It’s no secret that recreation is a very big part of The Valley’s – and Vermont’s – economy. Local studies have pinpointed the value of things such as trail networks, greenways and places for all-terrain riding, hiking, walking and backcountry skiing.
This week a report commissioned by the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council was released. That report, prepared by Camoin Associates, looked at the economic activity generated by four Vermont trail networks. It found that those four trail networks alone generate $29.6 million in economic activity for the state.
That’s a lot of green from greenways and trails. People who come to Vermont to recreate do more than just recreate. They buy food, craft beer, gas and rooms.
One of the trail systems studied, the Kingdom Trails system, saw 94,000 visitors during the study year. Those visitors came in average groups of three people and spent $145 on transportation, $382 on food and drinks, $470 on lodging and $321 on gifts, equipment and admission fees.
So, what does that mean for us? For starters it means that projects like the Scrag Gateway Project are vitally important and should be a priority. Trail networks for hiking and biking in Waitsfield’s Scrag Municipal Forest will be greatly enhanced by the addition of 110 acres to the town forest, including improved access and better parking.
We know that skiers and snowboarders fuel our winter economy whether they are here recreating as visitors or second-home owners. We accept that winter recreation is an economic boom for our community.
We need to expand our notions of what recreation is and how to foster places for people to do it, including working on our own Mad River Path, identifying and protecting greenways and trails and making municipal decisions that are guided by the prioritization of recreation.
For The Valley and other similar communities in Vermont, recreation could become a much more significant sector in the economy, one with the potential for bringing jobs and people much like the alternative energy installation business has done.
