The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) expressed concerns about the economic impact of the government shutdown.
Without funding approved for the 2026 fiscal year, the federal government on Wednesday initiated a shutdown of many operations.
ORR reached out to congressional leaders before the shutdown, warning Congress of “significant and lasting damage” a shutdown would have on the outdoor recreation economy, its 5 million workers and the hundreds of thousands of businesses and rural communities that it supports.
ORR President Jessica Turner asked unsuccessfully for congressional leaders and the administration to avoid a shutdown.
Turner said, “Shutdowns, and even the threat of them, harm the outdoor recreation economy, close off public lands and waters, and inflict financial hardship and uncertainty on businesses, workers and local communities who are already dealing with numerous challenges.”
OIA said the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry relies on access to “already understaffed” public lands. OIA President Ken Ebersole said the shutdown will place additional strain on the industry and local businesses that rely on visitation to national parks.
“With visitors across the country planning trips this fall, the shutdown will lead to cancelled reservations and reduced business activity with lasting impacts,” Ebersole said. “Leaving public lands unattended leaves them vulnerable to vandalism and disrepair, undermining the outdoor recreation economy.”
OIA urged Congress and the presidential administration to resolve the shutdown swiftly and avoid further staffing reductions that would undermine public land management.
According to the National Parks Service (NPS), park visitor spending in 2024 contributed $56 billion to the U.S. economy. The Interior Department said open-air sites will remain open during the shutdown. Buildings requiring employees, including visitor centers or museums, will be closed. The department said approximately 64% of the NPS workforce is furloughed. Employees who continue to work will perform excepted activities, including law enforcement or emergency response, border and coastal protection and surveillance, and fire suppression and monitoring.
ORR said furloughs and layoffs accompanying a shutdown will lead to neglect in the national parks.
ORR said the industry has long supported bipartisan solutions that strengthen conservation and access, such as the Great American Outdoors Act and the Explore Act.
Turner said, “ORR is calling for the same spirit of cooperation to prevail now.”
