RSVP for Diversifying the Outdoors and National Lands

media release: This event is free and open to the public but you must register. Note: there is no in-person availability for this event.

• Please REGISTER HERE by JANUARY 8.
• Webinar information will be emailed one business day prior to the event. If you are unsure if you can access the webinar via the GoToMeeting platform, please go HERE to view system requirements prior to registering.
• All times noted are EASTERN Time. The webinar will begin at 12 noon Eastern, 11:00 AM Central, 10:00 AM Mountain, and 9:00 AM Pacific.
• There is no CLE for this course. Questions? Contact events@eli.org

NOTE: All registrants for ELI events need to have an ELI "account." When you click on the above Register Here link, you will be asked to log in.

• ELI members and previous registrants have accounts. If you don't remember your password, please click on the "Request new password" tab.
• Non-members who have previously not set up an ELI account may click on the "Create new account" tab, complete the process, and then return to this page to register. While creating this account does not confer membership, it will allow you to register for this and future events at any appropriate non-member rate that may be required.

An ELI Public Webinar, Co-sponsored by WELL

Outdoor recreation is often regarded as emphasizing sustainability through environmentally-conscious branding, promoting healthy activities, and reinforcing an appreciation for the natural world. Yet the outdoor recreation sector has far too often failed to be representative of a variety of communities, especially non-white participants. Data from the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service demonstrate a severe disparity in levels of access to national parks and public lands comparing white and non-white participants.

Recognizing this widespread and longstanding issue, several major outdoor recreation companies have committed to increasing access to the outdoors for non-white participants. For many corporations this began internally in 2018 with initiatives to significantly diversify their predominantly white workforces, and has largely focused on building diversity into their hiring practices. Then the disturbing killings of African American citizens during the spring of 2020 proved to be a watershed moment for racial reckoning in the United States at large, and so too for the outdoors industry. There is an increased sense of urgency to employ broader diversity initiatives, and to foster diversity in outdoor spaces and public lands by restructuring marketing approaches, business models, and emphasizing access to outdoor spaces and national lands for non-white participants.

How can the outdoors industry be a driver to foster increased and more meaningful diversity and inclusivity? What are the main barriers remaining for non-white participants to access national parks and public lands? What do activist groups and outdoors industry leaders see as the most significant opportunities and challenges to promoting diversity and inclusion in the outdoors? Join ELI and expert panelists to explore opportunities for improving diversity and inclusion in the outdoors and access to national parks, public lands, and outdoor recreation.

Panelists:

Ryland Li, Attorney-Adviser, Environmental Protection Agency, Moderator

Lise Aangeenbrug, Executive Director, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA)

Teresa Baker, Founder, African American National Park Event, National Parks Conservation Association

Emily Gaines, Government Affairs, Policy, and Advocacy Specialist, Oregon State University

Materials:

Any materials will be posted as they are received.

ELI members will have subsequent access to any materials/a recording of this session (usually posted w/in 48 hours). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to archived sessions like this one, go HERE to see the many benefits of membership and how to join.