44. Oregon Trails Coalition (Steph Noll)
44. Oregon Trails Coalition (Steph Noll)
May 15, 2026 Dear Members of the Governor’s Prosperity Council, As you map a strategy for the advancement of Oregon’s economic prosperity and growth, we ask you to consider the power of investing in Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy: both in the trails and public infrastructure that support outdoor experiences for Oregon residents and tourists alike, and in supporting the outdoor business sector for which Oregon is a national leader. BEA data showed that nationally, in 2024, outdoor recreation generated $1.3 trillion in economic impact (2.4% of U.S. GDP) and 5.2 million jobs, reflecting the desire of Americans across the country to get outdoors and recreate. Oregon’s natural landscapes from mountains to ocean, from our high deserts to our Wild and Scenic Rivers, hold huge potential for a thriving and robust outdoor recreation economy, but we are currently leaving much of that potential on the table as other states make strategic investments that draw both businesses and visitors away from our state. More than 80% of Oregonians report using local trails, and we know that connected trail systems help visitors stay longer, spend more, and reach small businesses. However, thus far, Oregon has failed to invest strategically in our Oregon Signature Trail system. To illustrate the strategic power of investment in trails, let’s look at a single example from our nation’s other coast, the 150-mile Great Alleghany Passage Trail, a walking and biking trail connecting cities and small towns from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. The infrastructure that cost $80 million in initial investment to create now generates more than $121 million in annual economic impact, supporting 1,400 jobs and $74+ million in direct visitor spending and an additional $46 million from indirect/induced spending. That’s the impact of just one fully-connected and maintained 150 mile trail. Imagine the power of investing in fully connecting Oregon’s 15 Signature Trails pictured below. www.oregontrailscoalition.org | 503-290-4569 | steph.noll@oregontrailscoalition.org
Even with our anemic investment in trails and other recreation infrastructure, the 2022 Economic Analysis Of Outdoor Recreation In Oregon report showed that outdoor recreation in Oregon supported $15.7 billion in expenditures, $20.6 billion in total economic output, 192,000 full- and part-time jobs, and $12.4 billion in Oregon GDP in 2022. Every dollar spent on outdoor recreation in Oregon generated an additional $0.31 in secondary economic activity, with benefits flowing to restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, outfitters, retailers, and rural main streets. SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS FOR LONG-TERM PROSPERITY AND A THRIVING OREGON OUTDOOR ECONOMY Reinstate Oregon’s Office of Outdoor Recreation Oregon’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, originally enabled through legislation in 2017, and further codified in 2021’s HB 2171, has remained empty and unstaffed since April 2023. This office is critical for cross-agency and cross-sector coordination and collaboration to streamline efforts to forward Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy such as those laid out in the Governor’s Task Force on Outdoor Recreation’s 2020 Framework for Action. We are especially in need of an all-lands hub for outdoor recreation planning and coordination in light of the disinvestment in and reorganization of federal land management agencies, affecting the management of more than 50% of the land mass of our state. Meaningfully invest in a world-class trail network for Oregon Trails are how we access Oregon’s iconic landscapes. Oregon’s trails funding programs are vastly oversubscribed from the Recreational Trails Program administered by OPRD to the Oregon Community Paths program administered by ODOT. Our public agencies are frequently forced to reduce project scopes, building our trails network by just a mile (or less) at a time rather than making the bold investments that can transform local economies. As the legislature takes up transportation funding again in 2027, there is an opportunity to dedicate new funding in a transportation package for a transformative investment in developing and maintaining our statewide multi-use path network: creating the kind of communities where businesses want to locate, people want to live, people of all ages can safely get around, and visitors choose as destinations for multi-day trips. Oregon leaders can also call for more direct investment in Oregon’s Signature Trails such as the $1.3 M Congressionally Directed Spending allocation Senators Merkley and Wyden secured for Signature Trails in the Columbia Gorge, Umatilla NF, and Willamette NF in 2024. www.oregontrailscoalition.org | 503-290-4569 | steph.noll@oregontrailscoalition.org
Learn more about Oregon Signature Trails at https://www.oregontrailscoalition.org/signature-trails As you conclude your work, I hope the council will include strategies to support the state agencies managing our state lands and waterways, to invest in the trails and other recreation infrastructure that makes Oregon an accessible, appealing, world-class destination, and to support Oregon’s outdoor recreation businesses from our small guides and outfitters to our outdoor product companies serving international markets. Thank you for your work, Stephanie Noll, Director The Oregon Trails Coalition is a cooperative body of broad-based, statewide trail interests dedicated to supporting, promoting, and advocating for the preservation, development, and stewardship of a statewide network of sustainable, world class trails. The Oregon Trails Coalition strives to ensure that Oregon’s trails benefit all of our residents and visitors, and inspire respect for Oregon’s natural and cultural resources. Our advisory council includes representatives from more than thirty federal, state, and local agencies, trail user groups, outdoor industry and tourism partners, and volunteer organizations. We represent walkers, bikers, runners, paddlers, equestrians, adaptive equipment users, skiers, snowmobilers, and motorized trail enthusiasts. www.oregontrailscoalition.org | 503-290-4569 | steph.noll@oregontrailscoalition.org
Parent: Appendix E: Submissions & Feedback · PDF: pp. 380-382