Setting a Price on Recreation

[LYIN' KING]

ARRA's Washington Newsletter - July 1012

Setting a Price on Recreation

The recent controversy over the valuation of Facebook's IPO has focused a lot of attention on how we set a price, if you will, on something that is important to us. When it comes to outdoor recreation, there are two types of value; one stems from the personal satisfaction we get from being out in the great outdoors and is virtually impossible to attach a monetary figure on that value. The other is the economic value that is generated by the goods and services we acquire as we participate in an outdoor activity.

Quantifying the second value has always been a hard thing to do, well, until now. At the most recent Western Governors' Association meeting held in the State of Washington in mid-June, a major economic study was unveiled showing that in 2011, the outdoor recreation industry generated nearly $646 billion in national sales and services. That's a whopper of a number!

The study was initiated by the Western Governors' Association and done in collaboration with the Outdoor Industry Association and four motorized recreation associations; the Motorcycle Industry Council, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

The report is called "A Snapshot of The Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation." If you are interested, you can access the report on the WGA website.
http://www.westgov.org/reports

In the coming months, economists will be poring over the data and slicing and dicing it to figure out where and how more economic growth can be encouraged. The Western Governors certainly have an interest in this analysis because they want to promote more outdoor related tourism in their respective states. And, I anticipate that we will be able to make great use of this data on Capitol Hill as we discuss the merits and economic benefits of motorized recreation.

Source: http://www.arra-access.com/site/Page...name=arra_news

[mannysouza]

I would be happy to swipe a card for every purchase I made for my off road recreation.

This is my current setup, inside is my crawler and a couple quads and bikes for the kids.


Yes I have some money invested in my outdoor recreation, lol.

[Bebe]

Looks like some one upmanship going on here !

New USFWS Report: 46.7 Million People Call Themselves Birdwatchers
Categories:

Birds
Kids/Family
Nature
Wildlife


By Michele Berger
08/23/2012

According to a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey, more young Americans are getting outdoors. Photo: Kati Garner

More than 46 million Americans count themselves as birdwatchers, according to preliminary findings from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe announced last week the results of this study, which has taken place every five years since 1955.

The number of Americans 16 and older who say they watch birds dropped by slightly less than a million from the 2006 survey, and the number of bird watching days decreased by significantly more. However, survey participants still spent more than $4 billion on bird food, just more than $900 million on binoculars and scopes, and around $970 million on nest boxes, birdhouses, feeders and baths.

Salazar and Ashe both tout the overall results as crucial progress in the campaign to get people outside.

The number of hunters and anglers increased by 9% and 11% respectively, to 13.7 million and 33.1 million. “This is great news,” Salazar said during the survey press conference. “Hunters and anglers have long been the driving force behind conservation efforts in America, contributing their time and labor as volunteers, and at the end of the day, providing most of the funding for state wildlife agencies.”

Also, the preliminary results showed an uptick in the number of young Americans participating in outdoor activities, Ashe added. “That’s incredibly important for those of us in the conservation business. We are seeing the younger generation of Americans getting into the outdoors.”

Between April 2011 and May 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau interviewed close to 50,000 households. A final report and one broken down by state—and which will include data relative to urban and rural settings, as well as more detailed demographic information—should be available by year’s end.

[LYIN' KING]

Who isn't a "bird watcher"? Something fly’s in front of you, your eyes generally tend to follow it eh?

Sure, I can tell folks the name of all the birds around my place and enjoy watching them. Does that make me a bird watcher? I don't think so and don't count myself as one since I don't wander around the woods with binoculars invading their privacy!!

They don't like peeping-toms disturbing them when they're doing the horizontal bop anymore than the majority of humans do.

[fermentor]

"The number of Americans 16 and older who say they watch birds dropped by slightly less than a million from the 2006 survey, and the number of bird watching days decreased by significantly more. However, survey participants still spent more than $4 billion on bird food, just more than $900 million on binoculars and scopes, and around $970 million on nest boxes, birdhouses, feeders and baths."

So they spent fewer watching days, but spent more money? Did they follow NEPA when installing nest boxes, birdhouses, feeders and baths? WTF?