Bruce Lessels, owner of Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort in Charlemont, MA, was quoted in this year’s White House report on outdoor recreation. This report is an update on President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, which was launched in April 2010. The AGO Initiative recognizes the dual goals of protecting our resources while connecting people to the outdoors.
The America’s Great Outdoors Report has been published since February 2011 and identifies progress in each area of the AGO Initiative. People connect to the outdoors in many ways, and this report looks at several: jobs, education, recreation and service. Bruce is quoted in a section called “The Great Outdoors Economy,” which focuses on outdoor businesses.
“At Zoar Outdoor, our product is outdoor recreation,” says Bruce in this report. “We see people wanting to connect with each other and with nature through participating in our rafting, kayaking, zip lining and rock climbing programs. We work to anchor our company in the local area through hiring local people and purchasing local goods when possible.” As he describes later in the quote, this philosophy has helped Zoar Outdoor continue to grow throughout the recession.
More information about the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, including the full text of the report, can be found here.
