Idaho Business for the Outdoors's mission is to provide a collective, non-partisan business voice in support of the investments, jobs, innovations, revenues and wellness benefits sustained through the preservation of Idaho’s outdoors and public lands.
2024 IMPACT By the NUMBERS
Celebrations
Expanding Access: Idaho State Park Foster Family Passport
IBO and one of our members, Regence BlueShield of Idaho, partnered with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to help fund a brand-new program benefitting all foster families in Idaho.
Known as the Idaho State Park Foster Family Passport outdoor program, this program grants every foster family in Idaho an annual state parks pass to visit all 30 state parks in Idaho. This program will also feature a series of outdoor skills trainings every year. The first skills training was held at Lucky Peak State Park in September of 2024 and featured stations where families could learn how to set up tents, cook in a dutch oven over a fire, and properly extinguish a campfire.
“Kids are the future of Idaho. They are the future of our outdoors, and they will help us be stewards of our great outdoors in the state of Idaho.”
— Susan Buxton, Director of Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
This is the first time IBO has made such a significant investment in a new program at the state level. Funding for this program has been secured for the first two years and will benefit educational events, maintenance of public outdoor facilities, and improved outreach for underserved communities. We believe that by helping to improve access to outdoor recreation for foster children and their families, this new program will benefit a new generation of public lands stewards to help us maintain these valuable outdoor spaces for generations to come.
Community Engagement
ADOPT-THE-GREENBELT: IBO continued its work with the City of Boise’s Adopt-The-Greenbelt program. IBO engaged business members and community in taking on habitat restoration and preservation by cleaning up trash and removing noxious weeds along one of the most visited stretches of the Boise Greenbelt. We are so grateful to our business members and their volunteers from Habitat Veterinary Hospital, Republic Services, Albertsons, Boise Cascade, and Micron.
ADOPT-A-PLOT: With the help of our many volunteers and business members, IBO has maintained two plots along the Boise River as part of the GEAS ReWild project. In our first year, we planted native seedlings along the banks of the river, and we've spent this past year watering and monitoring these young plants to help ensure their survival in the hot summer months. The 2-year stewardship program has now come to an end, and while we expect to find similar programs in the future, we encourage all of our members and volunteers to continue to visit the IBO plots located along the Boise River just before the Highway 21 bridge.
advocacy
IBO supported several pieces of legislation in 2024 aimed at benefiting public lands and the individuals and business owners who rely on these lands. IBO believes a healthy, sustainable economy goes hand in hand with access to state parks, public lands, and the outdoors.
Education
IBO works to educate and address some of the challenges and conflicts our communities are experiencing due to increased use on our public trails and waterways, and reduce negative effects of human activities on our public resources. This includes sharing responsible tips, information on working lands, and other outdoor etiquette with our community, our businesses, and employees.
IBO hosted 3 Learn Over Lunches with over 100 attendees learning about B Corporations and Mental Health and the Outdoors. In addition, our newsletter reached over 400 subscribers and covered a variety of topics concerning our publics lands, such as climate change, endowment lands, rural education, National Public Lands Day, and outdoor accessibility.
In 2024, we introduced our Adopt-a-Pollinator program to students at Whittier Elementary School this fall, bringing 60 students outside to learn about the importance of pollinators, water quality, recycling, composting, and access to open spaces. We would like to extend a special thank to our partners and volunteers from BUGS, Republic Services, and the City of Boise.
Educating children about nature and getting them outside is key to creating the next generation of environmental conservationists.
Research
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce released important new statistics from 2023 that measure the outdoor recreation economy for the nation. Key findings from this latest BEA report show that outdoor recreation activities contributed $3.96 billion to Idaho’s economy and supported 37,478 jobs with $1.83 billion in compensation, including wages and benefits. Outdoor recreation also makes up 3.3% of the state’s GDP.
This data provides a legitimizing factor and a powerful advocacy tool at both the state and national levels. Numbers make it easier for policymakers to fathom the economic potential of the outdoor recreation industry across the nation and in their own districts or states. The analysis tool allows us to compare year-over-year growth for Idaho's recreation economy.
Thank You
We are so grateful for our business members, donors, and the entire community of Idaho for their ongoing support of IBO. Together, we are preserving Idaho’s great outdoors for future generations. Let us forge into the new year with the same mission to protect our public land. Look out for upcoming events and join our newsletter to stay connected.