MONTGOMERY-Outdoor recreation represents a $10 billion industry in
Alabama, according to a study by the Outdoor Industry Association, and recreation officials in the state say the economic impact will grow with the opening of several new recreational facilities that have already drawn visitors from across the nation.
The study, released last month, found that outdoor recreation generates about $7.5 billion annually in sales and provides state and local governments with $494 million in tax revenue. The industry also generates $2 billion in wages and salaries for 86,000 workers yearly in the state.
The study concentrated mainly on hiking and running on unpaved trails, 
camping, canoeing and kayaking, biking on paved and unpaved trails and off-road activities involving motorized vehicles. Hunting, fishing and wildlife watching were not included in the survey that was conducted, but information about those activities were obtained from other sources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and were factored into the study.
“This study confirms that outdoor recreation has become a major player in
Alabama’s economy,” said Jim Byard Jr., director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, an agency that administers two major recreation-funding programs for the state. “Working with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and with many outdoor recreation groups and enthusiasts, ADECA has invested in projects that ensure the industry will contribute even more to our economy in the coming years.”
ADECA has funded mountain biking trails at Coldwater Mountain, Oak Mountain and Chewacla state parks, all of which are managed by the state conservation department. The three biking trails were built and are maintained by volunteers who have keen interest and expertise in the rapidly growing sport.
Opened within the last two years, trails at Oak Mountain near Birmingham and Coldwater 
Mountain near Anniston have received excellent reviews from national mountain biking publications and are attracting bikers throughout the United States. Oak Mountain hosted a nationally sanctioned event that brought hundreds of people to that location. Coldwater Mountain, a part of Conservation’s Forever Wild Land Trust program, is still developing its 60-mile trail complex, but the trail system has already become a destination for many bikers.
“The new trail systems offered through State Parks and the Forever Wild Land Trust have been a big shot in the arm for tourism in Alabama,” said Greg Lein, director of Conservation’s State Parks Division. “When it comes to recreational trails, our state is on the right path for the public. Coldwater Mountain and Oak Mountain State Park are becoming part of national dialogue among the mountain biking community.”
Alabama trail supporters also point to several new equestrian trails, off-highway vehicle trails and the Alabama Scenic River Trail, a 600-plus-mile canoe and boating course along the state’s rivers, streams and lakes, as major factors in the contribution of recreation to the economy.
Southwick Associates, a research firm that specializes in outdoor economics, conducted the Outdoor Industry study.
The Alabama Trails Commission, a body established by the legislature to advance trail development, intends to get a better view of the economic impact of the state’s outdoor recreation with a study conducted by the University of Alabama’s Center for Economic Development.
The study, expected to begin this spring, will focus on all outdoor recreation 
activities except hunting and will examine recreation-related expenditures in addition to food, lodging and transportation. The study will measure the time spent and the distance people travel for outdoor recreation.
The Trails Commission includes representatives from ADECA and the state departments of Conservation, Tourism and Transportation and other members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, county and municipal government associations and the Business Council of Alabama.
MEDIA RELEASE-ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
photos by Sheri Wiggins
