--- title: Blog insights from the Outdoor Recreation Economy description: Blog insights from the Outdoor Recreation Economy --- [![site-logo](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/site-logo.png?width=190&name=site-logo.png "site-logo")](https://oregonstate.edu/) Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy [![Request Info](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/451937/cb0e82ac-cca7-42a5-8f7a-7d38664d3f6b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/451937/cb0e82ac-cca7-42a5-8f7a-7d38664d3f6b) ![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/Search.png) ![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/search-close.png) [![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/CORE%20BLOG%20POST.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/vf-foundation-awards-second-grant-to-center-for-the-outdoor-recreation-economy) ## [VF Foundation awards second grant to Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/vf-foundation-awards-second-grant-to-center-for-the-outdoor-recreation-economy) July 25, 2022 The VF Foundation awarded a second $150,000 grant to Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE). With a total of $300,000 in grant aid awarded, the VF Foundation is CORE’s largest funder to date. These grants are intended to support CORE’s ongoing research and the growth of a national consortium of institutions aiming to offer or expand outdoor industry programming. [![Kristen Freaney stands at the front of a room, leading a session for working professionals. ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Freaney_FLARetreat_2020%20(1).jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-partner-kristen-freaney-launches-career-school-to-help-frustrated-professionals) ## [CORE partner Kristen Freaney launches Career School to help frustrated professionals](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-partner-kristen-freaney-launches-career-school-to-help-frustrated-professionals) January 6, 2022 As Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) continues to grow, our team looks to industry partners and specialized consultants for valuable guidance and insights. One of our key collaborators is Kristen Freaney, who plays an important advisory role for CORE through her consulting business, Path to Peak. Kristen recently announced a new venture, Career School,. [![Erin Gaines, Industry and Government Relations Strategist for Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy, and Chris Perkins, Senior Director for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/CORE-ErinGaines-ORR-ChrisPerkins.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-and-orr-co-host-webinar-share-resources) ## [CORE and ORR co-host webinar, share resources](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-and-orr-co-host-webinar-share-resources) December 7, 2021 Last month, Erin Gaines, Industry and Government Relations Strategist for Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE), joined Chris Perkins, Senior Director for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), to co-host a webinar titled, “How Investments in Outdoor Recreation Build Resilient Economies, Jobs, and Communities.” Their presentation was designed to help attendees. [![Outdoor Recreation Roundtable logo](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/ORR.png) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/outdoor-recreation-roundtable-welcomes-core-as-first-higher-education-member) ## [ORR welcomes CORE as first higher education member](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/outdoor-recreation-roundtable-welcomes-core-as-first-higher-education-member) December 2, 2021 Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) has joined other leading recreation organizations as the newest member of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). As ORR’s first higher education member, OSU’s CORE will bring the bandwidth and expertise of a top-tier public university to the $788 billion outdoor recreation industry, supporting the sector’s research and. [![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/51413304298_8a3ae1eb69_h.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/dei-lab-helps-a-small-business-build-a-plan-for-the-future) ## [The DEI Lab helps a small outdoor business build a plan for the future](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/dei-lab-helps-a-small-business-build-a-plan-for-the-future) November 3, 2021 Last year, as the United States grappled with some hard truths about racial justice and accountability following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, business leaders were ready to acknowledge longstanding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenges and opportunities within their organizations. For Cairn, a small business based in Bend, Oregon offering monthly. [![Group of hikers surrounded by mountains](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/ted-bryan-yu-5mezpWin6T8-unsplash.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/first-outdoor-recreation-economy-consortium-meetings) ## [Education Leaders Attend First Outdoor Recreation Economy Consortium Meetings](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/first-outdoor-recreation-economy-consortium-meetings) October 15, 2021 For the past year, Oregon State University has been leading a nationwide effort to create a national Outdoor Recreation Workforce Development Consortium. This Consortium would bring together academia and the outdoor industry to address the industry’s workforce needs and skills gaps and to develop stronger, more consistent, and more accessible training and education programs for outdoor industry. [![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/james-wheeler-HJhGcU_IbsQ-unsplash.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/opinion-the-outdoor-industrys-moment-of-opportunity) ## [OPINION: The outdoor industry’s moment of opportunity](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/opinion-the-outdoor-industrys-moment-of-opportunity) July 21, 2021 The demand for both close-to-home and regional outdoor recreation opportunities has never been higher. While that’s good news for the outdoor economy, it’s also putting pressure on an industry workforce that is already struggling with chronic skill-gaps and a retirement wave. By uniting around a new vision of workforce development, the outdoor recreation industry can capture the full opportunity. [![Zoom conference image of Meredith Morrice and Anita Azarenko](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Meredith-Anita-Zoomcall.