Washington State's Outdoor Recreation Economy Generates

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.

With an outdoor recreation economy of $92 billion, the state joins seven others with offices of outdoor recreation. Beaches, mountains, desert, plains, forests—California has it all and is well-known as a western playground for all types of adventure.

The Republican conservationist, a species plentiful a century ago in the era of Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, has fallen in danger of extinction. Worthy of note, then, is a confirmed recent sighting on ocean beaches of Olympic National Park. As the Trump Administration prepared to roll out its "dirty power plan," and give new life to old polluting coal plants, 2016 Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant was leading a three-day walk to protect park beaches.

A new Washington State Tourism Marketing Authority (TMA) was established by the legislature (ESSB 5251) to contract for statewide marketing services that promote tourism on behalf of the citizens of the state, and for managing the authority’s financial resources. The first TMA Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Conference Center at SeaTac International Airport, Beijing Room.  The meeting is open to the public. Business on the inaugural agenda includes: install the Board of Directors, elect officers, form appropriate committees, establish a private local account for authority finances, and discuss plans for contracting for marketing services. Big Tent Vice President, Rob Sendak, is the Outdoor Recreation appointee to the Authority.