Economic Impacts of Parks, Rivers, Trails and Greenways

If a community, state, or region provides parks and trails for its local residents, they willhave less of an inclination to travel outside of the area for recreation. This keeps theresidents’ expendable income in their community rather than spending those dollars inanother area.The local economy can be defined as the area for which you want to quantify the recreationactivity and expenditures related to your park or trail. A park project can attract residentsnot only to the particular open space or trail, but also to nearby businesses, and motivateresidents to purchase recreation-related equipment and services. These related expenditureshelp support the local economy through generation of employment and income. Usecaution, however, when considering these expenditure values. It is common for spending tobe only partially due to the presence of a specific park or trail.3.3.3 Trends and Expenditures by ActivityThe following discussion provides information on trends associated with uses of parks andtrails and provides evidence where associated spending has been quantified. Activitiesinclude fish and wildlife-related recreation, boating, and trail-related recreation, andtraditional park pursuits. As you prepare your analysis, consider the activities listed belowTable 12. Park and Trail Based ActivitiesFish and wildlife-related FishingrecreationHuntingBirdwatchingWildlife photographyRiver and lake activities RaftingRowingKayakingCanoeingMotorboatingSailingSailboardingHouseboatingWaterskiingJet skiingTrail-related recreation WalkingJoggingHikingRoller skating/in-line skatingBicycling/mountain bicyclingHorseback ridingCross-country skiingSnowmobilingTraditional park pursuits PhotographyCamping36