NORTH CAROLINA OUTDOOR RECREATION COALITION (NCOREC) CELEBRATES 2023 RESULTS

Office of Outdoor Recreation Moves to Commerce; $58M to Land and Water Fund, $58M to PARTF, $55M for Trails; $13M for Accessible Parks - $183.5M Total Funded

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES, December 8, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Coalition (“NCOREC”) announced today the results of legislative action taken during the 2023 session of the North Carolina General Assembly, celebrating bi-partisan funding that improves our state, extends access to the outdoors to all North Carolinians, and adds additional fuel to further grow our state’s Outdoor Economy.

The combination of funding for the various uses totals $183.5 million in funding for the outdoors and the outdoor recreation industry within the State of North Carolina.

North Carolina’s outdoor recreation economy accounts for 2% of the state’s gross domestic product, and 2.9% of employment (more than 146,000 jobs). The state is the nation’s 11th largest outdoor economy, as of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Consumers spend more than $28 billion annually in North Carolina outdoor recreation.

“We are thrilled to see the further development of the state Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry, now in a new home in the North Carolina Department of Commerce, given all of the opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between local governments, state agencies, federal agencies, and non-profit organizations across our state,” stated Thomas Dempsey, Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of NCOREC, and Founder and CEO of Sylvan Sport.

“The robust increase in funding the outdoor recreation economy is proof of bi-partisan support of this industry, with more than 400% more funding provided since 2017 when we formed NCOREC,” he further explained.

David Billstrom, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of NCOREC, stated “North Carolina is one of the few states to dedicate a total of $183.5 million in funding for the outdoor economy in 2023.”

He added, “On behalf of all of the members of NCOREC, we compliment the elected representatives for their hard work on these actions for their districts, for all of the people of North Carolina, as well as for the visitors who have come to love our land and water as much as we do. Thank you.”

A full description of 2023 legislative results for outdoor recreation can be found on the NCOREC website (https://www.ncorec.com/policy-agenda).

OTHER RESOURCES

U.S. Outdoor Recreation Economy statistics for 2022 from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/outdoor-recreation-satellite-account-us-and-states-2022

Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s statistics on the outdoor recreation industry in our state:
https://edpnc.com/industries/orec/

Land for Tomorrow’s celebration of these 2023 legislative results:
http://www.land4tomorrow.org/conservation-wins-big-in-2023-budget/

The Great Trail State Coalition’s celebration of these 2023 legislative results:
https://greattrailsstatecoalition.org/latest/

NC Division of Parks and Recreation made grants to 25 organizations for $10.4 Million in 2023, following the legislative actions. Details can be found here:
https://www.ncparks.gov/about-us/grants/parks-and-recreation-trust-fund/fiscal-year-2023-24-partf-snapshot.

North Carolina Land and Water Fund 2023 funding awards can be found here: https://nclwf.nc.gov/2023-nclwf-awards/open

ABOUT NCOREC
Founded six years ago, the North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Coalition (NCOREC) provides a unified voice for North Carolina’s $28 billion outdoor recreation industry. We are a non-profit trade association made up of member companies and organizations, and we advocate on behalf of the industry at the North Carolina General Assembly and within executive agencies.

Our goals are to promote existing outdoor recreation companies, to recruit new companies to locate in North Carolina, and to increase public access to outdoor recreation. Our members include manufacturers, retailers, guide companies, and conservation NGOs. Together we are the North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Coalition.

You can follow us on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ncorec/
And you can join our cause at https://www.ncorec.com/join-ncorec
Or send an email to info@ncorec.com.

David Billstrom
for NCOREC
+1 828-417-2222
david@flashingredlight.com
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