State watches climate-change effects on outdoor sports
September 25, 2024 | Greta Solsaa | The Times ArgusWhen it comes to the outdoors, Vermont is among the best in the nation.
Hiking, biking and camping are growing in popularity among outdoor recreation enthusiasts who flock to Vermont’s Green Mountains. Photo by Gordon Miller
The state ranks second in the United States in outdoor recreation as the sector contributed 4.6% of the state’s gross domestic product in 2022 — second only to Hawaii, based on data from the National Bureau of Economic Analysis.
This is a powerful trend that also indicates the importance of investing in Vermont’s outdoor recreation resources, according to Becca Washburn, director of Lands Administration and Recreation Lands Administration for the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation.
“It’s pretty exciting to recognize that investments we make into outdoor recreation are supporting one of the biggest contributors to our economy here in a state that is as small as it is,” said Washburn.
When people think of outdoor recreation in Vermont, snow sports often come to mind. Molly Mahar, president of the Vermont Ski Association, said that Vermont ski resorts have been less affected than other New England states by the warmer and more unpredictable El Niño weather patterns because of investments in snow making technology. She said that Vermont resorts are responding to climate change by working to make operations more energy efficient and switching over the snowmaking fleets to renewable energy.
“It’s a win-win for the resorts because it’s really cutting their propane use and their emissions,” said Mahar.
Cross-country skiing was more hard hit in past winters because of the lack of snowmaking capabilities and resources for maintenance, she said.
Mike DeBonis, executive director of the Green Mountain Club, said these longer summers and milder winters are a reason for more people gravitating toward hiking, camping and mountain biking in recent years.
Outdoor recreation has also gained popularity as a ripple effect of the pandemic which drew more people to the state and into nature, said Nick Bennette, co-chair of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council.
“Trail use has increased significantly. Every boot or tire on a trail creates an impact, and therefore an increase in the need to do maintenance,” said Bennette. “We were already experiencing a strain in the resources available for stewardship just financially, and then the need now for climate resilience too has only exacerbated that challenge.”
As outdoor recreation has surged, DeBonis said natural disasters, like floods in 2023 and 2024, have damaged trails, prompting trail managers to consider how to implement resilience strategies.
“We’re seeing increased erosion damage from these strong events and it means that we have to rethink how we are building things like trail bridges and how we’re conducting our trail maintenance where we have to be prepared to manage for more water on the trail at higher intensity (and) more frequency,” said DeBonis.
Volunteer labor is integral to Vermont’s trail maintenance. Bennette said that this is not a sustainable model for the future as more and more people flock to the state to enjoy outdoor trail networks and Vermont faces more climate disasters.
“We’re definitely running out of time in terms of relying on the backs of volunteers and the gap between what it takes to steward and now upgrade for climate resilience these trails,” said Bennette.
Established in 2017 when Gov. Phil Scott signed Executive Order 11-17, Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative, or VOREC, is a coalition of state leaders and community partners that recognized early on the increasing demand and impacts of environmental stressors on outdoor recreation.
“There’s a real need here to invest in the resilience of these trails and these outdoor recreation places that people depend on, not only for their health and wellness, but for the economic benefits the use of those outdoor recreation resources provides,” said Jackie Dagger, program manager for VOREC.
In the years since, VOREC has invested some $10 million into developing and implementing projects that are intended to help communities and regions realize the state’s potential for outdoor recreation.
But this is only beginning to address the need for investment, officials caution.
In the past legislative session, Rep. Mike Rice, D-Bennington-Rutland, and Rep. Katherine Sims, D-Orleans-4, introduced H.673 to authorize VOREC to conduct a study on the economic impact of outdoor recreation to understand both the value added of these natural resources to the state and what funding is needed for trail maintenance and resilience projects. While the bill stalled last session, Bennette said VTGC and state partners are pursuing a comprehensive analysis of outdoor recreation’s impact next session.
“The reality is that the state of Vermont benefits tremendously financially from an economic standpoint from the recreation activity ... but there’s really a broken loop in terms of funds then returning and paying for the impacts of that, and so we are definitely working to establish some better form of distribution model,” said Bennette.
Another new initiative launched last fall by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation in partnership with VOREC is called Move Forward Together Vermont. The goal is to develop a roadmap for the next five years to shape the future of outdoor recreation in Vermont that is inclusive, collaborative and data-informed.
The priorities areas of the plan include stewardship, wellness and economic development, and these concerns will inform every action of Move Forward Together Vermont, said Washburn, who also serves as steering committee chair for the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative.
“The thought behind pursuing better economic data at a more granular scale is to be able to better understand where there are gaps and opportunities that would help us advance outdoor recreation in a really durable way,” said Washburn.
Ultimately, outdoor recreation leaders say the importance of adaptability to Vermont’s changing landscape in order to continue providing opportunities to get outside for tourists and Vermonters alike.
“As we look at changes to the climate in Vermont — increasing flooding and warmer winters — what’s really important and what we as a state are beginning to build are strategies for ways to help our outdoor recreation infrastructure and resources weather those changes and also be flexible when they are impacted,” said Dagger.
This story was originally published in the Times Argus on Sept. 23.