Non-motorized (quiet) recreation activities like camping, hiking, hunting, mountain biking and wildlife viewing on public lands are a significant economic driver in local communities near where the recreation activities take place according to a new report by the independent firm ECONorthwest.
The report titled “Quiet Recreation on BLM-Managed Lands in Southwest Utah” shows that in 2015 the 364,000 quiet recreation visits to SW Utah BLM lands generated $17.4 million in direct spending within 50 miles of the recreation sites. The study shows 204 Utah jobs are supported locally as a result of quiet recreation visits to BLM Land.
The report comes as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is updating their resource management plan for the Cedar City Region. The BLM’s Cedar City Field Office in Southern Utah oversees 2.1 million acres of public land within Iron and Beaver counties. This report is the first ever to quantify both the amount of quiet recreation and the spending associated with quiet recreation specifically on BLM lands in this region of Southern Utah. Utah Business Magazine
