'Quiet' recreation brings significant money to Wallowa-Whitman Forest

Non-motorized recreation brings more money into economy than motorized recreation.

A new report demonstrates that hiking, camping, hunting and other traditional, non-motorized recreation on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest provide far greater benefits to the local economy than motorized recreation.

Quiet recreation generates $2.9 to $5.4 million per year in labor-related income and supports 137 to 252 local jobs, according to the report, Economic Impacts of Nonmotorized (Quiet) Recreation on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

The report was prepared by researcher Kreg Lindberg, a College of Forestry professor at OSU's Cascades Campus in Central Oregon. Hells Canyon Preservation Council and The Wilderness Society hired Dr. Lindberg to conduct the economic study.

The report concludes that quiet recreation is responsible for the majority of all dollars spent on recreation in the communities surrounding the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The study region spans northeast Oregon, including the population centers of Pendleton, LaGrande, John Day and Baker City. Quiet recreation on the Wallowa-Whitman makes a significant contribution to the region's economy, and is especially important in communities such as Enterprise and Joseph.

The total economic impact from quiet recreation on the forest is as high as $18.8 million per year in local sales and output. However, labor-related income is a better measure of impact, as it reflects money that goes into the pockets of residents. The study is a reminder that it's not just those working in the tourism industry that benefit from quiet recreation, but also those in a wide range of sectors. Across the sectors, quiet recreation generates $2.9 to $5.4 million per year in income for employees, self-employed persons, and private business owners.

Traditional recreation and conservation groups want the Forest Service to consider the importance of non-motorized recreation when designating routes for motorized use in the recently-released Wallowa-Whitman Travel Management Plan Draft Enviromental Impact Statement. According to Forest Service data, the number of Wallowa-Whitman National Forest visitors whose main activity is riding off-road vehicles represents less than one percent of all forest recreation. Moreover, people whose main activity includes hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding and bicycling outnumber off-roaders on the forest by a factor of over 32-1.

"The alternatives the Forest Service will analyze for motorized recreation will have a profound effect on wildlife, water quality and quiet recreation throughout the forest for decades to come," said Greg Dyson, executive director of "Quiet Recreation" is described in the study to include hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, fishing, hunting and other non-motorized uses.

The study notes that 75 percent of hunting use was considered quiet recreation because according to Wallowa-Whitman and state of Oregon figures, only about 25 percent of hunters use all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

A growing body of research demonstrates that quiet recreationists will avoid visiting landscapes that become dominated by noise and heavy off-road use, often choosing to recreate elsewhere. This effect has prompted Colorado State University researcher Dr. John Loomis to state in a report published by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station that "the displacement of...non-motorized recreation in favor of more intensive (off-road) use may have significant economic impacts on the local economy."

Many groups and individuals hope to avoid this situation by encouraging the Wallowa-Whitman to designate motorized routes sparingly in the Travel Management Plan.

Dyson views Lindberg's study as underscoring the need for the Forest Service to reign in motorized recreation for the benefit of wildlife and the substantially higher economic returns that accompany quiet recreation.

Lindberg's full report is available at: (www.corsbend.com).