Outdoor recreation is an important contributor to the U.S. economy. In this article, you will learn the size of that contribution.

  Someone posed this question on Quora: What is the importance of trees in a forest? I answered the question this way: While you wouldn’t have a forest without trees, I suspect the question is more about the role of trees in the forested ecosystem. It’s a complicated ecosystem, so let me offer a few […]

There has been a lot of research on the importance of getting outdoors in a natural setting.  That research and the general feelings people have had on the subject for centuries has led to the creation of lots of parks and other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.  We summed up those findings in our review […]

Beyond snorkeling and SCUBA diving, most of us have limited ability to explore underwater.  Even given these skills, we are still limited by depth and the amount of time that we can stay under water at one time.  A select few have access to submersible vehicles and can extend this a bit more, but serious […]

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) takes care of what some consider to be the  land of the western U.S. that no one wanted.  The land isn’t usually of National Park caliber and typically doesn’t have enough forest to be managed as a National Forest.  Still, the BLM manages almost 250 million acres of pubic lands. The BLM […]

The International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education is new; it’s third issue has been published.  It is published by the North American Association for Environmental Education, an organization dedicated to bringing the brightest minds together to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement through the power of education to create a more sustainable future for all. As […]

While many of the articles in the eMagazine discuss places that are far removed from the big city,  where you live can also have  a big impact on the availability of recreational opportunities, on your access to them and on your health.  Last July we discussed a study that ranked cites for their recreation opportunities in a […]

Do you want to get outdoors more, get more exercise, enjoy more fresh air or participate more in any of the types of activities we discuss here at EXPLORE?  It’s not that hard to do these things, but most of us lack the motivation needed to get started and then keep at it. For many people New Year’s […]

The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) has taken a look at the current and projected state of outdoor recreation in the U.S. through 2016.  Their focus is primarily on the industries and companies that support recreationists.  They conclude that these industries have seen significant gains this year and they anticipate more gains next year. Economic Impact […]

The Outdoor Industry Association recently released a poll they had commissioned.  The poll asked 500 likely voters in Colorado and 500 likely voters in Nevada a series of questions.  The questions were designed  to try to determine how important public lands are to people in those states and how this interest might play out in […]