In Alaska, public lands play an essential role in the state’s economic well-being.  But as the demand for access and maintenance within state parks continues to increase, the state park system’s budget has been stagnant for more than a decade.

This bill urges Governor Mike Dunleavy to establish an Office of Outdoor Equity within the Department of Natural Resources and to allocate funds to be distributed as grants.  This grant money would be distributed to organizations throughout Alaska that are “working to improve equitable access to the state’s outdoor resources, especially in communities that have historically been excluded from outdoor recreation and subsistence activities.”

The purpose of the Office of Outdoor Equity is to encourage greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors and in Alaska’s workforce.  Citing New Mexico’s SB462 and California’s AB-209, both policies that build access to outdoor recreation through Outdoor Equity Grant programs for communities that face heightened barriers to outdoor recreation and programming, this bill would affirm the Alaska State Legislature’s support for Alaskans to have equitable access to the outdoors.