Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Susan Collins started a tour of Maine Thursday by visiting the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport to highlight the economic benefits behind outdoor recreation and emphasize the importance of continued investment in conservation of parks and other public lands.
At the L.L. Bean store, Salazar and Collins will learn about successful public-private partnerships driving outdoor recreation and encouraging youth to reconnect with the natural world.
Founded in 1912, L.L. Bean oversees the operations of 5,000 employees and generates revenue of $1.4 billion worldwide as part of America’s outdoor economy.
Following the visit to L.L. Bean, Salazar and Collins will join state officials and University of Maine’s Project Managers for a tour of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. During the tour, participants will learn about the state’s deepwater offshore wind energy potential. Later in the day, Salazar will travel to Millinocket to hear from community members and stakeholders regarding the potential creation of a new North Woods National Park east of Baxter State Park and adjacent to the Penobscot River.
On Monday, Salazar took a similar tour in Vermont with U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy in Vermont to highlight the contributions of outdoor recreation to the state's economy. The visits come efforts by House Republicans to gut the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other sources of federal funding for conservation and outdoor recreation infrastructure.
“When America invests in the protection of places like Lake Champlain, the Appalachian Trail, and the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, we not only conserve our natural heritage for future generations but we also create jobs and support the economies of communities across the country,” said Salazar, at a local hardware store in Vermont’s Lake Champlain Valley. “With one out of every 20 jobs in America related to outdoor recreation more than there are doctors, lawyers, or teachers we all have an interest in strengthening and supporting the tourism and leisure sector. Vermont is forging the way.”
