We are excited to see some new momentum in the access realm for the AMGA with the recent hiring of Leigh Goldberg. The Access Director position was created in response to the expressed needs of the AMGA membership. By allocating the resources necessary to support a staffed position, the AMGA feels it can more effectively do its part in representing the interests of the American mountain guide and climbing instructor communities.
 
Leigh joins the AMGA with a background in Marketing, Consulting and Public Relations. She has served organizations and brands in the Outdoor Industry as a Consultant and formerly with Backbone Media. Leigh graduated cum laude in Sociology from Princeton University.
 
Leigh's first priority is to develop a Strategic Plan that outlines short and long-term goals pertaining to access for the AMGA. She will also serve as point of contact for the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA), regional representatives, state and federal land managers, and other key groups and agency officials. In this newly formed position at the AMGA, Leigh will address current and emerging issues, strategic budget planning, external operations and outreach.
 
During her first month on board, Leigh created a report summarizing actions the AMGA has taken over the past 17 years pertaining to access and public policy. If you would like to receive a copy of this report, please call the AMGA office or email Leigh at access.director@amga.com.

Leaders from a dozen outdoor industry companies in Montana participated in the first round of public input on America's Great Outdoors (AGO). Drawing nearly 300 participants, the Bozeman session kicked off a series of summer listening sessions to shape Obama administration policy on conservation and re-engaging Americans with the outdoors. Similar sessions were held in Helena and Missoula.

"Federal support through programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is critical to protecting open space, habitat and outdoor recreation sites. The great outdoors is a big part of who we are in Bozeman and key to our economy," said Conrad Anker, world-renowned climber and mountaineer, and employee of The North Face in Bozeman.

Representing a spectrum of conservation, sportsmen, ranching/farming, recreation, environmental and tribal interests, participants spoke on the pros and cons of local control in land use; promoted access to public and private lands/waters for hunting, fishing and recreation; and highlighted Bozeman's programs to get kids active and outdoors. Strong support was voiced for full and dedicated funding of LWCF.

The administration will hold additional listening sessions across the country during the coming months. There have been no public announcements thus far about the dates and locations of the future sessions.

With summertime here, warm weather and summer break from school make the great outdoors ideal destinations for individuals and families to engage in healthy outdoor recreation activities. To encourage Americans to recognize and enjoy the beauty and recreation opportunities that our nation's outdoor spaces offer, President Obama declared June 2010 as National Great Outdoors Month.

"In these difficult economic times, renewing our commitment to our natural places will foster jobs in the tourism and recreation industries while conserving our great outdoors," the president said in a proclamation establishing Great Outdoors Month. President Obama also took the opportunity to build momentum for the America's Great Outdoors Initiative in the

For more information, you can visit The White House website.

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