On January 2, 2025, President Biden signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. The bipartisan legislation includes much-needed provisions to expand equitable and inclusive access to the outdoors for veterans, youth, families, and communities across the country.

Gerry James, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club Outdoors for All Campaign contacted Reno ICO in October 2024 requesting support to help them secure Senate passage of this bipartisan legislation while Biden is still president.  This legislation supports the vision and mission of Inspiring Connections Outdoors, so we jumped right in!

Here are some highlights of the EXPLORE act that relate to Reno ICO:

• The Outdoors For All Act authorizes the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, which helps economically disadvantaged communities with little to no access to public outdoor recreation spaces.
• The Every Kid Outdoors program provides all 4th graders and their families free access to over 2,000 federally-managed parks, lands and waters.
• The Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act will streamline permitting processes for guides, outfitters, outdoor leaders and nonprofit organizations. This will reduce barriers that ICO and other organizations face in organizing outdoor excursions and facilitating access to nature.

We connected Gerry with Alberto Garcia from the Dean’s Future Scholars (DFS) Program. Alberto has organized ICO-supported hiking and rafting trips for DFS students in his role as agency liaison between DFS and Reno ICO.

Here are some of the Reno ICO materials that Gerry created to advocate for the passage of the EXPLORE Act:

Most people connect Reno ICO to providing outdoor experiences for youth and adults. But key to our mission and the mission of all Inspiring Connections Outdoors groups is cultivating the next generation of conservationists. Our strategy is simple: The first thing we want is for our participants to have fun – As they become enamored with the natural beauty and enjoy their outdoor experience, then they will want to spend time in the wilderness AND protect it. As Reno ICO matures, we look forward to getting more of our volunteers and participants involved in conservation efforts.

Thank you to Gerry James for providing the opportunity for Reno ICO to get involved in the campaign. Appreciation also goes to Jackie Ostfeld, Director of the Sierra Club Outdoors for All Campaign and Chair of the Outdoor Alliance for Kids for her vision and alliance building to get the EXPLORE Act passed.  Also special thanks to ICO Rafting, Deans Future Scholars, Alberto Garcia, and all the participants, guides, and leaders in the August 2024 DFS ICO whitewater trip.

Congratulations to all on the passage of the EXPLORE Act.