Economic Impacts of Parks, Rivers, Trails and Greenways

3.3.4 Fish and Wildlife-Related RecreationHostellingAttending special eventsConcertsReenactmentsFestivalsDriving for pleasurePicnickingActivities associated with fish and wildlife-related recreation include fishing, hunting,birdwatching, and wildlife photography. More than 82 million U.S. residents fished,hunted, and watched wildlife in 2001 with considerable overlap among the activities.Expenditures by these participants exceeded $108 billion, 1.1% of the Gross DomesticProducts (GDP), which contributed to millions of jobs in industries and businesses thatsupport wildlife-related recreation. Of the total spending, $28.1 billion was trip-related,$64.5 billion was spent on equipment, and $15.8 billion was spent on other items. From1996 to 2001, the number of wildlife watchers increased by 5% and spending on wildlifewatchingequipment, such as binoculars and birdhouses, jumped by 33% (U.S. Dept. of theInterior, 2001). Details of participation and spending are outlined in the tables below.Table 13.Total Wildlife-Related Recreation- Participants and Expenditures(USDOI, 2001)Participants82 millionExpenditures$108 billionSportspersonsTotal participantsAnglersHuntersTotal daysAnglersHuntersTotal expendituresFishingHuntingUnspecifiedWildlife WatchersTotal participantsResidentialNonresidentialTotal expenditures37.8 million34.1 million13.0 million786 million557 million228 million$70.0 billion$35.6 billion$20.6 billion$13.8 billion66.1 million62.9 million21.8 million$38.4 billion37