Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change
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Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change 2019-2023 Oregon Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Oregon Parks and Recreation Department This document is part of the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) process. Authority to conduct the SCORP process is granted to the Director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department under Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 390.180. The preparation of this plan was financed, in part, through a Land and Water Conservation Fund planning grant, and the plan was approved by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior under the provisions for the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (Public Law 188-578). Foreward A message from the Director, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is pleased to provide your organization with a copy of the 2019-2023 Oregon Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) entitled Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change. This plan focuses on a number of serious challenges facing the wellbeing our state, our local communities, and our parks and natural resources. These challenges are associated with shifting demographics and lifestyle changes which are resulting in a clientele base with needs different from those served by recreation (LWCF) program and other OPRD-administered providers in the past. grant programs including the Local Grant, County Opportunity Grant, Recreational Trails This plan closely examines the effects of an aging and All-Terrain Vehicle programs. OPRD will population, an increasingly diverse population, support the implementation of key statewide lack of youth engagement in outdoor recreation, and local planning recommendations through an underserved low-income population, and internal and external partnerships and OPRD- increasing levels of physical inactivity within administered grant programs. the population. A series of carefully designed statewide SCORP research studies provide My hope is that all Oregonians involved with the outdoor recreation managers with usable infor- administration of recreation and park facilities mation and recommendations to guide federal, and programs take time to read this important state, and local units of government, as well as document and join OPRD in a statewide effort the private sector in making policy decisions to proactively address the challenges associated addressing these key changes. The plan will assist with these demographic and societal changes park and recreation providers to better describe outlined in this plan. the benefits resulting from recreation projects and programs in an effort to develop and foster Sincerely, a broader constituency and wider community support throughout the state. It will also assist communities and other jurisdictions in their local park and recreation planning efforts. The plan constitutes Oregon’s basic five-year plan Lisa Sumption for outdoor recreation. It also provides guidance Director for the Land and Water Conservation Fund State Liaison Officer, LWCF 1 Acknowledgments The following individuals developed and prepared this plan. Project Staff Terry Bergerson Project Manager and Primary Author Carrie Lovellette Administrative Support OPRD Management Lisa Sumption Director David Stipe Planning & Design Manager Jan Hunt Recreation Grants & Community Program Manager Cailin O’Brien-Feeney Director – Oregon Office of Outdoor Recreation Chris Havel Associate Director Other OPRD Contributors Jodi Bellefeuille Brady Callahan Ty Conley Mark Cowan David Quillan Michele Scalise Caleb Dickson Katie Gauthier Robin Wilcox Consultants Randy Rosenberger Oregon State University Tara Dunn Oregon State University Kreg Lindberg Oregon State University Sheila Martin Portland State University Elizabeth Morehead Portland State University Randy Morris Portland State University Justin Sherrill Portland State University DCW Cost Management 2 Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change SCORP Advisory Committee (Listed in Alphabetical Order) Member Organization Ivan Anderholm Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Skyler Archibald Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Stephanie Beall Oregon Department of Forestry Scott Bricker Travel Oregon Mark Buckley ECONorthwest Brian Carroll Linn County Parks and Recreation Diane Chung U.S. Forest Service Dennis Comfort Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Karen Emery Corvallis Parks and Recreation Jamie Fields U.S. Forest Service Tom Gamble City of Forest Grove Rachel Graham Oregon State Marine Board Stephen Hatfield Travel Oregon Ed Hodney Albany Parks and Recreation Zach Jarrett Bureau of Land Management Bob Keefer Sisters Park and Recreation District Michael Klein Oregon Recreation and Park Association Jennifer Magby Oregon Department of Forestry Matt Peterson U.S. Forest Service Jackie Rochefort Corvallis Parks and Recreation Bruce Ronning Local Government Grant Advisory Committee Ted Schoenborn Bend Metro Parks and Recreation District Ryan Sparks Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Stu Spence La Grande Parks and Recreation Robert Spurlock Oregon Recreation Trails Advisory Council Steph Stroud National Park Service Jim Thayer Oregon Recreation Trails Advisory Council Renata Wakeley Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments Steve White Oregon Public Health Division Ron Zilli Oregon Department of Forestry Acknowledgments 3 SCORP Non-Motorized Trail Funding Advisory Subcommittee (Listed in Alphabetical Order) Member Organization Scott Bricker Travel Oregon Mark Buckley ECONorthwest Brian Carroll Linn County Jamie Fields U.S. Forest Service Roger Fuhrman Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Stephen Hatfield Travel Oregon Bob Keefer Sisters Park and Recreation District Bruce Ronning Local Government Grant Advisory Committee David Stipe Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Jim Thayer Oregon Recreation Trails Advisory Council Steve White Oregon Public Health Division SCORP Parkland Mapping Project Advisory Subcommittee (Listed in Alphabetical Order) Member Organization Scott Bricker Travel Oregon Rich Cvarak U.S. Forest Service Ashley D’Antonio Oregon State University Robby Layton DC Design Concepts Jennifer Magby Oregon Department of Forestry Sheila Martin Portland State University Jackie Rochefort Corvallis Parks and Recreation Randy Rosenberger Oregon State University Renata Wakeley Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments Steve White Oregon Public Health 4 Outdoor Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic and Societal Change Executive Summary The 2019-2023 Oregon Statewide Outdoor Survey results show that overall, 95% of Oregonians Recreation Plan (SCORP), entitled Outdoor participated in at least one outdoor recreation Recreation in Oregon: Responding to Demographic activity in Oregon during the past year. Close-to- and Societal Change, constitutes Oregon’s basic five- home activities dominate the total user occasions year plan for outdoor recreation. The plan guides the for Oregon residents since these activities can occur use of Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) on a daily basis with limited travel time. Besides funds that come into the state, provides guidance walking, bicycling and jogging on local streets / for other Oregon Parks and Recreation Department sidewalk; top outdoor activities include walking on (OPRD)-administered grant programs, and provides local trails / paths, dog walking, walking / day hiking recommendations to guide federal, state, and local on non-local trails / paths. For demographic groups, units of government, as well as the private sector in families with children had the highest proportion making policy and planning decisions. of their population participating in some outdoor recreation activity, and middle old (ages 75-84) and The plan addresses five important demographic and low income (annual household income <$25,000) societal changes facing outdoor recreation providers the lowest. Survey results include specific recom- in the coming years including: mendations on how Oregon’s recreation providers 1. An aging population; can better serve the outdoor recreation needs of the 2. An increasingly diverse population; general population and target demographic groups. 3. Lack of youth engagement in outdoor recreation; A separate research project entitled, “Health Benefits 4. An underserved low-income population; and Estimates for Oregonians from Their Outdoor 5. The health benefits of physical activity. Recreation Participation in Oregon,” calculated the energy expenditure from physical activity related Besides satisfying grant program requirements, a to outdoor recreation participation by residents in primary intent of this plan is to provide up-to-date, kilocalories (kcal) expended or burned and cost of high-quality information to assist recreation pro- illness savings for chronic illnesses such as heart viders with park system planning in Oregon. As a disease, stroke, depression, dementia, diabetes and result, a substantial investment was made to conduct several cancers. The study found that total energy a statewide survey of Oregon residents regarding expended by Oregonians for the 30 outdoor recre- their outdoor recreation participation in Oregon, ation activities included in the analysis is a conser- as well as their opinions about parks and recreation vative 503 billion kcal per year – equivalent to 144 management. Results of the survey are provided for million pounds of