Outdoor Recreation's Importance Continues to Grow Nationally and in Idaho
The celebration of this year's National Public Lands Day was remarkable!
On September 28, 2019, the 26th Annual National Public Lands Day brought over 156,000 volunteers — up nearly 30 percent from last year — to participate in volunteer activities at more than 2,000 public lands sites. According to estimates by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), this translated to almost $16 Million in services to public lands!
These services not only help promote environmental stewardship, through reducing invasive plant impacts and increasing habitat for threatened native wildlife, but also help create the foundation for a dynamic outdoor recreation economy that is finally being recognized for playing an important role in our nation's economic growth.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation,” more than 101.6 million Americans, or 40% of the U.S. population age 16 and older, pursued wildlife-related recreation, contributing an estimated $156.3 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016.
Furthermore, updated statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA)released on September 20, 2019 by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show that the total outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent ($412 billion) of current-dollar GDP in 2017, and even higher for Idaho, accounting for approximately 3 percent of state GDP.
Real GDP for the outdoor recreation economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2017, faster than the 2.4 percent growth of the overall U.S. economy. Overall, real gross output, compensation, and employment all grew faster in outdoor recreation than for the economy as a whole.
People are passionate about the outdoors and the adventures they have in wild places. Idaho's outdoors and public lands are worth preserving to not only support growing interest in outdoor recreation activities, but also the substantial associated economic benefits. With more roadless wilderness than any state in the nation outside of Alaska, over 107,000 miles of river, and 34.5 million acres of public lands, Idaho is well positioned to capitalize and benefit from the growth in the outdoor recreation sector.
To sustain the economic, health and quality of life benefits our outdoor recreation economy drives, we must manage and value our outdoors as treasured assets. Help us grow the base of Idaho businesses and community partners willing to advocate for and work together to improve the health and the resilience of Idaho’s outdoors and public lands so they are available for future generations.
If you know a business that supports Idaho's outdoors and public lands let us know, or reach out to them and invite them to become a member. Together, we are stronger and better positioned to support Idaho's outdoors!