Reimagine Recreation

What is Reimagine Recreation?

Reimagine Recreation is a strategic planning effort charting the path for the future of recreation on lands managed by the USDA Forest Service while addressing challenges and meeting emerging opportunities.

This effort:

• 'Reimagines’ recreation in a collaborative manner by harnessing the knowledge, perspectives, creativity, and ingenuity of employees, Tribes, partners, and other stakeholders.

• Builds upon the aspirations of the Framework for Sustainable Recreation (PDF, 131 KB).

• Establishes national-level priorities for the Forest Service Recreation Program.

• Creates foundational strategic elements (a Vision, Key Shifts, and Goals) to guide our work.

• Kick-starts a multi-year strategic action plan that works to provide the necessary conditions to achieve stated priorities.

The Reimagine Recreation strategic action plan will be primarily carried out at the national level to make way for benefits and efficiencies at the regional and local levels.

Background: The Evolution of Recreation in the Forest Service

Check out the Reimagine Recreation StoryMap to learn more about the history of recreation in the Forest Service, the benefits of recreation on lands managed by the Forest Service, and the current state of recreation.

To read about how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in part, led to the initiation of the Reimagine Recreation effort, check out this document from August 2022 (PDF, 1.60 MB).

Process Overview

The process is organized in four broad phases:  Initiation, Engagement, Development, and Implementation.

INITIATION

Summer 2022 formally initiated the Reimagine Recreation effort!

ENGAGEMENT

Fall 2022 - Summer 2023:  A meaningful strategic action plan must reflect the input of as many voices and perspectives as possible. To this end, the process has included several engagement opportunities with Forest Service employees, Tribal members and entities, partners, permittees, and others.

• Employee Sensing: Forest Service employees across the agency were engaged via webinars, survey questions, and open-door sessions. These engagements illuminated common issues and ideas for change.

  • These employee engagements are summarized here: Internal Engagement Summary Report (PDF, 16.2 MB).

• Tribal Forum: 46 Tribes and 7 Tribal organizations attended to share perspectives on recreation at a National Tribal Forum. Tribal engagement remains ongoing at the national, regional, and local levels. Additionally, Reimagine Recreation is following guidance from the agency’s Strengthening Tribal Consultations and Nation-to-Nation Relationships: A USDA Forest Service Action Plan (PDF, 6 MB) to enhance consultation, coordination, communication, and collaboration with Tribes in recreation.

• Stakeholder Engagement: The “Recreation Knowledge Sharing Workshop” was co-convened among the Forest Service and eight national partner groups. At this three-day virtual workshop, over 80 recreation stakeholder groups came together, illuminated shared interests, built connections, and provided input critical to Reimagine Recreation.

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DEVELOPMENT

Fall 2023 – Spring 2024: The Reimagine Recreation Team is using all engagement input to draft a strategic action plan that sets clear priorities for our work. 

IMPLEMENTATION

Summer 2024 and beyond: An implementation approach will be developed in concert with finalization of the strategic action plan that will specify anticipated timeframes as well as staff and program areas responsible for carrying out each action. 

Collective, Focused Action

We look forward to sharing a collaborative strategy that:

• Clearly articulates national-level priorities.

• Guides the Forest Service Recreation Program with:

  • An aspirational Vision

  • Strategic Key Shifts

  • Focused Goals

  • Organized national-level Actions

• Is integrated with other Forest Service strategies, plans, and initiatives.

• Reflects shared interests and mutual benefits identified by employees, Tribes, partners, and other stakeholders.

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