Outdoor Recreation 



The real resource for outdoor recreation in the study area is the natural 

 attractiveness of its landscape. Much of this same landscape is simul- 

 taneously used to supply wood and to generate employment and income from 

 its utilization. A portion of the outdoor recreation activity is 

 dispersed and is nonconsumptive . Another portion of the outdoor recrea- 

 tion activity focuses upon localized attractions and requires special 

 attention in the form of management and maintenance. Facilities provided 

 at these localized attraction areas represent an additional economic 

 resource. 



The current level of recreation participation in the study is estimated 

 to be 14.9 million activity occasions as shown in table 14. A portion of 

 this activity takes place in Glacier National Park which recorded 

 1.57 million visitors in 1975. Recreation on National Forest land was 

 estimated at 10.2 million recreation days of use in 1975. Recreation 

 days are not the same as activity occasions. 4/ 



For the four National Forests constituting the bulk of the forest land, 

 the current budgets for recreation maintenance and recreation construc- 

 tion are $605,000 and $1,000 respectively. 



Gross receipts and cost information are not available on private enter- 

 prise in outdoor recreation for the basin. 



The 16 largest communities in the study area budget about $280,000 for 

 recreation programs on 971 acres of urban parks. This budget amounts to 

 about $290 per acre of urban park and represents an average of about $3 

 per person living within the limits of the same 16 cities. 



Outdoor Recreation Projections 



Outdoor recreation activity occasions are projected to increase from 

 14.9 million to 21.9 million by 1990 and to 36.2 million by the year 2020 

 for the 16 activities (table 14). These projections were made by the 

 Recreation Data Subcommittee of the Pacific Northwest River Basin 

 Commission and are based on OBERS series C population projections and 

 with estimated rates of growth in per capita participation differing for 

 each kind of activity. 



4/ An activity day is any part of a day in which a person engages 

 in an activity one or more times. A recreation day is different in that 

 it is a person's visit to a site or area during any reasonable portion of 

 a day regardless of his activities while there. For example, a person 

 may spend a recreation day at a lakeshore campsite. While there he may 

 go swimming twice for one activity occasion, fish for one period, water 

 ski for another, picnic twice, and camp--for a total of five activity 

 occasions . 



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