Fall Fly-In highlights growing threats to public lands management amidst government shutdown; urges lawmakers to keep public lands a national priority.
Washington, D.C. (October 21, 2025) — Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of outdoor recreation groups working together to protect public lands, along with its 20 Grasstops Collective advocate ambassadors, will convene in Washington, D.C. this week to advocate for protecting public lands and waters and the people who care for them. The government shutdown is a reminder of how — without staff and funding — trails go unmaintained, parks are left vulnerable, and recreation access suffers, making it timelier than ever for the outdoor recreation community to speak out. Outdoor Alliance has put together a quick action alert to make it easy for members of the public to write lawmakers, helping ensure that balancing recreation and conservation remains a priority in Congress.
“The government might shut down, but Outdoor Alliance doesn’t,” said Adam Cramer, CEO of the Outdoor Alliance. “Our team is taking advantage of a quieter Capitol to meet with dozens of lawmakers this week and keep public lands front of mind. Our full schedule of lawmaker meetings this week will keep attention on keeping public lands public, defending agency capacity, and securing long-term funding for the outdoors.”
The following issues will be top priorities with lawmakers this week:
- Keeping public lands public: At a moment when decision makers are considering proposals to sell off, defund, or roll back protections, Outdoor Alliance is standing up for the idea that public lands belong to all Americans.
- Protecting outdoor recreation on public lands: Standing up for the Roadless Rule, which protects 58 million acres of National Forests and innumerable recreation resources, Outdoor Alliance is speaking to lawmakers about how proposed rollbacks threaten the trails, rivers, and climbing areas people cherish.
- Protecting the agencies and their staff: Outdoor Alliance is advocating for adequate staffing, funding, and resources at the Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, and other land management agencies—so they can maintain trails, restore landscapes, manage recreation responsibly, and protect the places people love.
- Securing funding and resources for the outdoors: Through appropriations and bipartisan legislation like the Legacy Restoration Fund, the Outdoor Alliance team is working to make sure the places where people hike, paddle, ski, and climb get the investments they need.
Grasstops Collective members will be key players in having these important conversations with lawmakers this week. The Collective is a leadership and advocacy development program that trains grasstops advocates to build relationships with policymakers and advocate for conservation priorities. Grasstops leaders, distinguished from grassroots supporters, are unique for their meaningful leadership voice in their communities, whether they are in business, nonprofit, or local government.
“These people are the unofficial mayors — the ones who know everyone at the crag, trailhead, or river put-in,” said Taylor Rogers, who is coordinating the Grasstops Collective program for Outdoor Alliance for its second year. “As such, they’re not only widely respected people in their respective communities, but they’re also immersed in the public lands issues in their own backyards. That makes them very effective voices for conservation.”
The program has been training and educating its second cohort of grasstops leaders on outdoor policy and advocacy throughout this year, building up to this week’s Fall D.C. Fly-in. This year’s cohort comes from across the country, with a variety of backgrounds, outdoor recreation pursuits, and leadership roles. They include professional athletes, executive directors of local outdoor recreation nonprofits, industry leaders, and storytellers. Learn more about the 2025 Grasstops Collective cohort here and about our 2024 cohort and their accomplishments throughout the first year here.
Applications for the 2026 Grasstops Collective program is now open through November 2, 2025. Applications can be submitted here. For more information on the program, including details on the training and network and key dates, check out this program overview.
To learn more, please visit www.outdooralliance.org.
About Outdoor Alliance
Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of organizations that includes American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. For more than ten years, Outdoor Alliance has united the human-powered outdoor recreation community to achieve lasting conservation victories. Our work has helped to permanently protect 40 million acres of public land, secure $5.1 billion in funding for the outdoors, and convert more than 100,000 outdoor enthusiasts into outdoor advocates. For more information, visit www.outdooralliance.org
