DENVER — The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act will expand recreation opportunities, modernize outdoor infrastructure, and remove barriers so that more Americans can access the benefits of spending time in nature. The bill, which has strong bipartisan support, will also help fuel local economies that depend on the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation industry. The National Wildlife Federation thanked the bipartisan co-sponsors of the legislation and urged them to also assess and mitigate any effects that increased recreation might have on wildlife.

“Nearly 600 million Americans visited national public lands last year to pursue hiking, biking, camping, hunting, fishing and a broad array of other outdoor activities. Too often, they were met with overcrowding, confusing fees, or dilapidated structures,” said David Willms, associate vice president of public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “The bipartisan EXPLORE Act will facilitate long-overdue improvements to infrastructure, expand access, and simplify fees so that people can better enjoy the countless benefits that our public lands have to offer. As we expand opportunities for recreation, however, we must always make sure that it is done in a responsible manner so that negative impacts to wildlife are avoided or minimized.”