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2015

  • Oregon Snowmobiler Participation and Priorities

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    Across Oregon, snowmobilers account for approximately 353,000 user days per year and $15 million in spending associated with snowmobile trips. Respondents are most concerned about the availability of backcountry, off-trail riding opportunities and sustaining access to existing riding areas. Read more

  • Outdoor Recreation Scarcity and Abundance in Western Oregon: A Spatial Analysis

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    Across western Oregon, there is substantial variation in how well the supply of hiking, mountain biking, and off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails meets demand for these trails by local users. Although some communities have many miles of trails, such as the 146 miles of mountain biking trails within 60 minutes of Portland, the supply of trails… Read more

  • Oregon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Participation and Priorities

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    Across Oregon, off-highway vehicle (OHV) riders account for approximately 3.1 million days of riding per year and nearly $100 million in spending. Sixty percent of respondents support increasing the OHV registration fee from $10 to $15, and more than half identify the maintenance of existing trails as the most important funding priority. Read more

  • Happy Trails: The Effect of a Media Campaign on Urban Trail Use in Southern Nevada

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    A media campaign to promote a trails information site in Las Vegas, Nevada appears to have significantly increased trail use across most trails studied. The size of the gain in trail use appears to be independent of trail lighting, landscaping, and trail length. Read more

  • The Impacts of Central Ohio Trails

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This thorough study of a 111-mile regional trail network around Columbus, Ohio found that trail users travelled roughly 11.9 million miles in 2014, mostly by bicycle. Higher population density, easy access from neighborhoods, connection to other trails, and longer trails are associated with greater use. Read more

  • Oregon Non-Motorized Trail Participation and Priorities

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    Non-motorized trail users in Oregon account for 162.3 million user days per year, and the vast majority of these days are spent walking or hiking. While these recreation days are associated with substantial expenditures, the amount spent per person per day and the total economic impact vary greatly within the state. Read more

  • Yellowstone-Grand Teton Loop Bicycle Pathway Estimated Economic Impact

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    A 262-mile cycle touring loop connecting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, with significant portions on non-motorized pathways, has the potential to generate important economic activity in the small communities through which it would pass. However, due to the challenges of estimating economic impact across a large area and areas close to national parks, the… Read more

  • Jackson Hole Pathways and Trails Survey

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a random, statistically representative survey gathered information about residents’ opinions of pathways and trails, including levels and types of use, satisfaction, strengths and weaknesses, and the role the trail system plays in quality of life. The survey found that 91 percent of residents had used the trail system in the previous… Read more

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