The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) of the U.S. is urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to use “common sense” as they finalize the 2014 budget of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The budget proposal released by the House in March zeroes out funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and calls for a reduction of more than $5 billion in appropriations for public lands and waters. It proposes an average cut of 19 percent in other funds that would affect national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other public lands and waters. OIA vehemently opposes these measures, considering the fact that the revenues generated by the outdoor recreation industry reached an estimated $646 million last year, and that the number of participants in outdoor activities grew to 142 million people in the U.S. Interestingly, the new head of the Department of the Interior is Sally Jewell, who has been chief executive of REI, the country's major outdoor retail chain, for the past eight years. Brian Unmacht is taking over her position at REI on an interim basis.

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