Outdoors for all. New inspiration guide argues creating a more welcoming outdoors is good for everyone

Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association | Tom Poole photo

With the Electrify the Mountain Project, Kimberley embraced the electric future – and made its outdoors more welcoming for everyone. 

The project in the Kootenay village included building new trails and renovating existing ones specifically for e-mountain bikes and electric adaptive bikes. They were some of the first trails in the province and country designed for adaptive mountain bikes, says Mike Riediger, the CEO of Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association, an organization that helps disabled people access the outdoors. 

But it is the project’s hidden value that really excites him. 

“Our primary focus is persons with visible disabilities,” Riediger says. “But where the biggest wins come in are for the much wider community of cyclists or potential cyclists. People with invisible or temporary disabilities, children, active elderly, people aging out of mountain biking, families and more.”

This is the superpower of making the outdoors more welcoming. Whether it’s mentoring newcomers, explicitly inviting underrepresented groups, or just clearer communication, making the outdoors more approachable has cascading benefits.

That’s the message of Outdoors for All: An Inspiration Guide for Creating Welcoming Outdoor Recreation Spaces. Produced by the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) with financial support from the BC Parks License Plate Program, it uses case studies of outdoor groups already enjoying the benefits to inspire and motivate more action. 

Louise Pedersen, Executive Director of ORCBC, highlights the significance of this initiative: “Building a more inclusive and welcoming outdoor community not only reflects our shared values of inclusivity and stewardship but also enhances organizations by broadening volunteer engagement, unlocking new funding opportunities, and cultivating a stronger sense of belonging for everyone.”

There is ample evidence that for businesses, a more diverse workforce boosts everything from employee satisfaction and productivity to customer retention and revenue. The argument is even more persuasive for outdoor clubs. Nonprofits that work on welcoming a more diverse membership and a more inclusive public will benefit from a larger pool of volunteers, more funding opportunities and other pluses. In addition, representing the entire community – not just those in the know – is right in the mission statement of most outdoor groups and the use of public lands. 

The whole idea of the inspiration guide is to help organizations take the first step towards a more welcoming attitude, says Pedersen. It opens by defining things like diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and explains why in an outdoor context they are more about welcoming newcomers than the politicized terms they have become. It then moves on to highlight actions outdoor groups are taking across B.C. and beyond. 

Organizations like the United Riders of Cumberland and Parks Canada are making the outdoors more accessible in meaningful ways for people with disabilities. To retain a rush of new members, the British Columbia Mountaineering Club is creating programs to make sure the newcomers feel welcome and represented. And BC Parks and others are finding novel ways to gently introduce new Canadians to the outdoors. 

“The overarching theme is that every group can do something to make their corner of the outdoors more welcoming, and it doesn’t need to be grandiose or expensive,” says Ryan Stuart, the author of the inspiration guide. “Even a few words can make a big difference.”

In the introduction to Outdoors For All, Stuart highlights Jennifer Wigglesworth’s efforts to bring attention to the importance of names. Studies published by equality researchers at the University of British Columbia show that offensive trail or sexist climb names can make some people feel unwelcome. 

“These are the little things that say this sport or this place is not for me,” she says.

Her work and the efforts of people in the climbing and riding community have led to many name changes. These changes are part of a culture shift the ORCBC hopes to encourage with Outdoors For All. 

The outdoor community is thinking more about the subtle messages they send with their words and actions. That’s the simple first step to making the outdoors a more welcoming and rewarding place for all.