Hipcamp is an online company that offers unique outdoor stays via website and mobile app. Visitors can discover and book tent camping, RV parks, cabins, treehouses, and glamping—everywhere from national parks to blueberry farms—all run by private landowners. Hipcamp partnered with Earth Economics to assess the economic impact of Hipcamp properties in Nevada County, California and the environmental benefits of Hipcamp properties within six counties in California, Colorado, and Utah. The result—big gains for the local economy, including an average $886,000 in annual spending for Nevada County, California, and anywhere from $17 million to $1 billion in environmental benefits each year across various counties.
Across Oregon, there are thousands of recreation sites and opportunities to hike, camp, bike, picnic, hunt, kite surf, and more; and each year, billions of dollars are spent by folks enjoying Oregon’s outdoors. Recognizing that outdoor recreation is a major contributor to the state’s economy, Travel Oregon, the Oregon Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC), and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) united to commission a study on the impacts of the outdoor recreation economy. This study highlights the meaningful contributions of economic impacts generated by Oregonians and visitors that recreate in our vast and abundant outdoors.
Colorado has long been a leader in innovative funding for recreation. The commission is interested in a larger conversation around long-term funding, with the understanding of changing demographics and increased pressure on Colorado’s recreation lands.
The Columbia River Basin is an abundant watershed, supporting immense forests, the largest salmon runs in the world, and diverse and abundant wildlife. These natural resources benefit our region with sustainable food, jobs, recreation, clean water, and a healthier environment, among many others. Yet, these natural resources have been seriously degraded by dams and other developments in the basin. When assets, whether built or natural, are not managed sustainably, economic loss occurs.
The Value of Natural Capital in the Columbia River Basin report shows the immense economic value of the Columbia River Basin’s natural assets and provides clear evidence of the increased value that can be gained by addressing ecosystem-based function in the Columbia River Basin river management.
