A new initiative for Connecticut's state parks is expected to bring camping upgrades, new recreational activities and amenities as well as the establishment of a new state office: the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced the "Partnerships in Parks" initiative last month. The new initiative through the Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences is aiming to accomplish three tasks: Partnering with businesses in the private sector to offer "enhanced" recreational experiences, promoting the state as an "outdoor recreation tourism destination" and protecting "equitable access to the outdoors."

"Through this new office and initiative, we are elevating the outdoor recreation experience in our parks, creating new tourism destinations and building on the Lamont administration's commitment to providing equitable access to the outdoors," DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes said in a news release. "We're eager to hear ideas from non-profits and businesses about ways they could partner with us to provide expanded services and amenities for state park visitors, that reflect our values for both outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation."

Experiences that are being looked at include "glamping," locally sourced farmers' markets held in the state parks, guided experiences, new food and beverage options and ADA-compliant equipment rentals.

The first steps for the intiative involve finding potential partnerships for the state parks. Among the private businesses that have already partnered with the state are Clarke Outdoors in West Cornwall, Farmington River Tubing in New Hartford, Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall and the Essex Steam Train.

The outdoor recreation business has exploded in Connecticut since the pandemic. DEEP estimates that 17 million people visited a Connecticut state park in 2022, up from just under 10 million in 2019. According to DEEP, the state's $4.6 billion outdoor recreation economy is the second largest in New England, supporting approximately 46,000 jobs.

In total, there are 142 state parks or forests in the state.

"Connecticut's state parks are among the best in the country and provide the setting for many memorable outdoor recreation experiences," Lamont said in a news release.

Anyone looking to provide feedback on the program can do so through Feb. 16 by emailing deep.partnershipsinparks@ct.gov. "Low-impact partnership concepts" for 2024 are due from interested businesses by March 1 while all partnerships, especially long-term concepts aimed for 2025, are due by April 30. Concepts will be reviewed through the summer while also offering a "public comment period" on the concepts.