{"id":43271,"date":"2021-12-13T13:59:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/outdoor-recreation-showing-signs-of-recovery-in-new-mexico\/"},"modified":"2021-12-13T20:59:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:59:07","slug":"outdoor-recreation-showing-signs-of-recovery-in-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/outdoor-recreation-showing-signs-of-recovery-in-new-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Outdoor recreation showing signs of recovery in New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A mountain biker rides the single-track trail in 2019 on national forest land in Placitas, N.M. New Mexico\u2019s multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened and visitation surged. (Susan Montoya Bryan\/Associated Press file)<\/span>Susan Montoya Bryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CARLSBAD, N.M. \u2013 New Mexico\u2019s multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened and visitation surged.<\/p>\n

A study from the Bureau of Economic Analysis<\/a> ranked New Mexico as 27th in the nation for outdoor recreation\u2019s contribution to the state\u2019s gross domestic product in 2020, with about 2% of the state\u2019s GDP coming from the industry.<\/p>\n

Montana was ranked first with outdoor recreation accounting for about 4% of its GDP, also supporting 26,000 jobs, the study read, and $1.12 billion in wages.<\/p>\n

In total New Mexico\u2019s outdoor recreation activities contributed about $2.07 billion to the state\u2019s GDP of about $95 billion, records show, supporting 26,000 jobs and $1.04 billion in wages.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the industry provided about 33,000 jobs, and 31 in 2018, the report said.<\/p>\n

Last year was the first since 2012 that New Mexico\u2019s outdoor recreation jobs fell below 30,000, read the study.<\/p>\n

Tourism including hotels and food service made up the most jobs last year at 10,000, followed by 8,000 in retail trade.<\/p>\n

But the numbers don\u2019t take into account the state\u2019s progress in connecting local communities with their recreational resources, said Axie Navas, director of New Mexico\u2019s Outdoor Recreation Division within the state Economic Development Department.<\/p>\n

She said despite the pandemic disrupting travel, shipping and supply chains throughout New Mexico\u2019s economy, the division worked closely with local communities to expand access and promotion of outdoor recreation in communities throughout the state.<\/p>\n

\u201c2020 was an anomalous year because of the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. We saw some economic dips in the outdoor recreation industry,\u201d Navas said. \u201cBecause of those main disruptions we saw some declines in the outdoor recreation industry. I think it was an anomalous year because we were already seeing some bright spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

That included a 30% growth in boating, fishing and RVing activities, along with a 10% increase in biking, and similar upticks in other outdoor activities in the state, she said.<\/p>\n

Navas said trailheads used by hikers were more crowded this year than previously, as retail related to outdoor recreation and restaurants saw regrowth after the pandemic in New Mexico \u2013 a year when vaccines became widely accessible and many public health restrictions were lifted.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors
Visitors walk on the shifting dunes of White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo, N.M. New Mexico\u2019s multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened and visitation surged. (Susan Montoya Bryan\/Associated Press file)<\/span>Susan Montoya Bryan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThat really speaks to this industry\u2019s ability to rebound. It already is rebounding and has great potential moving forward,\u201d Navas said. “I think we\u2019re going to see that borne out by the next tranche of data. I am very much bullish on the fact that there has been forward progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

This increase in recreational participation would lead to future economic growth, she said, and could see the state rise in the rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat increase in participation translates to more economic gains. That\u2019s not totally reflected yet in the BEA data,\u201d Navas said. \u201cIn terms of the percentage, I think New Mexico can be No. 1. Of course, it\u2019s always more complicated. Growth has to look like whatever is best for New Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means working with local communities and business owners as the division works to establish a resilient outdoor recreation economy in the long term, Navas said, based on the specific needs of areas throughout the state.<\/p>\n

The division this year awarded through its Outdoor Equity<\/a> fund $898,000 in grant funding to 57 recipients statewide used to develop programs Navas said could get up to 20,000 children outside and participating in outdoor recreation.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five projects received funding from the division\u2019s Trails+ program that provides funding to local projects like hiking trails, rivers and wildlife viewing areas, totaling in about $560,000 in state funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur main goal is not just GDP, it\u2019s making sure this economy grows sustainably. That\u2019s economic development but also community development,\u201d Navas said. \u201cHow do we make sure there is access to these opportunities. It\u2019s that community quality of life. We\u2019re striving for growth. We can be number one, but we have to do it in our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another $2 million was granted to New Mexico from the federal Economic Development administration to aid in the industry\u2019s recovery, and the division was seeking a $10 million special appropriation from the state Legislature during next year\u2019s session, Navas said, for further support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we see some bright spots, we have to acknowledge that a lot of our outdoor rec business were hit hard by the pandemic,\u201d Navas said. \u201cWe have to continue to invest in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the BEA data shows us the outdoor recreation industry is hugely impactful in New Mexico. We should think about all the ways it benefits us in New Mexico and continue to invest in it. The economic gains will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

More federal support could also be on the way as U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, introduced the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.<\/p>\n

If passed, the bill would reform the process for issuing outdoor recreation permits, lower costs and shorten processing times, and allow permittees to engage in activities \u201csubstantially similar\u201d to what they were permitted.<\/p>\n

It was intended to improve outdoor access, Heinrich said, and make it easier for more Americans to take advantage of recreational opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really about permit reform,\u201d Heinrich said during the hearing where the bill was introduced. \u201cThis legislation really seeks to streamline that process to make it more user-friendly to make it more flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, fellow U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico sponsored the Biking On Long-Distance Trails Act late last month intending to make biking trails on federal land more accessible.<\/p>\n

It would direct the U.S. Interior Department to identify at least 10 long-distance bike trails and areas to develop additional trails, while allowing the agency to publish trail maps, install needed signage and promote the trails along with publishing a report on the trails developed in compliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn New Mexico and across America, there are millions of acres of federal lands that have gone untapped for responsible outdoor recreation use,\u201d Lujan said. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation will make bike trails more accessible and safer across America and will provide a much-needed boost to the growing outdoor recreation economy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A mountain biker rides the single-track trail in 2019 on national forest land in Placitas, N.M. New Mexico\u2019s multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened and visitation surged. (Susan Montoya Bryan\/Associated Press file)Susan Montoya Bryan CARLSBAD, N.M. \u2013 New Mexico\u2019s multibillion-dollar outdoor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[815],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-43271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-associated-press-new-mexico"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43271"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=43271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}