Panel proposes ways to improve Oregon’s outdoor recreation

SALEM, Ore. — A panel commissioned by Gov. Kate Brown aiming to improve recreation in Oregon’s outdoors suggests creating an Oregon Outdoors Pass and getting more diversity in wild spaces.

The 33-person Governor’s Task Force on the Outdoors released a draft report Thursday.

The Statesman Journal reports the goal is to recommend to Gov. Kate Brown policies, legislation and initiatives that would boost Oregon’s recreation economy, improve resources, and boost outdoor participation, especially among youth and underserved communities.

To that end, they came up with 30 initial ideas under five broad categories that will be discussed at a final meeting Jan. 23 in Salem. Final recommendations will come this spring. The hope is that the recommendations are applied in the next five years.

Among the recommendations is to encourage diversity by reaching out to minority communities to have a hand in land management planning or hiring more diverse people in state agencies. Another plan would seek to make state parks more accessible — or highlight accessibility — to disabled visitors.

Another idea is to look at ways to bridge the gap between state and federal lands policies — given over half of Oregon’s outdoors is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

The panelists also propose a $100 million fund to improve trails, campgrounds and other projects through a constitutional amendment.