The following speech was given by Jim Lyons, the former Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment to the June 8, 1998 Outdoor Recreation Week.
Lyons' statments epitomize the current view in Washington of just what recreation on public lands - particularly National Forests - should look like as well as what role federal lands agencies should play. Lyons moves the Forest Service away from its traditional role as a steward of natural resources belonging to all Americans to a purveyor of a commodity to be purchased by millions of potential customers in America. And he does not stop there. His business model includes a high level of privatization along the lines of public/private partnerships between recreation companies and the Forest Service.
This document originally appeared on the Forest Service's website but was removed.
[Emphasis added.]
Outdoor Recreation Week :
Outdoor Recreation on the National
Forests
Remarks of the Hon. James R. Lyons, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture
June 8, 1998
Welcome to USDA and Outdoor Recreation Week.
At USDA, we're proud of the role we play in promoting outdoor recreation and the physical, psychological, and even spiritual benefits that come of outdoor recreation experiences.
We're also very much aware of the economic importance of outdoor recreation for all of you with a business interest in outdoor recreation and the thousands of communities across the United States that benefit from outdoor recreation and tourism in their own backyards.
At the USDA Forest Service we used to talk about timber-dependent~ communities. But, as the forest products industry has changed, as the values of the public lands have changed, and the products that are produced from the national forests and other public lands have expanded, we've changed our thinking and our terminology.
Now, we talk about forest-dependent~ communities. And, we recognize that the value of recreation to these communities is as great, if not greater, than the value of the timber that used to come from national forests and flow into those communities.
Now, among the most valuable products that flow from the national forests are the experiences that leave on a roll of film, or as memories of great hiking or camping experiences, or in the exhilaration one feels while running a wild river or wind surfing the Columbia Gorge.
Outdoor recreational experiences are among the most valuable products the come from the national forests. In fact, recreation is the window through which most Americans see their national forests. And we're working hard to help them understand what they're seeing and to expand opportunities for Americans to see more.
The Clinton Administration has worked hard to bring national forest recreation into focus. We've made it a priority, we're promoting it, we're marketing it, and we're seeking partners to help us help all Americans enjoy America's Great Outdoors - their national forests.
This week is a celebration of outdoor recreation. And, we're pleased to be a part of it.
And we have a lot to celebrate in terms of our outdoor recreation programs.
RECREATION IS BIG BUSINESS ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS . Three-quarters of what the national forests contribute to the GDP comes from outdoor recreation - that' s nearly $100 billion each year.
We manage a diverse and spectacular portfolio of recreation opportunities. There's something for everyone to enjoy on the national forests - from extreme skiing, to day hikes, from camping and hiking, to world class hunting and fishing, from back country experiences to motorized access, scenic byways, and all-American Roads.
Tomorrow morning, DOT Secretary Slater will be announcing the newest additions to the National Scenic Byways program. Over a third of these are on national forests. And the three all- American roads the Secretary will announce are all 3 on national forests.
During my tenure with the Department, we've not only tried to highlight our recreation program, but we've also tried to take a more business-like approach to its management and promotion.
We developed a marketing strategy and an icon that we hope will become to outdoor recreation what the Nike swoosh~ is to sporting goods and that famous Mercedes Benz hood ornament is to automobiles - a sign that connotes high quality outdoor experiences and customer satisfaction.
Along those lines, we initiated customer surveys and introduced the concept of customer satisfaction as a means to measure our performance and as a goal for which we should strive.
Recently a review of customer surveys of our outdoor recreation programs was completed. We learned a number of things.
First, with regard to the national forests overall, our customers want improved services and facilities (38 %), more and better recreation facilities (18 %), and more and better interpretive information maps and signs (18 %).
As for recreationists on the national forests, their number one concern was better information on everything from recreational opportunities to improved trail maps. And where do they want this information, they want it at convenient non-Forest Service places~ and in the city~.
