A large package of legislation promoting outdoor recreation has received its final vote in Congress. The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, or EXPLORE, Act passed out of the House in the spring and recently passed unanimously in the Senate.
Included in the suite of bills is legislation to identify potential trails that could be connected for long distance biking, and to allow for new rock climbing routes in wilderness areas.
There are also bills to support recreation and tourism economies and the areas that sustain them — like building out broadband infrastructure, funding for gateway communities and addressing park overcrowding issues like housing shortages and visitation management.
The legislation has received endorsements from environmental groups like the Sierra Club, off-highway vehicle recreation groups, and businesses like REI.
