EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration to help Butte, Montana and Monte Vista, Colorado communities grow outdoor recreation economy

Contact Information 

U.S. EPA: Barbara Khan, khan.barbara@epa.gov, 720-595-8698 

City and County of Butte-Silver Bow: Dori Skrukrud, dskrubrud@bsb.mt.gov, 406-497-6469

San Luis Valley Great Outdoors: Mick Daniel, slvgreatoudoors@gmail.com, 7195223910

DENVER (Aug. 17, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to announce assistance for 25 small and rural communities from across the country identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economies and revitalize Main Streets through the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program. The agencies selected Butte, Montana and Monte Vista, Colorado to receive the specialized planning assistance.

“EPA is proud to provide planning assistance to Butte and Monte Vista to grow our local recreation economy and the businesses that support it,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “This planning assistance will make it easier for people to get outside, boost their appreciation for the outdoors, improve their health and quality of life, create jobs, and strengthen our rural communities.”

“The economic impact of outdoor recreation near our national forests and grasslands is vital to support health and prosperity in rural America,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “Efforts to reinvigorate main streets through the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program is an important step to help communities realize all the benefits that adjacent national forests and grasslands make possible.”

RERC is a planning assistance program jointly administered by the EPA, the USDA Forest Service, NBRC, and ARC that helps rural communities leverage outdoor recreation to revitalize their Main Streets, leading to improved environmental protection and public health outcomes. Communities are encouraged to pursue activities that foster environmentally friendly community development and revitalization through the conservation and sustainable use of public or private forests or other natural resources.

The City-County of Butte-Silver Bow, Montana and partners would like to build on the area’s vibrant and growing trail network and better connect it to the Main Street district to support land conservation and improve public health, as well as complement local Superfund cleanup activities that are currently winding down after a decades-long effort to address historic mine contamination in and around one of the nation’s largest historic landmark districts. San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!), the City of Monte Vista, Colorado and partners would like to boost equitable access to outdoor recreation for residents, increase tourism opportunities that tie into local assets like the annual Sandhill Crane Festival, and strengthen main street revitalization and small business development efforts in downtown Monte Vista.

A federal planning team will work with each community over the course of four to six months, with a two-day facilitated community workshop as the focal point. Participants will work together to develop strategies and an action plan to grow their local outdoor recreation economies. Some workshops are currently underway. Communities were chosen following a comprehensive interagency review process from a pool of more than 100 applicants.

Background

Over 160 million Americans over the age of six participated in outdoor recreation in 2020, according to the 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, and sales figures across the industry broke records as Americans flocked to the outdoors in search of safe, family-friendly opportunities during the pandemic. These activities -- which include camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, RVing, boating, running, swimming, baseball, winter sports, and many others – can bring new investment and jobs to local economies, benefit health and wellness, raise awareness in conservation of forests and other natural resources, and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.  

In 2020, outdoor recreation activities generated 4.3 million quality, high paying jobs across a wide variety of industries, accounting for 3% of all employment in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated the economic output of outdoor recreation in 2020 to be $689 billion, surpassing industries such as mining, utilities, farming and ranching, and chemical products manufacturing.

The EPA Office of Community Revitalization supports locally led, community-driven efforts to expand economic opportunity, protect human health and the environment, and create and enhance the places that people love through technical assistance, publications, research, tools, and grants.

The USDA Forest Service develops and implements place-based recreation planning using collaborative processes with communities and outdoor recreation and tourism providers within regional destination areas. Forest Service recreation programs support over 205,000 jobs, the majority of which are in rural gateway communities near national forests. The agency partners with states, tribes, local communities, and landowners to promote shared stewardship of public and privately-owned forests and grasslands.

View the list of the selected communities and projects.

Learn about EPA Community Revitalization.  

Learn more about USDA Forest Service.

Learn more about the Northern Border Regional Commission.

Learn more about the Appalachian Regional Commission.