Office of Outdoor Recreation
Tennessee is blessed with amazing natural resources and world-class outdoor recreation opportunities. The purpose of this Office is to help unify stakeholders, multiply efforts to improve conservation and access to Tennessee’s great outdoors, and leverage Tennessee’s unique outdoor industry and economy for the benefit of all Tennesseans.
Mission
To serve as a resource, a partner, and a leader in supporting sustainable, accessible, and welcoming outdoor recreation to improve the quality of life and economic vitality across the State of Tennessee through its great outdoors.
How the Office Does It
- Provide Tennessee’s Bureau of Conservation with strategy and planning resources while facilitating other statewide strategic planning efforts such as the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation (SCORP) plan and the Tennessee Outdoor Partnership plan.
- Coordinate outdoor recreation policies and management with federal, state, and local agencies, and other stakeholders.
- Engage in outdoor advocacy and information exchange including research on emerging trends, issues, economics, policy, and legislation.
- Convene statewide partners to ensure collaboration while also providing dedicated project management for outdoor initiatives, projects, and programs such as Bill Dance Signature Lakes, Tennessee Blueways, accessibility in parks, and Tennessee greenways and trails.
- Administer grants and align funding opportunities that support statewide goals for conservation and recreation, including administration of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) fund, the state Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF), and the Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program fund (TRIP).
- Provide statewide technical assistance such as planning, geographic information system (GIS) services, and trail work to Tennessee State Parks and State Natural Areas, along with local park technical assistance through the parks and recreation consulting program.
- Seek, apply for, and manage grants to fill funding gaps in outdoor recreation projects and programs that further statewide goals and initiatives.
- Expand access and opportunity for outdoor activities by improving accessibility, promoting safety, improving resource stewardship, and reducing barriers to experiencing nature and the great outdoors.