OUTDOOR RECREATION IN WISCONSIN The 2005–2010 Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive OutdoorSCORP Recreation Plan Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources I am pleased to present to you Wisconsin’s 2005-2010 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). This document will provide you with comprehensive, up-to-date information on the status of statewide and regional recreation, as well as information about recreation supply and demand, participation rates and trends, and a discussion of outdoor recreation goals and actions for their implementation. Parks and recreation areas provide people with the opportunity to be physically active and make communities livable and desirable for businesses and homeowners. But as our population grows, public and private recreation providers face challenges in providing the quality outdoor recreation experiences that people in Wisconsin and visitors seek. This plan will assist recreation managers and decision makers with meeting these challenges. In Wisconsin, we can take pride in our strong and longtime tradition of public investment in preserving Wisconsin’s special landscapes and providing quality outdoor recreation opportunities. Wisconsin’s parks, recreation areas, open space, and natural areas play an important role in the health and well being of people in Wisconsin and our visitors. This plan will help us to continue our efforts to balance quality outdoor recreation experiences with the protection of our much loved natural and cultural resources. In closing, protecting Wisconsin’s great natural areas is a top priority for me—not only for our recreational enjoyment and the benefit of our tourism industry, but for the enjoyment of generations to come. Thank you to the numerous recreation providers, the general public, and recreation interest groups that participated in the creation of this plan for helping make Wisconsin a great place to live, work, and enjoy. G OVERNOR J IM D OYLE The 2005–2010 WisconsinSCORP Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan The 2005–2010 Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive OutdoorSCORP Recreation Plan P REPARED BY: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 7921, Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7921 The preparation of this plan was financed in part through a planning grant from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, under the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (Public Law 88-578, as amended). L AND AND WATER C ONSERVATION F UND This publication is available in alternative format (large print, braille, audio tape, etc.) upon request. Please call 608-266-2181 for more information. You can also view this document on the Web at: http://dnr.wi.gov/planning/scorp The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunity in its employment, programs, services, and functions under an Affirmative Action Plan. If you have questions, please write to Equal Opportunity Office, Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240 Printed on Recycled Paper Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan • 2005–2010 i Acknowledgements Primary Authors/Editors J EFFREY P REY K ATHLEEN K IEFABER Contributors University of Wisconsin–Madison D AVID M ARCOUILLER I AN S COTT R ICHELLE W INKLER External Review Panel P HIL B ARKER United States Forest Service J OE C APUTO Wisconsin Conservation Congress R OBERT K ORTH University of Wisconsin Stevens Point B ILL L ECKER Appleton Park & Recreation C OLETTE M ATTHEWS Wisconsin County Forest Association D AVID P HILLIPS Wisconsin State Trails Council D AVE S CHELER Wisconsin Department of Tourism A NGIE T ORNES National Park Service M ARK WALTER Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission G ARY W ERNER Sierra Club K ELLY VALENTINO Jackson Park & Recreation A LLEN Y OUNGWOOD Wisconsin Department of Transportation Assistance Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources P ETER B IERMEIER W ILLIAM E NGFER L ESLIE G AUBERTI S ALLY K EFER J EREMY L EITZ B ILL M ORRISSEY L AURIE O STERNDORF J ORDAN P ETCHENIK J OHN P OHLMAN T EAGUE P RICHARD J EAN R OMBACK-BARTELS K EN W IESNER University of Wisconsin–Madison D ONALD F IELD G ARY P. G REEN United States Forest Service F RED C LARK G ARY T. GREEN Layout/Design: NAN RUDD – RUDD DESIGN ii Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan • 2005–2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Wisconsin Natural Amenities, Population Changes, and Recreation Destinations............................................................................ 1-1 1 General Land Cover ................................................................................................ 1-2 Population Changes ................................................................................................ 1-3 Urbanization............................................................................................................ 1-9 Non-Metro Recreation Counties ............................................................................. 1-12 Summary.................................................................................................................. 1-14 Chapter 2: Wisconsin Outdoor Recreation Demand and Uses......................................... 2-1 Overview.................................................................................................................. 2-2 2 Recreation Demand Survey Methods ...................................................................... 2-2 The Mass Markets in Wisconsin Outdoor Recreation ............................................ 2-2 Wisconsin Demand Use Highlights......................................................................... 2-4 Outdoor Recreation Setting Segmentation.............................................................. 2-6 Preferences in Outdoor Recreation Settings............................................................ 2-9 Outdoor Recreation Segmentation by Experiences................................................. 2-10 Wisconsin SCORP Regions ..................................................................................... 2-13 Recreation Demand from Outside of Wisconsin..................................................... 2-14 Status of Health Indicators...................................................................................... 2-16 Recreation Barriers within Wisconsin..................................................................... 2-17 Accessibility Recreation Considerations ................................................................. 2-18 Quality of Wisconsin Recreation Services and Facilities ........................................ 2-19 Summary.................................................................................................................. 2-20 Chapter 3: The Supply of Outdoor Recreation in Wisconsin............................................ 3-1 Public Recreation Providers .................................................................................... 3-2 3 Private Recreation Providers ................................................................................... 3-5 Elements of Wisconsin Outdoor Recreation Supply............................................... 3-6 Recreation Prioritization of Land Legacy Areas...................................................... 3-7 Local Park and Recreation Needs............................................................................ 3-9 Warren Knowles – Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 Program ............................ 3-10 Summary.................................................................................................................. 3-12 Chapter 4: Compatibility and Conflict in Wisconsin Outdoor Recreation...................... 4-1 Outdoor Recreation Conflict Reporting in Wisconsin and Surrounding States ..... 4-2 4 An Approach to Understanding Recreational Compatibility .................................. 4-4 Spectrum of Interaction Types ................................................................................ 4-5 Expert-Based Focus Groups .................................................................................... 4-5 Findings and Their Implications............................................................................. 4-6 Current and Potential Management Strategies........................................................ 4-9 Summary.................................................................................................................. 4-12 Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan • 2005–2010 iii Table of Contents Chapter 5: Wisconsin SCORP Regional Profiles ................................................................. 5-1 Wisconsin SCORP Regional Descriptions............................................................... 5-3 Regional Demographic Overview............................................................................ 5-6 5 Regional Recreation Demand Overview.................................................................. 5-6 A Relative Metric of Regional Recreation Supply ................................................... 5-12 Regional Land Legacy Areas for High Recreation Demand .................................... 5-19 Summary – Regional Recreation Needs .................................................................