Bringing the outdoor recreation community together to learn from each other, raise the profile of this key sector of our economy and advocate for the value of outdoor recreation and our public lands at the state and local level.
Recreation Economy
photo by Laura Todd
Bringing the Outdoor Community Together:
Outdoor Recreation Summit
Building on momentum at the state and national level we are bringing Recreation Industry Professionals – retailers, manufacturers, tourism promoters, land managers and stewardship organizations – together to explore and share ways to grow and promote Washington State’s flourishing recreation economy.
Recreation Northwest EXPO
Highlighting our regional outdoor recreation businesses, lands and opportunities to help people find new ways to get outside and play.
Basecamp Networking
Bringing together outdoor recreation business owners & employees for networking and conversation.
Recreation Economy Studies
NATIONAL
Outdoor Industry Association, 2017:
The Outdoor Recreation Economy
The Outdoor Recreation Economy: Washington
WASHINGTON STATE
Washington Recreation and Conservation Office Study, 2015:
Economic Benefits of Outdoor Recreation in Washington Fact Sheet
Economic Benefits of Outdoor Recreation in Washington
WHATCOM COUNTY
In 2015, Recreation Northwest released The Economic Contribution of Outdoor Recreation to Whatcom County. This is the first study of it’s kind for Whatcom County and we are excited to highlight the impact of outdoor recreation. The study was done by Earth Economics, in Tacoma and funded by Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, Port of Bellingham and Bellingham Whatcom Tourism.
Outdoor recreation an important part of why people choose to live in Whatcom County, it is a foundation of our local economy.
Economic Contribution of Outdoor Recreation to Whatcom County
 Download the Full Report |
 Download the Factsheet |
Download the Study Presentation
Recreation Economy posts from our blog, The Confluence
Recreation Economy Round Up – August 2018
Here’s a re-cap of some of the noteworthy recreation economy stories from the past month. City enters agreement to secure recreational use of Galbraith Mountain City, Whatcom Land Trust, and Galbraith Tree Farm reach purchase and sale agreement Washington joins 8-state pact to champion outdoor recreation Washington was one of eight states on Wednesday to... Read More →
Recreation Economy Roundup – June 2018
Here’s a re-cap of some of the noteworthy recreation economy stories from the past month. What is an intact forest worth? Up to $1 trillion, in the case of Greater Seattle’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie A new analysis of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (PDF) estimates its total value could be several times the annual revenue of Amazon.com—as... Read More →
Recreation Economy round-up – May 2018
Here’s a re-cap of some of the noteworthy recreation economy stories from the past month. Government Puts Outdoor Industry Size at $373 Billion That’s 2 percent of overall GDP—putting it on par with other major economy-drivers (and larger than oil and mining). FIND YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DATA Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has released congressional-level Outdoor... Read More →
