Maine names new director of outdoor recreation [Video]

Jeff McCabe is the new director of Maine’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the state announced Wednesday.

The outdoor recreation office is a part of Maine’s tourism office in the Department of Economic and Community Development.

McCabe succeeds Carolann Ouellette, who was promoted in May to lead the tourism office. Ouellette had been Maine’s tourism director from 2010-2016. McCabe, a former Democratic majority leader in the Maine House, had served as deputy director of outdoor recreation since November.

“Maine’s Outdoor Recreation economy is strong and growing,” McCabe said in a statement. “It has been an honor to work with and to hear from those in the industry from across the state and I look forward to the work ahead.”

The Office of Outdoor Recreation was established in 2019 to leverage the state’s parks, waters, woods and mountains; to grow that sector of the economy; and to build Maine’s reputation as a destination for activities such as …