History

Part 5, Legacy of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation With the creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation in April 1962 and a declaration of intent published within the next month, Director Edward Crafts (who served in this capacity from 1962-1969) had only to set plans in motion. The BOR served primarily advisory and assistance roles to state-level and other federal agencies. It became involved in outdoor projects concerning parks, historic landmarks, forest and wildlife areas, dams and other water-control projects, and other public land and water sites. The bureau expanded to assist such groups as the Boy and Girl...

Part 4, The ORRRC Proposes a Plan With the data collected and analyzed, the ORRRC began the process of determining recommendations and guidelines for the future. Principally, the ORRRC saw outdoor recreation as the responsibility of all levels of government. Many saw mass participation in outdoor recreation as “essential to the well-being of the American people.”[1] The commission separated its recommendations into five categories. First, the federal government should be responsible for the creation of a new national outdoor recreation policy. The new outdoor recreation policy should incorporate federal, state, and private groups and agencies. The role of the federal...

Part 3, The Economics of Outdoor Recreation The following will explore these eight variables and their relationships to one another, as well as demonstrating the data gathered by the ORRRC in the National Recreation Survey. The tables included have been derived from information and charts included in the study reports released by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission. By 1960 the population was spending approximately $4.4 billion annually on outdoor recreation. Based on projected economic and population growth, the ORRRC believed that by 1976 people would be spending $6.9 billion per year and $12.4 billion by the year 2000. So...

Part 2, Creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation The Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission delivered its final report on January 31, 1962, and dissolved itself shortly thereafter. On March 1 of the same year, President Kennedy announced the impending creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR), which would operate under the Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation would “serve as a focal point in the Federal Government for the many activities related to outdoor recreation.” Secretary of the Interior Steward Udall officially established the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation on April 2 and named Edward Crafts...

Part 1, The Role of the ORRRC President Eisenhower created the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission in early summer 1958 when he signed the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Act. The commission’s objective was to research outdoor recreation in the United States and propose methods to make it more readily accessible to the majority of people, especially those within metropolitan areas. Following the conclusion of the ORRRC’s four-year study, which included national surveys and the gathering of state and national park data, the commission suggested the creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, as well as the recommendations and guidelines as to...