Washington State's Outdoor Recreation Economy Generates

Washington Initiative 1631 (I-1631), the Protect Washington Act, aims to transition the Washington economy to a renewable energy future that invests in and supports clean energy, the outdoors, and local communities and economies across the state by implementing a carbon fee on some of the state’s biggest polluters. It would invest directly in healthy forests and waters across the state as a means for carbon sequestration and to build resiliency in outdoor places to impacts of climate change like wildfires, flooding, and drought. The inclusion of I-1631 on the ballot this November follows a multi-year effort to implement a carbon fee in Washington state, which included a ballot initiative that failed in 2016 and OIA-supported legislation that did not progress this past session. I-1631 is the most united the effort has been in supporting a carbon fee measure and has the backing of a wide range of businesses, business groups, local communities and community groups, NGOs, nonprofits, and others.

Join University of Washington’s EarthLab for an evening with our 2018 Doug Walker Lecturer, Richard Louv. A journalist and the author of nine books, including “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,” “The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Nature in a Virtual World” and “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life,” Louv will discuss the central role nature plays in human health and well-being at every age and stage of life.

Outdoor recreation accounts for 2.2 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), according to the final report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on the outputs from outdoor recreation. The final report also found that outdoor recreation contributes over $734 billion to total U.S. gross output, which is the total value of domestic goods and service produced by an industry.

California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill yesterday that would have created the Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation, despite overwhelming bipartisan support. His signing of AB 1918 would have made California the 12th state with an official office or task force to support outdoor recreation, which accounts for $92 billion in consumer spending and 691,000 jobs throughout the state—the country's largest rec economy.

The attached publication, Science Findings, is from the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station a part of the Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6).  This edition is of interest to those of us involved in outdoor recreation as it summarizes a study done to evaluating the economic implications of outdoor recreation on National Forest Lands, nationally as well as in Washington and Oregon. If you haven’t already read this edition it is worth your time to read.