'Quiet recreation' on BLM lands brings millions to Wyoming

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Christine Peterson
Updated 15 hrs ago

People visited Wyoming’s Bureau of Land Management public lands almost 2 million times in 2014 to participate in what a new study is calling “quiet recreation.”

And they spent $102 million in towns within 50 miles of recreation sites, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. The study defines “quiet recreation” as anything nonmotorized from mountain biking to camping to hunting ...

BLM lands are often overshadowed in states like Wyoming by the more charismatic national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton. But they still offer incredible and more primitive recreation opportunities, Stuble said ...

“We calculate that in 2014 quiet recreation activities accounted for approximately 36 million visitor days (58 percent of all visitor days) and 38.5 million visits (63 percent of all recreation visits) to BLM lands in the western U.S. and Alaska,” the report stated ...

http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/quiet-recreation-on-blm-lands-brings-millions-to-wyoming-new/article_36428e9e-554f-5bd9-ba44-912e38588912.html

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1. Most visitors to BLM land seek quiet activities, study says

By Jim Steinberg, The Sun
POSTED: 04/02/16, 3:04 PM PDT
UPDATED: 11 HRS AGO

... In California, there were 4.9 million visits during 2014 to the state’s 15.2 million acres overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, says a recent study from Pew Charitable Trusts.

Pew’s study, “The Economic Value of Quiet Recreation on BLM Lands,” was released late last week.

There are more than 5.8 million acres of BLM-managed lands in San Bernardino County, although the study did not delve into county-level numbers ...

Camping and picnicking were listed as the most popular quiet activity on BLM lands during 2014, the year data was analyzed. This was followed by non-motorized travel ...

http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20160402/most-visitors-to-blm-land-seek-quiet-activities-study-says

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2. Study puts high value on ‘quiet’ recreation

By Dennis Webb
Thursday, March 31, 2016

A new study says nonmotorized use of Bureau of Land Management lands supports nearly 25,000 jobs and adds $2.8 billion to the nation’s economy, with Colorado leading all states in economic output related to such use ...

“The reason why we did this study is because we really wanted to understand how much quiet recreation brings to the table in the larger picture of western economics” ...

It looks at 11 Western states and estimates that nonmotorized recreation visits generated an overall $2.8 billion worth of goods and services produced. It said $1.8 billion in direct spending occurred in communities within 50 miles of recreation sites, and nearly $800 million was generated in personal income from nonmotorized visits.

Colorado saw an overall $372 million spending impact, $275 million in direct local spending, $113 million in personal income generated and an estimated 3,412 jobs supported locally as a result of nonmotorized visits, according to the study ...

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/study-puts-high-value-on-quiet-recreation

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3. Study evaluates economic impact of ‘quiet recreation’ on BLM lands

By Josh Edge, APRN - Anchorage - March 31, 2016

... “That spending results as it circulates throughout the economy in nearly 25,000 jobs; in $2.8 billion in economic output, and $1.5 billion in value added; and in nearly $800 million in personal income,” Lee said.

That’s the nationwide view from data gathered in 2014.

In Alaska, that breaks down to more than 450 jobs, $46.5 million in total economic output, and over $13 million in personal income generated from activities like dog mushing, fishing, picnicking, geocaching, and everything in between ...

http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/03/31/study-evaluates-economic-impact-of-quiet-recreation-on-blm-lands/

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4. Study: Public Lands Generate Money, Jobs for Arizona, U.S.

Public News Service - AZ
April 1, 2016

... The report shows that Arizona gets 3.5 million visits each year to its public lands, with an overall spending impact of $162 million, supporting almost 1,600 jobs ...

"BLM lands have been historically viewed as treasure troves for those who want to drill, mine or graze their natural resources," he said. "It's only really in the last decade or so that a different kind of treasure has been discovered on BLM lands - those of conservation and recreational value."

Of the 246 million acres of BLM-managed public lands across the U.S., 12 million are in Arizona.

The full study can be read online at pewtrusts.org ...

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-04-01/environment/study-public-lands-generate-money-jobs-for-arizona-u-s/a51199-1