Western Oregon Recreation Demand for the Bureau of Land Management

For the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), ECONorthwest conducted an assessment of the supply and demand for outdoor recreation opportunities in Western Oregon. The analysis then used this information to identify geographically specific and activity-specific tables and maps of outdoor recreation scarcity and abundance. This data will support BLM’s efforts to strategically target future investment in recreation areas to generate the greatest demand, corresponding benefits, and regional economic development opportunities.

To describe current demand and pattern of participation in outdoor recreation, ECONorthwest used regional participation data from BLM’s Recreation Management Information System (RMIS), as well as participation and user occasion data from Oregon’s most recent Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Additionally, ECONorthwest developed regional projections for recreation participation levels until 2060, using data from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE). 

To characterize the supply of recreation opportunities in each of these areas, across all federal, state and local government providers, ECONorthwest completed a comprehensive analysis of available GIS data and collected information from online spatial and non-spatial user databases of recreation assets, including trails, campgrounds, and others. With these data, ECONorthwest intersected the measures of demand and supply to determine which areas are currently experiencing scarcity, relative to the size of the local user population, and which areas could benefit most from investment in recreation development by BLM. 

Client: Bureau of Land Management

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