Outdoor Recreation News March 2. 2018

Outdoor Recreation in New Zealand

A New Zealand outdoor recreation advocacy group says outdoor recreation is a very big contributor to the economy, but lacks appreciation by government. Andi Cockroft, co-chairman of the Council of Outdoor Recreation said a recent study in the US showed the outdoor recreation industry’s contribution to the US’s GDP was larger than that of all mining, including the extraction of oil and gas.

“And the US study showed the industry is expanding. In 2016, it grew 3.8 percent, compared to the overall economy’s growth of 2.8 percent,” he said. “The impact of activities like boating, fishing, mountain biking, recreational vehicle treks, hunting, camping, hiking and others, is immense,” he added. “Many businesses benefited in accommodation, charters and guiding, travel and many retail businesses. Significantly such expenditure flowed strongly into regions.”

The strong clue that the US study conclusions would be similar in New Zealand was a 2016 study by the NZ Marine Research Foundation that recreational saltwater fishing benefited the national economy by supporting 8,100 jobs and stimulating $1.7 billion per annum in total economic activity. Participation in both fresh and saltwater fishing increased by 10 percent between 2008 and 2014 and was trending upwards.

“If fisheries are kept strong and resilient, that contribution of recreational fishing can grow even more. That’s the crux – outdoor recreation has greater economic potential than commercially exploiting fish stocks to exhaustion," Cockroft said.

Unfortunately economic data on the recreational fishing industry had been previously lacking and governments tended to strongly favour commercial interests, to the extent of ignoring the recreational fishing public. This was in a large measure due to corporate fishing companies “investing” heavily in political parties by way of donations to get preferential favours.

“New Zealand has too often overlooked the significant contributions generated by marine recreational fishers,” said Cockroft. “Extend the recreational saltwater study to all outdoor recreation and the monetary value of total outdoor recreation to the economy would be in several billions of dollars per year.”

Rather than just exploiting the outdoors as a resource, as previous governments had done, valuing participation in outdoor recreation should stimulate a new culture in politics and the public service. Outdoor recreation has proven physical and mental health benefits. 

Appreciating the value of outdoor recreation benefits conservation values and New Zealand’s vaunted “clean and green” marketing image for exports and tourists. Outdoor recreation was also a significant tourist drawcard adding to the economic value by New Zealanders.
 
It was revealing that while other developed nations could value and quantify the health and economic benefits outdoor recreation made to their economies, the recent Statistics NZ report on the economic value of the country's natural resources ignored it completely.
 

Solar Car Chargers in California Parks

On Tuesday, Envision Solar International, Inc. announced that the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation will deploy its EV ARC™ products to provide emissions-free electric vehicle (EV) charging. The first EV ARC™ products will provide workplace charging at the agency’s Bay Area District Office and public charging for park visitors at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation chose EV ARC™ products because of their ease of installation and the 100% emissions-free driving delivered by the units using clean solar energy. The EV ARC™ units will align with the department’s mission by helping to preserve the state’s biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.The unit will allow park users, employees, and fleet vehicles to plug in and drive on sunshine in remote locations and/or where circuit deficiencies exist. The agency also appreciates the freedom to move EV ARC™ EV chargers when necessary to optimize usage.

“The California Department of Parks and Recreation is the latest agency to recognize the benefits of driving on sunshine with our EV ARCs,” said Envision Solar CEO, Desmond Wheatley. “We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to enabling cleaner, green, impact-free charging infrastructure for them in the future.”

With over 340 miles of coastline, 970 miles of lake and river frontage, 15,000 campsites, and 4,500 miles of trails, the State Park System provides recreational, educational, and inspirational opportunities for over 67 million visitors a year. As the number of EVs on California’s roads grows, there will be an increasing requirement for the unique benefits offered by the EV ARC™ off-grid charging solution in these remote locations. Envision Solar considers Parks and Recreation agencies in California and across the US as likely areas of significant future growth.

New Children & Nature Initiative

Cathy Jordan, PhD, LP, Consulting Research Director  of Children & Nature Network writes: 

Dear friends, 

We are excited to announce a new initiative called “Making the Case” — a quarterly series of themed Research Digests and accompanying webinars. Each webinar will explore a theme through research and practice stories, in collaboration with Children & Nature Network staff, practitioners and community stakeholders. Our first "Making the Case" theme is: Equitable Access to Nature’s Benefits. 

Join our webinar on March 15, 11am-12pm CST, featuring members of C&NN’s Research, Cities Connecting Children to Nature, Natural Leaders and Green Schoolyards teams. We will explore what the latest research and our work in communities can tell us about overcoming barriers and implementing promising strategies to increase equitable access to nature for children and families.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by children of diverse backgrounds — as well as hope, inspiration and concrete ideas for increasing equitable nature access.  REGISTER TODAY!   

Sincerely,
Cathy Jordan

Lost Hiker Found in Yosemite

Alan Chow, the hiker missing in Yosemite National Park since Tuesday, February 20, was found safe last Friday. Chow, who was backpacking alone, was spotted from a National Park Service helicopter around Noon above Wapama Falls in the Hetch Hetchy area after an extensive search last week. He was transported to the Hetch Hetchy Ranger Station and was doing well. Chow sustained minor injuries and has been reunited with family members

During the last several days, Chow stayed in his tent and was able to stay hydrated and had an adequate food supply. His preparedness and ability to make good decisions were key to his rescue and good health.

Yosemite National Park thanked the California Highway Patrol, Bay Area Mountain Rescue, California Office of Emergency Services, Marin County Search and Rescue, Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office, El Dorado County Sheriffs Office, Contra Costa County Search and Rescue, Southern California Winter Ski team,and YoDogs (search dogs).   Approximately 60 people participated in the search effort.

