World 080719

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
Governor Phil Scott Joins Nation’s Governors to Launch Outdoor
Recreation Learning Network to Promote Economic Growth
The National Governors Association (NGA) announced
Wednesday the launch of the Outdoor Recreation Learning
Network to help governors and their staffs leverage their
unique natural, cultural and historical resources to advance
economic, workforce, health and environmental benefits.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the
outdoors industry employed more than 4.5 million people
nationally in 2016, and generated more than $730 billion in
economic impact.
Vermont outdoor recreation accounts for 34,000 direct
jobs and brings $2.5 billion into the economy.
“As my administration thought about how to grow our
economy, it became clear we could do more by leveraging
our natural and recreational assets – those closely aligned
with our outdoor recreation brand,” said Governor Scott. “In
2017 I established the Vermont Outdoor Recreation
Economic Collaborative by executive order to advise me and
my administration on how to enhance outdoor business
opportunities, improve participation, strengthen our recreation
infrastructure, protect our natural resources, and grow
Vermont’s economy,” Governor Scott said.
“While we have made progress, there is so much more we
can do and we’re looking forward to hearing from other
Governors and states here to learn more because it’s so
important to our economy and the overall health of our communities
– and ultimately a part of our identity as
Vermonters,” Governor Scott added.
NGA Solutions: The Center for Best Practices will partner
with state outdoor recreation directors through the network
to convene governors’ office staffs and other state officials.
Through peer-to-peer exchanges, the network will spotlight
strategies states can use to advance outdoor recreation. It
will focus on key issue areas, including conservation, stewardship,
education, workforce training, economic development,
infrastructure, public health, equity and wellness.
Governors launched the network at NGA’s annual Summer
Meeting, where state leaders share best practices and hear
from experts in various fields. This year, the meeting was
held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from July 24-26. Participants
included Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Maine Governor
Janet Mills, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Vermont
Governor Phil Scott, Montana Governor Steve Bullock,
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and outdoor recreation
directors from many states. The launch was held at the
Natural History Museum of Utah’s Rio Tinto Center at the
University of Utah and included a guided walk in nearby Red
Butte Garden featuring a narration by Dr. David Strayer of
the University of Utah, a leading researcher in the cognitive
Forest Service Works to Heighten Awareness,
Offers Bear Safety Tips to Recreation Users
Forest Service officials in Vermont announced today that
they have had several reports of bear sightings, bears
approaching and entering shelters and some reports of bears
aggressively getting into backpacks in an attempt to find
food. This week the agency began posting alert notices at
trail shelters and at developed campsites to notify recreation
users about the recent spike in bear activity on the
Manchester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National
Forest. The Forest Service says it has had numerous reports
of bear sightings throughout the months of June and July.
Reports of human encounters with black bears continue
to increase across the Green Mountain National Forest.
While many visitors and campers never encounter a bear,
the Forest is their home and bears can quickly become
habituated to human food and waste. In recent weeks,
numerous incidents of bears looking for food have been
reported by visitors. It is vital that people recreating on the
Forest keep a clean campsite to ensure that bears and other
animals don’t forage for your food. Be sure to properly store
all food, and odorous items, including toothpaste, condiments
such as ketchup and mustard, food wrappers, and
anything else that may attract bears. Improperly stored food
not only attracts bears to people currently camping at a site,
but lets the bear know that it can find food at that campsite
in the future. The bear may return to the site when other
families are recreating there.
Too many times, visitors believe they have stored their
food safely, but in reality have left it within a bear’s reach.
Bears are meant to be wild and feeding them creates negative
consequences for them. Bears that get too used to people
may eventually have to be killed to ensure your safety.
Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season Complete
Hikers and rock climbers can return to
Vermont cliffs starting August 1 now that
peregrine falcon nesting season has ended.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
has confirmed that all the young falcons have
learned to fly and will not be disturbed by
human presence on the cliffs.
“The young peregrines have fledged, and
nesting data suggest Vermont falcons had a
successful year. A final report will be issued
later this year,” said Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s
bird biologist Doug Morin. “The falcon’s
nesting success is due in large part to the hikers
and rock climbers who observe a respectful
distance from nesting falcons during this
critical period. The nesting success of
Vermont’s peregrines would not be possible
without the more than 50 volunteers who
monitor the nest sites statewide from March
to the end of July.”
