Outdoor Adventure Commission backs broad objectives for strategic plan, emphasizes consistent messaging and regional coordination

The Utah Outdoor Adventure Commission spent the meeting reviewing a research team's comparative analysis of Western states and moved to wrap the draft strategic plan around four cardinal directions and a set of specific objectives intended to guide state investments and partnerships.

Casey, a graduate student on the research team, told commissioners that the analysis recommends expanding responsible-recreation education campaigns, installing program evaluation into mandatory trainings and outreach, and building regional coordination mechanisms. "Providing someone information when their trip planning isn't sufficient to change their behavior by the time they actually get on the trail," Casey said, arguing that consistent messaging from trip planning through trailhead interactions is essential to change behavior.

Commissioners discussed moving that recommendation into action through a co-branded working group that would include state and federal land managers, the Office of Tourism and private platforms. Deirdre Miller, a newly introduced staffer with background in curriculum and communications, said she will help align messaging with policy recommendations and carry those materials into practice.

The team also urged building evaluation into programs so agencies can test whether training and campaigns change behavior. Casey noted that academic evidence is mixed for some safety trainings and that aquatic-invasive-species campaigns provided stronger evaluation results. Commissioners recommended using survey tools and targeted evaluation to refine programs before large-scale rollout.

On governance, the research team proposed that the commission consider extending its role to promote coordination among state, federal and local partners. Casey pointed to examples in Wyoming and Colorado—an interagency 'wonder map' and a legislatively supported Colorado Outdoor Partnership—as models for how an oversight body can produce tangible collaborative products.

Commissioners spent substantial time wordsmithing the objectives. They agreed to replace language likely to be polarizing—opting for "protecting" rather than "conserving" in one instance and changing phrasing such as "marginalized groups" to broader terms like "all users" to avoid politicization. Several commissioners emphasized adding safety and search-and-rescue mitigation language within the objectives so the plan addresses both prevention and the continuing need for SAR resources.

Next steps: commissioners asked the research team to incorporate today’s wording changes into the draft plan and continue refining the tactical projects and metrics that would support the objectives. The commission signaled a thumbs-up to proceed with the four cardinal directions as the framework for the strategic plan.