It’s Time to Use Our Outside Voices for the Outdoors.
A Bipartisan Movement to Bring Outdoor Recreation to the Political Table.
Right now, the outdoor recreation industry employs 5 million people and generates $1.1 trillion in consumer spending in the U.S. annually. With the proper actions and mindset, and starting with innovative conservation and stewardship practices, we can build a stronger economy by nurturing the outdoor recreation industry.
With bipartisan collaboration, we’re giving the outdoor recreation industry a voice in the economy that we all thrive on, one state at a time.
Our History
2013
Governor Gary Herbert created the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2013 - the first in the nation - after recognizing the significant contribution to Utah's economy.
2015
Governor John Hickenlooper launched the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office in 2015 and Washington's legislature created a Policy Advisor for Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development within the Office of the Governor.
2017
Utah, Colorado, and Washington convened at Outdoor Retailer and had initial discussions about the Confluence of States, a unified coalition to provide a central point of contact, advocacy, and resources for the outdoor recreation industry. REI also supported with a constitutional convention for the outdoors.
2018
The Confluence Accords were first drafted in January 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Created and signed by eight original states, the Accords are an open invitation to every state in the nation. The Summer Outdoor Retailer in Denver was the first signing event – Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
2019
At the 2019 National Governors Association's Summer meeting, Governors were a part of an event to launch the Outdoor Recreation Learning Network to help governors and their outdoor recreation staff explore strategies to leverage their outdoors. Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Virginia signed the accords at the Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit in October.
2022
Arkansas, Maryland and New Hampshire signed the Confluence Accords in Little Rock, Arkansas in May. The Confluence also hired their first staff member to support with planning and logistics.