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/first-monday-update-video-series-welcomes-our-director-of-industry-engagement) ## [Center Featured on Oregon State's ‘First Monday Update’ Video Series](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/first-monday-update-video-series-welcomes-our-director-of-industry-engagement) July 19, 2021 Meredith Morrice, who heads up industry engagement for the Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy, was recently a featured guest on First Monday Update, a monthly video segment hosted by Anita Azarenko, interim vice president for Oregon State Extension & Engagement. Considering that the Center was still in the initiative phase the last time it was covered on an episode of First Monday Update,. [![Ski lift tower](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/sheave_assem_close_up.png) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/podcast-instructional-design-and-the-future-of-technical-training) ## [PODCAST: Instructional Design and the Future of Technical Training](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/podcast-instructional-design-and-the-future-of-technical-training) July 2, 2021 The latest episode of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association's podcast, The Mountain, features a conversation between PNSAA president, Jordan Elliott, the our lead instructional designer, Danny Powers, about how augmented reality, user-centric design, and a healthy dose of humor are driving much-needed innovation in technical training for the outdoor recreation industry. [![OSU-Cascades students and trip leaders hike out after rock climbing during the Headwaters Central Oregon Experience Trip at Smith Rock State Park on Friday, September 20, 2019.](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/49436323098_cca320623d_o.jpg) ](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/outdoor-industry-leadership-certificate-open-applications-and-free-intro-course) ## [Outdoor Industry Leadership Certificate: Open applications and free intro course](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/outdoor-industry-leadership-certificate-open-applications-and-free-intro-course) June 24, 2021 If you've been looking for opportunities to advance your career in the outdoor recreation economy, we have exciting news: We're now accepting applications for the next cohort in our Outdoor Industry Leadership Certificate program. [← older](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/page/2) ### Media inquiries If your publication would like to feature a CORE program, student or instructor, please contact [Antony Vorobyov](mailto:antony.vorobyov@oregonstate.edu). ### Have a story idea? We'd love to hear about it. Help us highlight the work of CORE students, alumni, faculty, staff, or industry partners. [Send an email](mailto:meredith.morrice@oregonstate.edu) with story suggestions or any questions. ### Recent Posts ### Recent Posts ### View by Tag - [Outdoor Recreation Industry (22)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-industry) - [Inclusive Outdoors (13)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/inclusive-outdoors) - [Research (8)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/research) - [Outdoor Leadership Series (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-leadership-series) - [Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-roundtable) - [Business (5)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/business) - [In the news (4)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/in-the-news) - [Economy (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/economy) - [Outdoor Roundtable (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-roundtable) - [COVID-19 (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/covid-19) - [Event (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/event) - [Opinion (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/opinion) - [Professional Development (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/professional-development) - [non-credit education (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/non-credit-education) - [rural economies (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/rural-economies) - [2020 (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/2020) - [Outdoor Recreation Industyr (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-industyr) - [Pilot Year (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/pilot-year) - [Wildfire (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/wildfire) - [Workforce Development (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/workforce-development) [See all](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu#) ### View by Author - [Sarah Costello (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/sarah-costello) - [Meredith Morrice (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/meredith-morrice) - [Ben Peterson (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/ben-peterson) - [Lee Davis (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/lee-davis) ![OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W.png "OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W") #### Who We Are The Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy is dedicated to advancing research and curriculum development, technical skills training and leadership programming for the U.S. outdoor industry. **[Learn more about our team](https://outdooreconomy.oregonstate.edu/orei-about-us-2).** **[Follow us on LinkedIn.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/osu-orei/)** #### Contact Us We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at [outdooreconomy@oregonstate.edu](mailto:outdooreconomy@oregonstate.edu). #### Privacy Policy [View OSU’s Division of Educational Ventures Privacy Policy](https://oregonstate.edu/official-web-disclaimer) © Oregon State University | All Rights Reserved