EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an edited excerpt of a report by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) that recaps the organization’s inaugural National Executive Forum on Health and Outdoor Recreation. Click here to read ORR’s full report.
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) convened on May 6-7 the inaugural National Executive Forum on Health and Outdoor Recreation in Washington, D.C. — a first-of-its-kind gathering that brought together top outdoor recreation industry and health leaders to make the case for a bold national vision to make outdoor recreation a pillar of public health and grow a key sector of the U.S. economy.
Spanning two days of fireside conversations, policy discussions, presentations, and historic announcements, the Forum put America’s Outdoor Era front and center — ORR’s national vision to reposition outdoor recreation as a cornerstone of U.S. health infrastructure. Across 10 cross-sector sessions, participants aligned on a clear path forward: expand recreation access close to home, deepen partnerships between healthcare and the outdoor economy, and elevate trusted voices championing time outside as essential to physical and mental health. The conversations underscored outdoor recreation’s role in supporting youth and community wellbeing, reducing chronic disease, and driving economic opportunity. Learn more about all the sessions here.
Among the event’s highlights:
Yoga on the National Mall and Evening Reception and Dinner at the White House Historical Association Decatur House
Forum attendees joined influencers on the grass on the National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Memorial for a lululemon-elevated wellness experience designed to reset, reconnect, and recharge through guided yoga and meditation.
The Forum opened on the evening of May 6 with a reception and dinner at the storied White House Historical Association Decatur House, setting the tone for two days of conversations and commitment to a healthier, more active America.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Honoring Richard Louv
One of the evening’s signature moments was ORR’s presentation of its Outdoor Recreation Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and the forthcoming Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World. Louv coined the phrase ‘Nature-Deficit Disorder,’ sparking a global movement at the intersection of youth development, public health, education and outdoor access. He also co-founded Children & Nature Network, a global nonprofit expanding equitable access to nature for children and families worldwide.
“For decades, Richard Louv has fundamentally shaped how we think about the connection between time outdoors, childhood development, community health, and human flourishing. His work laid the foundation for — and inspired — many of the conversations happening at this Forum,” said Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.
Louv was joined for a fireside conversation by CJ Goulding, founder and executive director of Boyz N The Wood and a recent recipient of the Richard Louv Prize for Innovation in Nature. Their dialogue on nature, belonging, youth development, and community health embodied the intergenerational commitment to outdoor access and wellness that Louv’s decades of advocacy have long inspired.
Fireside Chat: Recovery, Resilience, and the Outdoors
The evening event also featured an impactful discussion with Kathryn Burgum, co-chair of President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative and White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery, and Stacy Bare, Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and a U.S. Army veteran, moderated by John Legittino. Kathryn Burgum shared personal and professional perspectives on addiction, treatment, and recovery—and on the growing evidence that expanding access to the outdoors can play a meaningful role in healing. Bare spoke candidly about his own journey of reconnection through outdoor experiences after returning from military service. Together, they illuminated how outdoor experiences can reduce stress, strengthen social bonds, and complement evidence-based approaches to addiction recovery.
Day Two — Forum Sessions
On May 7, the Forum convened at a full-day program in the Rotunda at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center featuring 10 cross-sector sessions that featured executives, researchers, doctors, policymakers, and community leaders to advance ORR’s national vision for America’s Outdoor Era. Conversations focused on policy innovation, evidence-based research, infrastructure investment, public-private partnerships, and pathways to integrate outdoor access more directly into health systems and prevention strategies.
Sessions addressed outdoor recreation’s role in supporting youth and community wellbeing, reducing chronic disease, and driving economic opportunity — with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum among the day’s featured participants.
Participants consistently reinforced three interconnected priorities: getting recreation infrastructure closer to where people live; building durable bridges between the healthcare sector and the outdoor economy; and amplifying trusted voices who can make the case that time outside is not a luxury—it is essential to national health.
Major Announcements
Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Catalyst Grant Program
ORR announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Catalyst Grant Program—a new initiative to put resources directly into rural communities ready to use the outdoors as a frontline health and economic development solution. With support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the LOR Foundation, and The VF Foundation, the grants will fund locally led projects connecting outdoor recreation with preventive health, mental well-being, and social connection in rural America, demonstrating what community-based outdoor health investment can look like at scale.
America’s Outdoor Era Industry Commitment
ORR issued a formal call to businesses and trade organizations across the outdoor economy to take measurable action in three areas:
- Supporting outdoor infrastructure and programs that expand equitable access to outdoor experiences.
- Embedding outdoor activity into workplace culture, employee benefits, and wellness programs.
- Partnering with health systems and institutions to advance the outdoors as a tool for disease prevention and better patient outcomes.
ORR will spotlight signatories taking action throughout Great Outdoors Month in June.
State Leadership: The Confluence of States
The Confluence of States welcomed Connecticut as its 22nd member and announced plans to advance new programs, partnerships, and investments for outdoor recreation and health through a shared policy framework for state outdoor recreation offices — culminating in a first-ever Summit on Outdoor Recreation and Health this fall.
