On July 25, eight states ratified the Confluence Accords in Denver, Colo., to create a partnership around the shared values and practices within the multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry.
Outdoor Recreation Industry Office delegates from participating states met in early July, in Asheville, N.C., to finalize the principles and language for the Accords. Tom Dempsey, SylvanSport’s founder and CEO, and many other North Carolina representatives were instrumental in steering the process that lead to the final Confluence Accords.
The Confluence Accords rest on four principles: economic development, conservation and stewardship, education and workforce training and public health and wellness. This bi-partisan alliance provides a way for the states to share knowledge and best practices within the outdoor industry to support sustainable, long-term economic growth.
The Accords are the result of seven months of collaboration by the states that have a formal office promoting the outdoor recreation industry. Representatives from Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Vermont, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington are all signatories.
“The Confluence Accords are the foundation to strengthening the outdoor recreation industry’s impact on the economy, at the local, state and national level,” said Dempsey. “Manufacturing, education, tourism and retail all create a diverse economic ecosystem that promotes the well-being of the people in that area, as well as the lands that they use.
Kansas, Michigan, Arkansas and Maryland plan on signing the accord when the state office delegates meet again for the Confluence Summit in January.