Well, fortunately, we've anticipated some of these needs. One of the partnerships highlighted in the Outdoor Recreation Week display on Capitol Hill this week is the Outdoor Recreation Information Centers at the REI flagship store in Seattle and now, in Salt Lake City, which provide REI customers with information about recreation opportunities on their national forests and national parks at convenient locations. Of course, while they' re there, they can also pick up the equipment they might need for that outdoor adventure.
We're building partnerships more than ever before, because we need the help, and we know that high quality outdoor recreation experiences are the product of public/private partnership. Just look at the alpine skiing that occurs on the national forests. The Winter Sports Partnership was our first adventure in aggressively promoting the benefits of working together to promote our brand of outdoor recreation. We think it's paid off - for the ski areas, for the Forest Service, and for the customers we serve.
Enough about past successes, because this week is as much about celebrating the opportunities that lie ahead as it is about what we've accomplished to date.
Let me close by throwing out three challenges for national forest recreation in the future and then seeking your support in addressing them.
The first is maintaining access for outdoor recreation. As many of you know, the Forest Service worked hard to secure additional resources in ISTEA to better maintain our road system. While we weren't successful, we've at least put that issue on the road map - so to speak - and people are beginning to understand our dilemma. Our primary road system, the roads Americans travel to get to their favorite campground or fishing hole (or even their favorite national park - since many are in the middle of national forests) are falling apart. Nearly 1000 bridges are deemed insufficient from an engineering standpoint. The backlog of maintenance needs is growing at an exponential rate while the resources we have to fix the problem are declining.
We appreciated the help of many of you in the room to attempt to secure ISTEA funds for the Forest Service. We'll try again in the future.
I want to single out three individuals in the Forest Service who did tremendous work to attempt to secure ISTEA funds for our roads. They deserve some public praise. Vaughn Stokes, Steve Brink, and Skip Coughlan were the road warriors~ in this effort. And they are leading a revolution in the Forest Service engineering program to convert it from a road building department to an organization that is about environmental stewardship and access maintenance.
I want to publicly thank them for their efforts.
The second challenge we face is in maintaining the high quality outdoor recreation experiences that people expect on their national forests. This will take resources which are in short supply.
As indicated by the survey results I highlighted earlier, our customers are concerned about deteriorating facilities - visitors' centers, campgrounds, and trails.
We're working to obtain more resources - through a proposed increase in the recreation budget, through fees collected through the demo program, and, perhaps, through an expanded role for concessions. What about a profit sharing~ arrangement with concessionaires where the taxpayer and the business benefit from the venue - in cold, hard cash - and the customer benefits from improved recreation opportunities.
We're looking toward the private sector to provide more support for national forest recreation - for an expanded partnership with those who realize an economic benefit from recreation on the public lands. In this way, you can help us help you~ (as Jerry McGuire said) expand your business opportunities while helping us expand recreation opportunities on the national forests.
Finally, to accomplish this and more, we need to develop stronger brand name~ recognition for national forest recreation. Our challenge, in short, is to help the public realize that when they're hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, or biking the Hiawatha rail-trail, or running the south fork of the Salmon River, or relaxing at Timberline Lodge, they're not on a national park - they're on a national forest. And we hope to achieve this through better marketing, through better information, and through improved development of our brand~ of outdoor recreation.
After all, we manage some of the greatest recreation venues in the world - any windsurfer worth his or her salt knows that the place to sail is the Gorge~; last year, the Bridger-Teton forest hosted the World Fly-fishing tournament; everybody knows that the best alpine and back country skiing in America is on the national forests; we're leading efforts to establish the Continental Divide Trail; on July 4th we're opening the Lewis and Clark visitor center in Montana to celebrate the Lewis and Clark expedition; we're working with the U.S Ski Team and Salt Lake City to build the venue for the downhill event at the 2002 Olympics; and the list goes on.
Can you think of any other entity - private or public - that has the breadth and diversity of outdoor recreation experiences that you can find on the national forests? I doubt it!
We've got a great product to sell. And, with your help, we can make it even better!
The national forests are truly America's Great Outdoors~.
Thanks for your continued support and partnership. We'll look forward to seeing you at Great Outdoors Week.
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Author: Jim Lyons
contact: Margaret Wetherald
Modified: 6/10/98