I’ve had the opportunity lately to study up on the business of Outdoor Recreation, a multi-headed hydra that could lead to big changes in the state of Texas and the way we support the recreation industry, from trail races to land conservation to fishing regulations. Texas Outdoor Recreation Alliance (TxORA) and the Texas Association of Campground Owners just entered a new partnership, which should give these efforts some traction. Here are a few of my take-aways, which I shared with TXORA and stakeholders earlier this year.
The first annual Texas Outdoor Economy Summit “a purpose-driven event connecting economic growth, outdoor conservation, and small business development,” will be held April 9 2026 in McKinney, Texas.
November 4, 2025 — Texas’ outdoor recreation economy is thriving, the state should seize the moment
Veteran sportsman and outdoor journalist DAN OKO on how TxORA can make a big impact
If you track the outdoor recreation economy, you might be struck that the industry seems to be approaching a tipping point. At least 24 states now have an Office for Outdoor Recreation — or “OREC” for those acronym-trackers keeping up with the latest jargon. Spreading nationally over the past decade, these state offices have been established generally by executive or legislative action to promote and provide support for natural resources, public health, and the recreation industry.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does what it can, yet the Lone Star state’s OREC remains MIA — or more accurately TBD. And TPWD cannot really address the broad needs of the business community. In turn, the Texas Outdoor Recreation Alliance (TxORA) founded in 2024 has stepped into the breach to help outdoor industry stakeholders — from economic development officers to rural landowners to race directors to gear manufacturers — capitalize on a value-added economic sector that contributes an estimated $540 billion to the state’s GDP.
As Katherine Andrews, director of the widely lauded Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation and 2024 chair of the multi-agency Confluence of States puts it: “Every state has different needs, opportunities, and challenges, and that’s what makes this work so dynamic.” Outdoor retail in Texas totals $13.9 billion, manufacturing adds $12.9 billion, and sportfishing another $2 billion.
With that in mind, and having visited quite a bit with TxORA founders Alex Brown and his wife Lindsey Brown, who is the group’s outreach director, as well as many of the stakeholders, I thought I might offer a few proposals as planning continues for the Texas Outdoor Economy Summit next spring, which is scheduled to take place in Fairview, Texas.
1) A healthy outdoor economy demands a healthy natural environment, which I would argue means that effective stewardship of the land and water resources needs to be embraced by alliance-identified stakeholders. Do not mistake this message for a rigid anti-development stance, as from rustic resorts to RV parks, plenty of Texans do enjoy their nature served up with a side of comfort. But I would like to see a commitment to sustainable, effective conservation.
2) Calls for honest accounting when it comes to the recreation industry should be heeded. I borrow this idea from my colleague Mike Geraci in Jackson, Wyoming. Like Geraci, I am not sure I’m ready to designate both yachting and kayak fishing as outdoor sports, but it’s worth noting that they recently got lumped into the US Department of Commerce’s $1.2 trillion estimate for outdoor recreation industry revenues nationwide. We should fine tune the numbers in Texas to emphasize smaller operations, and figure out other ways to create local opportunity.
3) Unlocking access and addressing accessibility. Texas is rightfully proud of its Western heritage, but the outdoor recreation economy continues to be hamstrung by the dominance of private lands which comprise 95 percent of the state. Things are turning around with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Centennial Campaign, and new and planned state parks at the Palo Pinto Mountains and Powderhorn Ranch. Likewise, as pertains to public health, urban parklands, and improved connectivity via safe trails, TxORA should endeavor to protect public open space.
These are personal suggestions, speaking as a journalist and sportsman who had lived in Texas 25 years. Having raised my daughter to enjoy nature, wildlife watching at Brazos Bend, learning to hunt side by side, and exploring Big Bend, I expect an improved Texas outdoor recreation economy offers a bright path forward for businesses and the public at large. Of course, TxORA and many of its members will have their own positions. Regardless, those invested in outdoor recreation know the rewards that come from climbing the highest peak or reeling in the fish of a lifetime — whether it gets photographed and released or winds up on the dinner plate — and what’s worth our extra effort.
October 17, 2025 — TxORA luncheon provides trail map for Texas outdoor economy summit
WHAT I LEANED as policy experts and economic development honchos get an earful about what’s next.
Texans have long had an abiding love for the outdoors. That much is agreed upon, and this passion recently helped bring experts from various quarters of the recreation economy to Fairview, north of Dallas, in early October for an exclusively leadership luncheon led by the Texas Outdoor Recreation Alliance. A preview of the inaugural Texas Outdoor Economy Summit planned for next spring, participants heard from national and local experts who discussed opportunities for enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in Texas wanting to move the needle on outdoor business.
As Enhao Li of Founded Outdoors, which consults with outdoor brands and retailers nationwide, put it: “Outdoor businesses are incredibly important to the economy as a whole.”
