Chris Perkins and Davitt Woodwell

1. Millions More Outdoors:
Why Outdoor Recreation is the
Economic Development
Strategy of Now and the Future
Chris Perkins
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
cperkins@recreationroundtable.org
Davitt Woodwell
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
dwoodwell@pecpa.org

3. Three Key Takeaways
1. We're experiencing a unique and powerful
momentum behind outdoor recreation
2. Outdoor recreation is not just a
"nice to have", but a "must have"
3. Outdoor recreation economic
development in action

5. The nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations — made
up of over 35 national members — as well as other nonprofit organizations and
business entities — serving more than 110,000 businesses.
Chris Perkins
Senior Director

6. What is Outdoor Recreation?

7. Public
Health
Community
Connectivity
Economic
Resiliency
Environment &
Climate
Stewardship
What are outdoor recreation's benefits?

8. What Organizations Contribute to Outdoor Recreation?

9. Jobs in Outdoor Recreation
Technical Specialists Participant - Facing Integrators
Auto and RV Technicians
Ski Lift Technicians
Inspectors
Software Engineers and Web Developers
Accountants
Biologists/Ecologists
Manufacturing/Engineering
Trail, Infrastructure, and Facility Design and Maintenance
Permitting and Planning
Landscape Architects and Engineers
GIS/Cartography
Shipping Logistics
Business Analytics
Sales and Customer Service
Education/Interpretation
Community Managers
Cultural Storytellers
Public Affairs
Communications and
Development
Travel Advisors
Event Planning
Client Relations
Concessions Operators
Land Managers
Community Economic Development
Environmental Justice
Recreation Management
Social Scientists
Risk Management
Product Design and Development
Corporate Sustainability
Outdoor Recreation/Conservation Policy
User Experience/User Interface
Guiding and Outfitting

10. National
Numbers
4.3 Million Jobs
(3% of U.S. Employment)
1.8% of U.S. GDP
$689 Billion in Gross
Output
What is the Size of the Outdoor Recreation Economy?

11. Outdoor
Recreation in
Pennsylvania
146,127 Jobs
1.5% of GDP
$11.8 Billion in Value
Added
What is the Size of the Outdoor Recreation Economy?

12. COVID Behavior Shifts

13. COVID Behavior Shifts
2019 2020 % Change
Boating/
Fishing
$24B $31B +30%
RVing $17B $19B +9%
Motorcycling/
ATVing
$8.3B $8.8B +5%
Bicycling $2.1B $2.5B +12%
Climbing/
Hiking/ Tent
Camping
$3.96B $3.99B +1%
Photo Courtesy Outdoor Afro

14. Economic Resilience

15. Economic Resilience
July 2021

16. Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure

17. Economic Recovery
Baileys Trail System, OH

18. "In the 100 most populated cities, neighborhoods where most residents identify as
Black, Hispanic and Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian American and
Pacific Islander have access to an average of 44 percent less park acreage than
predominantly white neighborhoods, and similar park space inequities exist in
low-income neighborhoods across cities."
Kiwanis Methow Park, WA
Equitable Access

19. Great American
Outdoors Act
2020
John Dingell
Conservation and
Recreation Act
2019
Bipartisanship
America's Outdoor
Recreation Act
2022

21. Three Key Takeaways
1. We're experiencing a unique and powerful momentum
behind outdoor recreation
2. Outdoor recreation is not just a "nice to have", but a "must
have"
3. Outdoor recreation economic development in action