Outdoors/tourism initiative

Published 12:07 pm Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, joined Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday for the governor’s announcement of an initiative to promote the outdoor recreation and tourism sectors in Washington State.

During his introduction of the governor Ranker said, “I am excited to see the governor launch this effort to highlight the important role outdoor recreation plays in our state’s economy. It is critical that we protect our great outdoors and natural resources and the jobs that depend upon them.”

Ranker and Inslee joined a group of businesses, non-profit groups and public agencies in Olympia to discuss the initiative with the The Big Tent Outdoor Coalition, a collection of three dozen Washington for-profit, non-profit and government organizations.

A recent study concluded that $22.5 billion is spent annually in Washington on outdoor recreation, supporting 227,600 jobs and generating $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue.