The Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) released the association’s first-ever “OIA Congressional Scorecard–The Official Scorecard of the Outdoor Recreation Industry.” OIA released the association’s scorecard as the association announced a broader Vote the Outdoors campaign during Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver. The campaign is aimed at educating elected officials, candidates and voters about the benefits of the outdoor recreation economy and important issues in their communities through social and earned media.

OIA’s Vote the Outdoors program includes an interactive tool on the OIA website for visitors to use to look up their elected representatives’ grades on the OIA Congressional Scorecard. The platform also arms visitors with social media and other tools to help them become more informed voters and laud or challenge their representatives for their votes and support for the outdoor Industry.

“The outdoor industry and anyone concerned about public lands is gearing up and preparing to vote the outdoors in the 2018 election. Voters want to know and need a resource where they can find how their representatives voted on issues like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, climate change and the protection of our public land,” said Alex Boian, OIA’s political director. “The OIA Congressional Scorecard and our Vote the Outdoors program are designed to engage anyone who loves the outdoors, to make information about elected officials’ voting records, public lands and climate change positions easily accessible and arm voters with resources on how they can positively impact their state and local elections.”

Specifically, the OIA Congressional Scorecard ranks Congress on the following:

  • Their voting record on important issues like funding for our national parks, protecting our land and water (like Minnesota’s Boundary Waters and the Arctic) and key trade votes that impact the outdoor industry.
  • Their support and sponsorship of key outdoor recreation priority legislation like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the U.S. OUTDOOR Act and the Outdoor Recreation Economy Climate Resolution.
  • Membership in the House Outdoor Recreation Caucus or the Senate Outdoor Recreation Caucus.

For a full list of scorecard grading criteria click here.

“The outdoor industry and the $887 billion outdoor recreation economy are growing across the country, so more members of the voting public want to know their congressional member’s stance on outdoor issues,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of OIA. “Americans have witnessed a rollback of protections for public lands, where the vast majority of outdoor recreation takes place. This has resulted in a jump in the number of Americans identifying themselves as conservationists and expressing a desire to become better educated on the positive role recreation plays in their local economies and the well-being of families and communities.”

During Outdoor Retailer in Denver, attendees will have opportunities to engage with Vote the Outdoors by visiting the photo booth at Outsiders Ball, the OIA booth on the show floor (# 30001 – UL) and at the Nite Ize Carnival. They will also be able to view their elected officials scores at the OIA booth.

Photo courtesy Outdoor Industry Assocaition