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Date: 9/19/2023
WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg resident Paul Jahnige was recently named the first director of the newly-formed Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation.
“I am humbled, honored and thrilled to be asked to serve by the Healey and Driscoll Administration,” Jahnige said in an interview with Reminder Publishing. “It’s something that’s been on my radar since I think people first started talking about the possibility about five years ago. So, I’ve had it on my mind.”
According to the announcement, the state’s Energy and Environmental Affairs established the Office of Outdoor Recreation in December to help enhance outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts.
Jahnige brings 25 years of experience working in environmental restoration and community development. He said he grew up in Williamsburg spending a lot of time outdoors hiking, camping and exploring.
He received his master’s in Environmental Studies at Yale and completed overseas work in Ecuador and Kenya. Following that, he founded what was known as “Community Resources,” an urban environmental nonprofit that develops programs in minority, low-income communities across cities in the Mid-Atlantic.
Since then, he has spent the past 17 years in the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation as a trail planner, where much of his time was spent on trail planning, repairing, constructing and reconstructing.
Now, as director of a brand-new office, Jahnige said he is excited to build and shape its vision.
“It’s going to be different from my previous work because I think this position will be much more about growing outdoor recreation in general,” he said. “In addition to generally promoting outdoor recreation in Massachusetts … I think this office will really want to focus on making outdoor recreation as welcome, diverse, inclusive and accessible as possible.”
Jahnige said the first few weeks of the job will involve connecting with a lot of people in the outdoor recreation field and listening to their ideas.
Specifically, he said he is looking forward to connecting with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to talk about possible joint promotional programs for the next year.
“I’ve already got lots of folks from lots of different sectors who are excited about the office,” Jahnige said. “My first few weeks are definitely going to be a lot of learning and listening.”
In a statement, EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper commended Jahnige for being instrumental in developing transformative outdoor recreational opportunities across the state.
“His experience demonstrates his commitment to merging recreation with stewardship and conservation, which will shape our environmental landscape for generations,” she said.
As someone who was born and bred in Massachusetts, Jahnige said one of his greatest strengths going into this position is his extensive understanding of the state’s recreational nuances.
“I bring a particular expertise in trail-based recreation, but I’m really excited to be learning about all the non-trail based recreation too,” he added.
Jahnige is expected to officially start his new position on Sept. 25. The new department will also work alongside the Department of Fish & Game, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.