PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania is known for its natural beauty, and the state’s outdoor recreation industry is booming. According to a report released by the Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation, the sector adds nearly $14 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy every year. To maximize this potential and strengthen the outdoor economy, the Director recently announced a series of statewide stakeholder meetings. These meetings will provide businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and other stakeholders with an opportunity to share their thoughts on how to grow and unite Pennsylvania’s outdoors.
“We are excited to connect with businesses, nonprofits, community organizations and other relevant stakeholders to hear from them about how to maximize the hidden value outdoor recreation has in the commonwealth,” stated Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation Nathan Reigner. “It is critical that we support the growth of the outdoor recreation sector to help improve health and wellness, conservation efforts, job creation, and so much more.”
The stakeholder meetings will begin Wednesday, March 29 at York College’s Center for Community Engagement in York County. The listening tour will conclude Thursday, April 27 at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie.
Other stakeholder meetings include the following:
- Wednesday, April 5 — John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
- Thursday, April 6 — Nurture Nature Center
- Tuesday, April 11 — Conewango Club
- Wednesday, April 12 — Lycoming College
- Thursday, April 13 — Montage Mountain
- Tuesday, April 25 — Frick Environmental Center
- Wednesday, April 26 — Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center
Contact the Director of Outdoor Recreation for more information about the meetings.
To assist with the mission of growing the outdoor recreation economy, DCNR and other state agencies are developing an Office of Outdoor Recreation, which would be responsible for coordinating and synergizing among entities within and connected to state government to help align and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, policies, resources, and more.
The agencies also have created the Recreation Engagement Coalition (REC) that includes members from across Pennsylvania with local, regional and statewide influence and expertise in the outdoor recreation sector representing multiple disciplines.
Pennsylvania has the sixth largest outdoor recreation economy in the nation, supported by a combination of its exceptional recreational assets, an economy that is generally diverse in sources of revenue, active participation by Pennsylvania residents, and strong retail, manufacturing, and tourism sectors.
The nearly $14 billion in economic value the sector adds also supports 152,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Nationally, outdoor recreation generates $862 billion in economic output, accounting for approximately 3 percent of all jobs in America.
Visit DCNR’s website for more information on Pennsylvania’s efforts to grow the outdoor recreation economy, and check out DCNR’s Calendar of Events for events on public lands.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.