Outdoor Recreation Economy at CU Boulder

📢 Spring 2027 applications are now open!

Ready to turn your passion for the outdoors into a career? CU Boulder's online MS in Outdoor Recreation Economy is now accepting applications for Spring 2027.

Final application deadline: December 9, 2026 — apply now to give yourself plenty of time.

Learn more and start your application → https://online.colorado.edu/outdoor-recreation-economy-ms/admissions

🎉 Fun Fact Friday: The OIA 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report is here!

→ 183.2M Americans got outside — an all-time high 📈
→ Growth slowed to 1.1% YoY (down from a 2.9% three-year avg)
→ Seniors 65+ added 800K participants in one year
→ Women hit a record 53.4% of participants
→ Hispanic participation grew 6.5%
→ But core participation dropped 3.9%, and the average participant logged 5 fewer outings than in 2019

More people are getting outside, but many are doing it less often — worth watching for anyone working in this industry.

OIA members can download the report here → https://bit.ly/4dTt8W2

Non-members can read the executive summary here → https://bit.ly/3Q50N5J

⏰ This Saturday, July 25 is the final application deadline for the CU Boulder Outdoor Recreation Economy (ORE) MS Program for Fall 2026 — don’t miss your chance!

Apply now 👇
https://online.colorado.edu/outdoor-recreation-economy-ms/dates-and-deadlines

🌳 Fun Fact Friday from Outdoor Recreation Roundtable!

Nearly 1 billion recreation visits to America's public lands and waters in the new FY 2024 Interagency Recreation Visitation Data Report — and for the first time ever, we have a unified federal picture of it all. 📊 Better data means better-managed public lands and a stronger outdoor recreation economy. We love to see it!


Read the full report here:https://ridb.recreation.gov/downloads/FY2024%20Interagency%20Recreation%20Visitation%20Data%20Report.pdf

See what our grads are up to! 🌲

Emma Hoskins, ORE alumni, has been busy making waves in the conservation world! After a cold email turned into a capstone partnership, Emma relocated to Canmore, Alberta to work as a Conservation Campaign Specialist for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Southern Alberta — where she’s now working on the very legislation she researched for her capstone. Talk about turning academic work into real-world impact!

On top of that, Emma recently presented at the National Outdoor Recreation Conference (NORC) on leveraging social media as a tool for education and advocacy, drawing from her work with the Resistance Rangers in 2025. She also attended the Banff National Park Planning Forum in April, engaging with some of the most pressing conversations in public lands management today.

We couldn’t be more proud of everything Emma is doing! 🏔️

🚴 Fun Fact Friday!

Did you know the public has the opportunity to help shape the future of long-distance biking on federal lands? As part of the EXPLORE Act's Biking on Long-Distance Trails (BOLT) Act, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service are asking riders, trail stewards, and communities to nominate existing and potential long-distance biking routes on federal public lands.

To qualify, trails must be at least 80 miles long, primarily on federally managed land, and open to bike use. The goal? To officially recognize at least 10 existing and 10 potential long-distance biking corridors that boost trail access, support gateway communities, and fuel the outdoor recreation economy. 🌲

Nominations are open now through August 3, 2026!

Learn more & submit your nomination here→ https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/78dc4e636e7d400487f09da2b901777f?fbclid=IwY2xjawS01xlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFBS01lQU00OHRLVVd3U1V6c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhR9D9M4yS0k382CLgwBrSVDYYHns2ejH98_W4o10cPYI3mcI_176xN84XBX_aem_aJdldUkbUalr7bYpd0nYZg

💻 Interested in the CU Boulder ORE Program? Join us TOMORROW!

We're hosting virtual Admissions Q&A on Friday, July 10 from 3–4pm MT. Learn about our master's degree, graduate certificate, and professional development programs and get your questions answered!

Register here 👇
https://calendar.colorado.edu/event/copy-of-program-admissions-qa-outdoor-recreation-economy-5611?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=University+of+Colorado+Boulder

Meet our newest ORE instructor — Tim Martinez!

A fourth-generation Coloradan, Tim brings a powerhouse background in outdoor industry advocacy, global economic development, and entrepreneurship to the ORE program. From co-founding a Colorado outdoor manufacturers trade association to launching coworking spaces and accelerator programs in Salida, Tim lives and breathes the outdoor recreation economy. 🏔️

We are so excited to have him on the team! Welcome, Tim! 👏

🌳 Fun Fact Friday!

Did you know the Chattahoochee River, once too polluted and inaccessible to enjoy safely, is being transformed into one of metro Atlanta's greatest public green spaces?

The Chattahoochee RiverLands project, championed by Trust for Public Land, is converting 100 miles of riverfront into parks, trails, campsites, and river access points for millions of people. It's a powerful reminder that investing in outdoor recreation infrastructure can revitalize communities, restore ecosystems, and create lasting economic and social impact.

This is exactly the kind of place-based transformation the outdoor recreation economy makes possible!

Read more → https://www.travelandleisure.com/atlanta-chattahoochee-riverlands-transformation-12005120

We have some exciting news to share with the ORE community! 🌲

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Lydia Lawhon has been appointed as the next Associate Director of the CU Boulder Outdoor Recreation Economy (ORE) Graduate Program!

brings more than two decades of experience in academia and the nonprofit sector, with deep expertise in conservation, public lands, and outdoor recreation policy. Since joining the Environmental Studies () Professional Master's Programs in 2016, she has been an incredible educator, mentor, and faculty leader across both the Master’s of the Environment () and ORE programs. Her vision for ORE includes expanding industry partnerships, strengthening alumni networks, and elevating ORE's presence as a thought leader in the outdoor recreation space. We couldn't be more excited for this next chapter! 🏔️

At the same time, we want to celebrate and honor our outgoing Associate Director, , who will be retiring to embark on a lifelong dream — teaching on the Fall 2026 voyage. ⛵ Mark's leadership, passion, and dedication have shaped the ORE program into what it is today, and his impact will be felt for years to come.