Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) hailed Friday's introduction of the U.S. OUTDOOR Act, groundbreaking legislation that was introduced simultaneously in the United States House of Representatives (H.R. 3168) and United States Senate (S. 1439). Led by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Greg Walden (R-OR), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Jared Polis (D-CO) and Todd Akin (R-MO) in the House and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) in the Senate, the U.S. OUTDOOR Act is the realization of two years of development and consultation between OIA, outdoor industry apparel manufacturers, the U.S. textile industry and these leaders in Congress.

Did you ever wonder how your local parks and recreation program compares with those in other cities and states? As the voice of the U.S. parks and recreation community, the National Recreation & Park Association benchmarked 3,100 agencies around the country. While the results make for good reading, the NRPA more importantly expects its 2009 “Operating Ratio Report” to guide community leaders and legislators in their efforts to better understand the importance of parks and recreation in the health and well being of all Americans.

Although Snowshoe Magazine is a periodical providing original content, we also view the industry as one that stirs some news. Here are some great newsworthy notes that require your attention (each month we will try to provide three notes):