According to Audubon biologist Margaret
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benefits of outdoor recreation.
“This effort hearkens back to the founding of the organization,”
observed Nikki Guilford, NGA interim executive
director and chief of staff. “In 1908, President Theodore
Roosevelt hosted the first meeting of the nation’s governors
at the White House to discuss conserving America’s natural
resources.”
Following that inaugural meeting, governors decided to
form an association through which they could come together
to discuss mutual concerns and act collectively.
The founding sponsors of the Outdoor Recreation
Learning Network include REI Co-op, the Outdoor Industry
Association and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.
“At REI Co-op, we believe a life outdoors is a life welllived.
So, we applaud NGA’s launch of the Outdoor
Recreation Learning Network. And we’re grateful to the
dozen-plus states that have created offices of outdoor recreation,
as well as to states considering them,” said Eric Artz,
REI’s president and CEO. “There are tremendous opportunities
for maximizing the social and economic benefits of
time outdoors – whether that’s improving stewardship,
access, equity, youth development or health outcomes.”
“We have seen states with offices of outdoor recreation
take great steps forward promoting and bolstering outdoor
recreation – bringing more jobs and revenue to rural and
gateway communities and coordinating amongst government
agencies while helping to get more children and families
outside and into healthier lifestyles,” said David
Weinstein, state and local policy director for Outdoor
Industry Association. “The Outdoor Recreation Learning
Network will be a great resource for existing outdoor recreation
offices and for states looking to develop new offices to
collaborate on and improve outdoor programs and initiatives
– OIA looks forward to helping build it.”
“Outdoor recreation is a crucial part of America’s economy,
contributing 2.2 percent of the gross domestic product
and growing faster than the economy as a whole,” said Jessica
Wahl, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.
“ORR is proud to partner with the National Governors
Association to launch the game-changing Outdoor
Recreation Learning Network. This partnership will ensure
that the outdoor recreation sector has the support it needs to
continue to grow in states across the country, providing outdoor
access for all, jobs, and health and quality of life benefits
for generations to come.”
For more information about the Outdoor Recreation
Learning Network, see www.nga.org/outdoors.
Following safe food storage practices protects both you and
the bears. It is your responsibility to ensure your safety and
that of future campers by not purposefully or inadvertently
feeding bears. It is illegal in the State of Vermont to feed
bears. So remember:
• Always keep a clean camp.
• Don’t leave any food (including condiments) out when
not in use.
• Store food in bear-resistant units, hard-shelled vehicles or
car trunks.
• Keep sleeping areas, tents, and sleeping bags free of food
and odor (like toothpaste or deodorant).
• Don’t sleep in clothes you cooked or handled fish or game
in.
• Never bury or burn food waste.
• If camping in the backcountry, hang your food bag at least
10 feet off the ground and 5 feet out from a tree limb that
could support a bear, or better yet pack and use bear resistant
containers.
• If possible, in backcountry areas, place sleeping tents at
least 100 yards away from food storage and cooking areas.
• If hiking with a dog keep it on a leash or leave it home.
Persons should report bear sightings or damage caused by
bears to their nearest Vermont Fish & Wildlife office (802)
828-1000 or a local Vermont State Game Warden at (802)
442-5421 prior to taking any control action on their own.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife personnel will recommend appropriate
measures or control strategies that can alleviate bear
related problems.
Fowle, who coordinates the monitoring
effort on behalf of the Fish & Wildlife
Department, biologists and volunteers monitored
peregrine pairs that occupied at least 55
Vermont cliffs in early spring and summer.
“We greatly appreciate the time and effort
volunteers put in to monitoring the population
this year, and we thank landowners and
recreationists for their cooperation in protecting
nesting peregrines from human disturbance,”
said Fowle.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife and Audubon
Vermont partner to monitor and protect
peregrine nesting sites in Vermont. Peregrine
falcons were removed from the state’s
Threatened and Endangered Species List in
2005. Ongoing cooperation from recreationists
and continued monitoring efforts by
Vermont Fish & Wildlife and Audubon
Vermont will help ensure the peregrine’s
remarkable recovery in future years.
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July 31, 2019 The WORLD page 23