Sustainable Hiker
Beyond the Trail Series
Powerful Outdoor Restoration Bill

You will be heartened to learn Senator Michael Bennet has just introduced the Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act, a powerful step forward for our forests and watersheds. The Senator rightly cites our natural assets as infrastructure that warrant investment.

This is a key development. I have long advocated for this approach to natural asset restoration and care. If we don’t leave a factory in disrepair, why would we allow our life and economy providing natural assets to deteriorate?

It is a bold piece of legislation that would establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund. It would direct money to forest and watershed health with a focus on wildfire risk reduction, an increase in wildlife habitat and a reduction in invasive species.

Importantly, it seeks to create partnerships with local stakeholders to build climate resiliency. This adds an especially important piece of support to the State and County Climate Action Plans.

We all remember the massive wildfires of 2020 and this bill is driven in part by those disturbing memories. Support this legislation and then develop the local and regional plans to fully capture the spirit and capital of this bold initiative.

Tom Koehler
Sustainable Hiker