Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation Releases Five Community-Generated Economic Reports

On January 15, the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation released the first reports from the Do-It-Yourself Economic Impact Report program — a pilot to assist local governments and nonprofits in identifying the local value of outdoor recreation. The reports detail millions of dollars in economic activity generated by visitation to outdoor destinations across Wisconsin.

Harbinger assisted with the workshop series and one-on-one coaching for community teams that collected and analyzed visitor data to estimate the economic contributions of the City of Eau Claire’s paved trail system, Dodge County Parks and Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center, the Cheese Country Trails in Lafayette County, Nine Mile County Forest in Marathon County and WinMan Trails in Vilas County.

“We know the outdoor recreation industry as a whole is big business in Wisconsin, but it can be challenging for those who manage outdoor spaces to determine the economic benefits for their communities,” said Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Cassie Mordini. “The DIY Economic Impact Report program removes barriers and provides a means for partners to uncover the powerful value of outdoor recreation locally.” 

The Office, which is part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, launched the DIY Economic Impact Report program in March 2024 as a resource for stakeholders who often struggle to navigate the complicated and costly process of analyzing and localizing the economic benefits of outdoor recreation. With support from the Office and Harbinger, five teams of participants, consisting of local and county governments, tourism bureaus and a nonprofit, completed the program and produced economic impact reports over the course of nine months

“With this information in hand, we’re able to show what many communities intrinsically know: Wisconsin’s diversity of outdoor recreation activities drives local economic impact and helps create vibrant, thriving communities across the state,” Mordini said.

 View the DIY Economic Impact Reports heres://outdoorrecreation.wi.gov/Pages/DIY-Economic-Impact-Workshop.aspx.