Speakers joining Li were Ambreen F. Tariq of the national Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, podcaster and race organizer Patrick Farnsworth based in Bryan, Texas, and business owner Jahmicah Dawes, who runs Slim Pickins Outfitters, an apparel shop 75 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Each in their own way argued that if Texans are willing to invest in the growing outdoor recreation economy, the state and its residents will reap grand rewards.
Potential benefits include rural economic security, public health, community and business profit.“What Texas do we want to live in,” asked Patrick Farnsworth, citing the positive economic impact his East Texas Showdown extreme bikepacking race had locally. “I would like to live in a Texas where I can be that little boy when I grew up and ride out my front door and go everywhere and anywhere. But the reality is we have a lot of limitations of infrastructure.”
Ambreen F. Tariq of ORR spoke of opportunities in data collection and improving public access across the landscape. She also discussed the bipartisan EXPLORE Act signed by President Biden that became law at the start of 2025 (full name: The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act), designed to facilitate recreation and modernize management systems for public resources at a state and national level to improve recreation. “At this exciting time, more people than ever are getting out of doors,” Tariq said.
Solving infrastructure problems, including the lack of public lands in a state that is 96 percent privately owned, came up again for Dawes, a Texas native who was frank about his sadness in trying to promote a recreational-based business in a state where it can be hard to find places to get outside and play. At the same time, voices favoring public access and public lands — including the $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to purchase property to build new Texas state parks — are on the rise. But for TxORA, the recreation economy extends beyond the current model to embrace hospitality, gear manufacturers, retailers and more.
With the burgeoning national recreation economy topping a trillion dollars, a central question remains how much the state of Texas will be willing to leave on the table. Which is something to be addressed at the Texas Outdoor Economy Summit next spring. Regardless, with a pie that big, and a vibrant recreation sector that spans hunting, fishing, birding, cycling, not to mention retailers and increasing numbers of homegrown products — such as PacAPit in San Antonio, Austin-based Sojourn Trekkr backpacks for women, and Hustle Clean body wipes out of Frisco — Texans deserve a slice.
October 2, 2025 — Preview of the upcoming Texas Outdoor Economy VIP Luncheon
In early October, TxORA storytellers shared their economic vision for the state
Texans love the outdoors. From horseback riding to bass fishing to mountain biking, outdoor recreation has long been a mainstay in the Lone Star State. With investments in public lands ticking upwards (more state parks, yay!) and a growing population of “domestic migrants” (here’s looking at you, California), the resulting outdoor economic boom in Texas according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis is approaching $56 billion in annual revenues.
Yet, from a national standpoint, Texas is lagging when it comes to harnessing the full economic potential of its outdoor economy, as the state doesn’t yet have a dedicated office of outdoor recreation.
Nonetheless, there is a move afoot to ensure that Texas’ outdoor businesses thrive and that the tendrils of the industry — from nature tourism to manufacturing hard goods — are braided like a strong climbing rope that can hold aloft rural communities and entrepreneurs alike. That’s where the Texas Outdoor Recreation Alliance (TxORA) comes in; founded in the early 2024, TxORA is building a network to support all facets of the outdoor industry from private landowners to race organizers to gear manufacturers in Texas in order to improve the overall health and sustain the growing number of entities that engage the outdoor economy.
“Our goal and intent is to introduce strategies, tools and resources that will help us build towards a more sustainable outdoor industry,” says TxORA co-founder and managing director Alex Brown. To that end, next spring TxORA will launch its first Texas Outdoor Economy Summit — with an exclusive preview luncheon for stakeholders and investors on Thursday, October 9.
Taking place in the north Dallas suburb of Fairview, the Texas Outdoor Economy VIP Luncheon brings together race organizers, business people, local officials and economic development officers to discuss opportunities.
Among those eager to learn more about TxORA is tourism specialist Michael Moore of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which represents more than 400 private campgrounds. TACO publishes consumer magazines to steer RV enthusiasts, glampers and other travelers to parks and other regional attractions and also has a legislative presence in Austin. “We’re really big on the ‘strength in numbers’ mantra,” says Moore. ”And TxORA seems like an exciting new opportunity to network with a completely different group than in the past.”
Even so, Moore notes that there is already plenty of overlap between campground operators and outdoor recreationalists. Membership within TACO includes RV parks in the Hill Country and West Texas, and Moore notes that some families prefer to retreat to a private site rather than pay to spend the night in a state park, even at a super-popular spot like Garner SP.
“Our members range from really rustic operations to Yogi Bear and KOA type offerings,” he continues. “So, I’m looking forward to seeing what those members can gain from this group.”
Currently, more than 20 states from Oregon to North Carolina have a government office of outdoor recreation or similar entity to help ensure that the industry receives its due. No doubt, Texas can catch up; one only need witness the successes of the Office of Outdoor Recreation in Arkansas shows what’s at stake. With bipartisan support, many millions of dollars have been distributed to local communities to improve access, address human health issues and sustain the state’s vast ecological resources. In the words of one podcaster, build it and they will come.