Wapama Falls photo by Inklein  [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0]

Deathgrip on a Mountain Bike

If you are a mountain biker in it for the adreneline, Deathgrip is a movie that will get you warmed up to hit the trails. It was released on iTunes last May and is now available to stream worldwide on Netflix.  The feature movie puts the defining style of rider Brendan Fairclough together with the progressive filmmaking of Clay Porter. Over 2 years in the making, Deathgrop can now be experienced through the world’s leading movie and TV streaming service.

"My goal for Deathgrip is for people to watch the movie and only be able to watch the first 10 minutes before they have to turn it off, jump on their bike and go rip a turn," said Fairclough.
The global release of Deathgrip on Netflix will now see Porter and Fairclough’s vision for mountain biking become accessible to an audience of over 106 million subscribers. 

If you are not already a member, you can sign up at www.netflix.com. With your first month for free, you can now watch Deathgrip as many times as you want from your TV, laptop or mobile device.  Deathgrip continues to be available to purchase and own through iTunes and the following platforms:  Xbox, Playstation, Google Play, Amazon, Vudu, Fandango Now, and Vimeo on Demand. Here's the trailer:

Get all the details at DeathGripMovie.tv

Fly Your WY

On Tuesday,  the Wyoming Office of Tourism (WOT) launched a new promotion called "Fly Your WY."  

According to WOT there are few places that inspire hometown pride like the Cowboy State. From Gillette in the northeast to Green River in the southwest, Wyoming locals live and breathe by calling Wyoming home, an affinity that inspired the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s newest promotion—Fly Your WY. The program is a social media promotion that encourages Wyoming residents to post their love for Wyoming.

“Fly Your WY is unlike any promotion we’ve done before,” said Kristin Dialessi, brand integration senior manager for the Wyoming Office of Tourism. “While our agency is tasked with marketing Wyoming to non-resident travelers, we also know that Wyomingites know the best places to go, the best adventures to take and the best experiences that can be found in their own backyards.”

To participate, Wyoming residents can follow these three steps:

1. Pick up a #ThatsWY flag at distribution points throughout the state, including the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center south of Cheyenne and the Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center in Beulah, as well as local communities that include Cheyenne, Laramie, Cody, Powell, Jackson, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Afton, Evanston, Riverton, Lander, Thermopolis, Worland, Ten Sleep, Casper, Buffalo, Sheridan, Douglas, Gillette, Sundance, Newcastle, Lusk, Torrington, Wheatland, Rock Springs, Rawlins, Saratoga, Green River and others. Flags will be available at distribution points on or around March 1, 2018. 
2. Snap a photo with the flag in their favorite locations around the state. Whether you grew up hiking in Guernsey State Park, horseback riding in the Wind River Mountains or relaxing in hot springs in Thermopolis, WOT wants to see the places that mean the most to residents.
3. Post the photos to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #FlyYourWY and #ThatsWY, and tagging @VisitWyoming.

Wyoming residents who use the hashtag when sharing photos will have opportunities to win weekly prizes from WOT on social media and to have their photos featured (with permission) on the promotion’s landing page, www.TravelWyoming.com/FlyYourWY.

As part of the promotion, WOT is also inviting residents statewide to participate in 3.07 Day (on the appropriate day of March 7) and flood social media with 307 photos that showcase how to #FlyYourWY.

“We’re a state with only one area code,” added Dialessi. “And celebrating Wyoming on March 7 (3.07) through social media creates an opportunity for all residents to come together virtually to show our love for the state we call home.”

More information on how to #FlyYourWY, including updates on the promotion and flag distribution points, can be found at www.TravelWyoming.com/FlyYourWY.

Things to do in Port Angeles

Yesterday,  Visit Port Angeles unveiled a new destination video, which highlights Port Angeles, Washington, – the gateway city to Washington State's Olympic National Park and the Olympic Peninsula – as a year-round outdoor vacation spot.

The 60-second video features a handful of the 331 Things to Do in Port Angeles ranging from “Dancing with Mountains” to “Urban Adventuring” to “Seaside Strolls”. These nano-itineraries focus on a variety of travel and entertainment experiences pulling from the area’s outdoor recreation options like hiking, biking, winter and water sports to scenic beaches, mountaintops, lakes, waterfalls and rain forests. The area’s outside beauty is punctuated by a shorefront downtown with unique shops, art, museums, a notable restaurant scene and a direct ferry route to Victoria, B.C. Here's the video:

Filming for the video began in early 2017 with a shoot from the top of snowy Hurricane Ridge and completed in the late fall capturing quiet beach days and pedal-powered rides over the Elwha River along the Olympic Discovery Trail. It was a challenge to keep the video from exceeding one minute. The video’s length was a strategic decision in order to engage today’s travel audience with shorter and shorter attention spans while allowing the video to be run as a TV commercial in the future.

The video is one part of a larger strategic destination branding and marketing campaign created and crafted by Vertigo Marketing that began in 2016. The overall campaign promotes the city’s events, lodging, attractions, restaurants and shops to experience-hungry travelers.

“A great deal of work has been done by Vertigo to create innovation and return-on-investment for the city of Port Angeles,” Community Development and Economic Director Nathan West says. “Vertigo maximized the video production budget by utilizing as many models and shooting scenarios as possible and even included custom photography that we now own outright.”

The destination video is one of several more to come. New, never been seen footage will be released as video vignettes over the coming year highlighting specific items from the list of 331 Things to Do.

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Video of the Week

We hear a lot about the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and even the Rocky Mountain Trail, but the Pacific Northwest Trail is rarely mentioned yet offers a true wilderness experience. This week's video features the eastern segment of the trail across the far north of Montana, starting in Glacier National Park.

 

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