The following Oregon conservation and recreation organizations are pleased to submit this letter to voice our strong support of recreation liability waiver reform.
As land stewards, conservationists, recreation providers, and nonprofit advocates, recreational liability protections are critical to fulfilling our respective missions. SB 1593 would realign Oregon’s policy with all other Western states, and passage will provide important security for our organizations and hundreds more small nonprofit organizations and recreation outfits around our state.
With liability waiver reform, we seek to protect Oregon’s conservation organizations and recreation providers (many being one and the same) by reducing costs, creating greater certainty for small organizations, and protecting access and opportunity for recreationists and volunteers alike. As conservation and recreation organizations, we have seen our insurance premiums significantly increase or have seen our insurance options dwindle. Recreational liability protections enhance public safety by ensuring that outfitters, volunteer coordinators, and other trained professionals are able to operate in and continue to effectively steward the natural spaces that make our beloved state so unique.
Oregon’s conservation organizations, volunteer land stewards, and recreationists engage in this work because we love and care for our lands, and we need the support of lawmakers and the public to continue to thrive, and in some cases survive. Liability waivers need to matter again, as they did before Bagley vs. Mt. Bachelor and as they do in all other Western states. SB 1593 is a critical step towards a more certain future for us all.
We believe that one of the best ways for Oregon residents to become advocates for our lands is to get outside to enjoy and steward our incredible natural spaces. Facilitating recreation and volunteer experiences creates opportunities for formative adventures, empowers environmental stewardship, and develops broad community support for our work. Reforming Oregon’s recreation liability waiver standards ensures our recreation and restoration programs remain affordable, accessible, and legally sustainable across the state.
The survival of these programs and our work across our collective communities depends on sensible reform of Oregon’s liability waiver system. Without this reform, insurance costs will become untenable and TRK and other outdoor recreation and stewardship organizations will be forced to either increase their costs to participants or eliminate certain recreation and volunteer stewardship opportunities altogether.
SB 1593 represents a balanced, reasonable framework that restores enforceable waivers while upholding operator responsibility. It also initiates a long-overdue study into sustainable funding for outdoor recreation—a necessary step for every community that depends on accessible parks and nature access points, and a clean and healthy environment in Oregon.
