No camping gear? Vermont State Parks will have you covered

MONTPELIER - Families will be able to borrow camping gear at five Vermont state parks this summer, Gov. Phil Scott announced Thursday.

The pilot initiative will be sponsored by Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington and its equipment manufacturers and is intended to attract new campers.

"Through this effort, we hope to instill a lifelong appreciation for enjoying our environment," Scott said at a news conference Thursday as he highlighted a new report from a committee focused on the state's outdoor recreation economy.

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Mark Sherman, owner of Outdoor Gear Exchange, said the program will loan stoves, lanterns, tents and sleeping pads.

Sherman said his store will sell sleeping bags at a low price, rather than loaning them.

Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, said the state has not yet decided which five state parks will offer the gear program.

Sherman and Snyder both serve on the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative. The group issued a range of state policy recommendations this week, including giving financial awards to outdoor recreation projects and businesses, selling hats and water bottles to benefit Lake Champlain clean water efforts, and reviewing Act 250 permit rules for public trails on private lands.

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