Minnesota DNR Concerned by Falling Outdoor Recreation Statistics
24 Oct
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is concerned by statistics showing that state residents are growing less interested in outdoor recreation than in the past.
In a recent media release, the agency noted that the falloff is reflected in nation-wide numbers and is driven by outdoor activity declines by those in the important 16-44 year-old age-group.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data notes that per-capita Minnesota residents’ use of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has declined by more than 25% from 1996 to 2006, for example.
The Minnesota DNR is currently working on the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Information about the SCORP — that’s what they call it! — and a draft of the document can be found HERE. (You’ll find the USFWS’s Boundary Waters numbers within the document.)
Finally, for Twin Cities area readers, Twin Cities Public Television’s Channel 17 will broadcast a program on the issue on Saturday, October 27 at 8:00 p.m.
