The Open Pathways Project (OPP), was created by the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Fresh Tracks, Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP), YMCA Bold & Gold, the National Caucus for Environmental Legislators (NCEL), and others in 2021 to ensure that the powerful results of time spent outdoors are accessible to everyone and embedded in our policies, funding strategies, and programs. With a focus on state and local impact, OPP is building a future where institutional support for outdoor experiences is sustainable, resilient, and based on best practices– laying the crucial groundwork for long-term systems change.

One of the ways of doing that is through supporting state and local impact. Washington State has long stood out as a national leader in this work, offering a compelling example of how the outdoors can serve as a unifying force across communities and systems, as well as showing how vital it is to shape long-term, resilient solutions for safeguarding and funding outdoor experiences. To help build on and grow this work, OPP hosted a 2025 Washington State Convening to bring together stakeholders to reflect on the assets, the needs, and the challenges of everyone who is working in this space across the state.

This report summarizes some of the context, learnings, and takeaways from that conversation, as well as potential next steps to further advance this important work.

Read The Report

Interested in learning more? Save the date for a webinar on Monday, April 27th at 12:30pm PT / 3:30pm ET featuring:

• Juan Martinez Pineda, Fresh Tracks / The Aspen Institute 

• Fabiola Greenawalt, The Russell Family Foundation

• Jacqueline Reyes, The Wilderness Society and E3 Washington