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Last year, Wyoming joined the growing list of states with dedicated funds to invest in outdoor recreation.
But one thing the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Fund lacks is an actual governance structure and revenue account to allow funds from the trust to be distributed.
Senate File 40 was supposed to resolve the issue, but it failed by three votes to get the two-thirds majority needed for introduction in the Senate on Monday.
This leaves House Bill 67 to create a viable fund with the means to disburse grants under the oversight of a nine-member board.
HB 67 was authored as a mirror bill of SF 40 by Rep. Sandy Newsom (R-Cody), Chair of the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee.
“It will probably be announced tomorrow, late morning or early afternoon,” Newsom said during Tuesday’s committee deliberations. “And I want to remind everyone that our committee unanimously voted in favor of this bill when we did our interim work, so you can vote in favor of introducing this bill. I look forward to that.”
I have money
Rep. Andrew Byron (R-Jackson) said he spoke with some of the “no” voters and was told that many did not understand the purpose of creating a governing board.
“They thought it was to establish an actual fund that had already been established at the last meeting,” he said. “So if I get any clarification from my colleagues, I think it’s worth talking about.”
Newsom said SF 40 was part of the Senate’s consent list and suggested that perhaps it was best to explain the item off the consent list.
“The explanation is that a trust fund was created,” she said. “The money is there. Tourism is spending $6 million every two years. And all we need now is to create revenue accounts and build a governance structure.”
The structure would be similar to what is in place at the Natural Resources and Wildlife Trust Fund, Newsom added.
“That means a nine-person committee will be created,” she said. “Large projects over $200,000 will go through Congress similar to the Wildlife Trust Fund. So this is similar to the Wildlife Trust Fund.”
Demand for outdoor recreation increases
Mike Kusiek, executive director of Wyoming Pathways, said there is already a huge demand in Wyoming for better outdoor recreation in communities across the state. As the popularity of outdoor recreation generally expands, its demand continues to grow.
Kusiek is among those advocating for HB 67 as an answer to that demand.
“In our research alone, at least 40 Wyoming municipalities have contacted us about some type of outdoor recreation facility in their area,” Kusiek told Cowboy State Daily. “We also learned that in the first round of ARPA grants, he had $14 million available, but had applications for $71 million.
“Since then, the ARPA grant program has been further reduced to the point where only two or three communities, and in some cases neighborhoods within a community, are eligible to receive funding from the first and second rounds of ARPA grants. I did.”
The Outdoor Tourism and Recreation Fund helps ensure a steady flow of funds to support communities in improving their outdoor recreation facilities.
“So if this trust fund is passed and we have a mechanism to pay the subsidies, it will solve this problem for many years to come,” Kusiek said. “Like all other trust funds, they will also earn interest. We will have a corpus and be able to pay grants from that income account. Ultimately the community will All that is needed to give the community (guarantee) that it will be their turn to receive some of this money to develop their projects.”
Kusiek added that the project was not imposed from outside. They will be what the community itself is looking for to meet the demands of its residents.
“A big part of what we’re doing (with this bill) is for the residents of Wyoming,” Kusiek said. “Wyoming residents demand these amenities from their communities so they can engage in leisure activities. It’s actually not all about tourism; it’s actually about improving the quality of life and economic development opportunities for communities. Most of the time it has to do with.”
If you don’t make it, they’ll still come
Outdoor recreation has become a growing sector of the American economy, especially since the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s doubly true in the Cowboy State, where opportunities for quality outdoor recreation abound from one end of the state to the other.
“(It’s) actually a huge part of our economy,” WYORBA Interim Coordinator Stephanie Kessler told Cowboy State Daily. “And when you look at outdoor recreation nationally, Wyoming ranks fourth in outdoor recreation as a percentage of state gross domestic product.”
Wyoming’s GDP is 4.1%, just behind Hawaii, Vermont, and neighboring Montana. In the number of employees employed in outdoor recreation, he ranks third in the nation with 5.6%.
A targeted approach to outdoor tourism could help further strengthen its economic impact, Kessler suggested.
But it’s also important to properly manage the onslaught of outdoor recreationists seeking Wyoming experiences and to ensure visitors don’t lovingly destroy this resource.
“Whether we like it or not, we feel like an outdoor recreation boom is here,” she says. “So it’s important that Wyoming gets it done, and that’s one of our organizing principles. We truly believe that outdoor rec should be done responsibly and according to Wyoming’s conditions. I am.”
This concept is not only a big part of why WYORBA was founded, Kessler added. The Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Fund will be an important tool to ensure that all outdoor recreational pursuits are carried out in ways that best suit individual communities.
“It’s better to be proactive and figure out what you want to do than just throw your hands up and be overwhelmed,” Kessler said. “What I like about the trust fund bill is that it’s for the state of Wyoming. We’re not dependent on federal funding, so we have more flexibility.”
René Jean It can be accessed at Renee@CowboyStateDaily.com.
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