A while ago, I received an informational report from the University of Wyoming, created by the Jay Kemmerer Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality Institute and the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation.
This much needed report was quite an eye opener, and I realized just how huge outdoor recreation is in the Cowboy State. The Wyoming Office of Tourism has always been a strong force across the nation and in many locations worldwide. It’s a state treasure we all need to support.
The most up-to-date information in the report comes from 2023 and shows Wyoming’s outdoor recreation generated $2.2 billion, with visitors spending $4.8 billion, generating $263 million in travel related tax revenue. The good news is Wyoming revenues generated since 2012 are increasing 4.5 percent annually.
The report further showed Wyoming’s outdoor recreation industry employed 15,798 people. Many are great seasonal jobs for young adults.
Of the 15,798 jobs in outdoor recreation, 14,914 jobs were associated with private industries. To break it down further, 6,229 jobs were in accommodation and food service; 4,303 in retail trade; 2,409 in arts and entertainment and 116 in finance, insurance and real estate rental and leasing. Also, the government accounted for 884 jobs.
The contributions of selected outdoor industries to Wyoming’s gross domestic product in 2023 were $86,764,000 in RVing; $78,842,000 in boating and fishing and $78,842 in game areas including golf and tennis, snow activities and other related outdoor recreation and entertainment. These are huge numbers.
While reading these big numbers, I started to wonder how big outdoor recreation can get. Knowing it is only going to continue growing, I wonder what the impacts to agriculture are – both positive and negative.
The positive is easy to see, as some of those involved in agriculture are also involved in outdoor recreation, such as dude ranches, guided hunting and other ranch- and farm-like activities. Tourists like to help round up cattle and participate in other horseback activities such as branding and shipping. These are authentic experiences they likely never forget.
The negatives also exist, such as trespassing on private lands and liabilities associated with people wanting to travel historical trails or crossing deeded land to use other public lands.
Nowadays, with many people not respecting private property, outdoor recreation can be a large problem. Side-by-side ATVs, four-wheelers and other off-roading vehicles can cause a lot of damage to roads and other resources, especially waterways.
I know what I’m talking about. Before Sun Ranch was split up, we were the largest private landowner of the Oregon Trail, with some 18 miles in the Sweetwater Valley. People were always trespassing to drive up the trail and many were in a two-wheel drive car which usually got stuck in the sand. It got to be we were almost ranching in a fishbowl.
For over 100 years, Sun Ranch owned three-quarters of Independence Rock. Talk about a liability. People, especially kids, were always climbing the rock and accidently sliding down and injuring themselves. We finally traded it to the state for some state lands and got rid of the problem.
I know outdoor recreation is going to grow, but we need to find ways to better manage it to protect private land rights and Wyoming’s resources.
Dennis Sun is the publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, a weekly agriculture newspaper available online and in print. He can be reached at: Dennis@WYLR.net
