery of scientifically beneficial conservation 
programs.'' Can you please explain to this committee how crucial it is 
to eliminate these unnecessary regulatory burdens that stand in the way 
of initiating conservation projects?
    Answer. The Clean Water Act currently serves to protect our 
Nation's waters against negative impacts, and if impacts occur, to 
encourage mitigation of lost functions and services. This is a great 
law that has served our Nation's waters very well, but it doesn't 
adequately address projects that serve to improve many of the altered 
and degraded wetlands/aquatic habitats that exist in our country. 
Conservation restoration projects conducted by state and Federal 
agencies, non-profit conservation organizations and private citizens 
always result in positive outcomes related to net increases in 
functions and services of wetlands, such as improving water quality, 
wildlife habitat, climate adaptation and groundwater discharge, and 
reducing sediments, flooding and contaminants. However, the regulatory 
``lens'' and process that is currently used is the same for development 
projects (those that are causing negative impacts) versus restoration 
projects that are undertaken voluntarily to improve aquatic habitats.
    Currently, only one nationwide permit addresses this positive net 
outcome for work in our Nation's waters, NWP27--Aquatic Habitat 
Restoration, Enhancement, and Establishment Activities. However, 
because of the multiple federal, state and local agencies regulating 
wetland/aquatic habitats, the permitting of these beneficial 
restoration projects is often confounded. We propose a new universal 
nationwide permit, or modified NWP 27, that would streamline the permit 
system, eliminate unnecessary mitigation, and provide incentives for 
restoring altered and degraded aquatic systems for projects that are 
undertaken by entities for the sole purpose of restoring, enhancing and 
managing aquatic habitats and that result in net increases in functions 
and services. Creating this new permit system has been accomplished in 
Michigan, and it is time to implement on a nationwide basis to reverse 
the negative effects of long term drainage, alterations, and 
development so that we can adapt to climate change, increasing 
populations and human and wildlife needs for abundant clean and healthy 
waterways.

    Question 4. The tourism industry has gone through a terrible time 
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What effect would the reopening of 
international travel have on outdoor tourism and the local economies 
that revolve around outdoor recreation?
    Answer. The United States is home to some of the most beautiful 
landscapes in the world. Our national parks and national wildlife 
refuges that attract travelers from all over the world, and the rural 
communities around these treasures rely on tourists from both home and 
abroad. Furthermore, international travel restrictions, like the 
inability to travel to Canada, is having a significant impact on our 
Canadian partners in outdoor recreation and conservation to the north. 
The sooner people can travel freely, the better for outdoor recreation, 
and for conservation, at home and abroad.

                                  [all]