(Portland, Maine – April 10, 2024 ) According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation contributes $3.3 billion to Maine’s economy — nearly 4% of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In an effort to grow Maine’s outdoor recreation economy over the next 10 years, a collaboration of industry, communities, government, and higher education organizations joined forces to develop the Maine Outdoor Economy Roadmap or Trailblazer Roadmap. Guiding this initiative are Maine Outdoor Brands, the University of Maine, and the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, with a goal of defining Maine’s outdoor economy and its potential, producing a baseline analysis of the value of Maine’s outdoor economy, identifying key strategies to fuel growth of the state’s outdoor economy for the next ten years, and forming partnerships and collaborations for investment in Maine’s future. The Roadmap’s journey began with an extensive stakeholder engagement process at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit last fall with over hundreds of people engaging. Since then the group has engaged Mainers from a diverse range of sectors, regions, and communities across the state through conducting 60 interviews, hosting 8 focus groups, and facilitating 115 leaders in working sessions. All participants were asked for their input on the assets and challenges of the outdoor recreation economy in Maine, as well as ideas on how to grow and diversify the sector over the next 10 years. The next engagement phase of the project is a series of in-person workshops around specific topics that have emerged through data analysis and interviews. The sessions are facilitated, action-oriented workshops that will help build ideas into concrete strategies to support the Roadmap. They will take place on the following dates and at the following locations.