Designated Multiple-Use FS SystemTrail
Mendocino National Forest
QWR wants to thank our good friends at the Society of
Outdoor Recreation Professionals (SORP) for sharing some great news about
recreation from the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) in their: OUTDOOR RECREATION OUTLOOK 2017.
The report notes that outdoor recreation has more than a
$650 billion annual economic impact in America.
It also highlights that federal land agencies are doing
more recreation-oriented outreach to the public.
QWR agrees with that observation since both the Forest
Service and BLM have devoted more resources to trail-based recreation opportunities
and collaborative planning efforts.
OHV Travel Management Kiosk
Stanislaus National Forest
The report also states that recreational use of on- and
off-highway motorcycles, ATVs, and ROVs is also growing and contributes nearly
$109 billion in direct spending to the U.S. economy annually and over 1.5
million jobs.
ARC notes that Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs)
or Side-by-Sides (SxSs) are becoming increasingly popular and are the fastest
growing segment of the powersports market. They found that nearly 30 million
Americans ride motorcycles on and off roads, and ATV ridership is some 35
million annually.
Designated FS Trail for Wide Range of Vehicle Types
Mendocino National Forest
In addition, the report cited information from the
International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) that showed average
snowmobile (OSV) use grew at 10% which is often in rural parts of the country.
Open Area for OSV Recreation
Tahoe National Forest
QWR believes this report should help inspire both the
motorized and non-motorized recreation communities to work together to help
champion sustainable outdoor recreational opportunities on federal lands
through a combination of increased (and dedicated) appropriated “recreation” funds, grant monies, and site-specific
user-pay/user benefit fee programs where monies collected stay on the unit for
on-the-ground public services.
LINK TO RECREATION REPORT
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