Recreation
Vermont's forests serve the needs of Vermonters and visitors for recreation,
while conserving natural resources and other land uses. Opportunities
include traditional forms such as hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, skiing,
scenery viewing, and motorized activities, as well as emerging activities
such as ecotourism and wildlife watching. Recreational opportunities recognize
the diverse personal needs and expectations for exercise, connection to
nature, spiritual renewal, solitude, and social interactions.
Overview
The recreation and travel industries are important to the quality of
life and economic well-being of Vermont. Travel is the state's second
largest industry after manufacturing2.
Vermont's scenic forest landscape is the backdrop for activities that
draw millions of visitors annually. Year-round recreational opportunities
afford residents and visitors alike a myriad of activities accessible
from any part of the state. The public and private sectors have complemented
each other in developing recreational resources that meet every taste
and lifestyle.
Recreation is truly an activity in the eye of the beholder. Recreation
has different meanings and values from person to person and community
to community. People participate in recreation because it has a positive
bearing on mental and physical health, for enjoyment, to be with others,
to be alone, to develop skills and be challenged, to experience nature,
and for relaxation, physical fitness, and spiritual reflection. Traditional
forms of forest recreation‹hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing,
and snowmobiling to name a few‹are still popular pursuits. Assessing the
recreational opportunities falls into two broad categories: amount and
distribution of recreational activities on public and private land, and
the economic contribution of recreation and tourism to the State of Vermont.
Recreational Resource Distribution
Approximately 83 percent of Vermont is in private ownership, with the
remaining 17 percent, some 850,000 acres, owned by Federal, state, and
local government, or nonprofit organizations1.
Although over 85 percent of recreational activities occur on private land,
much of the developed recreational resources are located on public land.
There are 55 state parks managed by the Department of Forests, Parks and
Recreation, supporting 36 developed campgrounds, 2,253 campsites, 25 picnic
areas, 20 beaches, and 1 marina2. Additional
recreational resources managed by the State of Vermont include 38 state
forests, 33 designated natural areas comprising more than 18,000 acres
within state forests and parks, 151 fish and wildlife access areas, 84
wildlife management areas, 80 miles of stream bank for fishing access,
5 fish hatcheries, and 13 dam sites (Table 10).
The 346,000-acre Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) is managed by
the USDA Forest Service, making it the largest single landowner in the
state. Within the GMNF lie 7 developed campgrounds with 106 sites, 14
picnic areas, 14,000 acres of designated wilderness, and a 36,000-acre
national recreation area2. As with
all national forests, the GMNF is managed for multiple uses. The 1987
Land and Resource Management Plan for the GMNF emphasized recreation as
a major forest use. Currently being rewritten, the new plan will continue
to promote the recreational values associated with the forest. Nearly
1.6 million recreation visitor days were recorded in 1992, including 20,200
visitor days in wilderness areas. Recreation use on the forest is projected
to increase at an average of 5 percent per year. Other Federal facilities
include the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the
Appalachian National Scenic Trail, both managed by the National Park Service,
two wildlife refuges operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams.
As previously stated, 85 percent of recreational activities occur on
private lands, and decisions made by landowners affect the availability
of recreational opportunities. Vermont is unique among the states in that
the public's right to hunt and fish on unposted private lands is protected
within the Vermont State Statutes. This provision provides a sound basis
for Vermont's long-standing tradition of recreational use of private forest
land. While other recreational pursuits occurring on unposted land, such
as snowmobiling and hiking, are often considered common law rights of
the public, it should be noted that only hunting and fishing are guaranteed
by the statutes. Regardless of whether a particular activity is a statutory
or common law right, it is only legal on lands that are unposted. The
Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains records on the number of acres
posted in any given year. In 1977 there were 119,112 acres reported as
posted. This figure dropped to 108,914 in 1988, but has since increased
to 255,400 in 19973. Many factors come
into play when land is posted, including landowner liability, disregard
for private property, and property tax structure.
Statewide Trail Systems
There are four major trail networks in Vermont‹the Appalachian Trail,
the Long Trail, the Catamount Trail, and the state trail systems maintained
by the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers. All four are managed by
organizations with paid staff and a cadre of volunteers and members. Although
efforts are in place by each organization to protect trail corridors,
much of the trail system is located on private land without permanent
easements. Membership in trail organizations continues to rise, in part
due to the amount of recreation that takes place on private land and the
benefits associated by having organizations deal directly with affected
landowners.
Two examples of successful trail organizations are the Green Mountain
Club (GMC), protectors of the Long Trail, and the Vermont Association
of Snow Travelers (VAST). The Long Trail, at 268 miles, travels the entire
length of the state. An additional 170 miles of side trails and a portion
of the Appalachian Trail maintained by GMC bring the total mileage to
4382. The trail count census estimates
approximately 200,000 users of the Long Trail annually. The GMC has a
paid staff and receives support from the department and the University
of Vermont, but relies heavily on members and volunteers for trail maintenance
and operating expenses. VAST was founded in 1967 in response to growing
adverse reaction to snowmobiling. Since then, VAST has done a remarkable
job at organizing local clubs, which have built and maintained the largest
system of trails in the state. There are over 20,000 members who maintain
approximately 5,000 miles of snowmobile trails. VAST is extremely effective
at promoting statewide tourism. It produces a map and newsletter and lobbies
in the legislature on recreational issues.
Alpine Skiing
The number of ski areas in Vermont has declined 20 percent in the past
10 years to 29 areas. They include major destination resorts with extensive
facilities as well as small community ski hills with just one rope tow.
Ski areas offer more than 900 ski trails on nearly 4,500 acres of skiing
terrain. Many areas now provide snowmaking coverage, and glade-type skiing
has become increasingly popular. The Agency of Development and Community
Affairs compiles figures on skier days in the state (Figure
21). On the national level, skier days are witnessing a downward trend,
and Vermont's share of the national market has also declined. According
to the Vermont Ski Areas Association, Vermont ranks third nationally in
skier visits behind Colorado and California. Skiing's contribution to
taxes is substantial, totaling about $16.5 million in 1991 for state and
local taxes. In addition, the ski industry supports nearly 45 percent
of Vermont's State Park budget through lease payments of eight ski areas
located on state lands2.
Vermont State Parks
Vermont's state parks provide opportunities for camping, swimming, picnicking,
fishing, boating, hiking, environmental education, and other recreation
activities. As a whole, the state park system attracts upwards of 900,000
visitors a year. The figures shown in Figure 22
should be viewed as conservative, as they only reflect "paying² visitors
and do not include off-season and non-paying activities. Out-of-state
campers outnumber resident campers by a 3 to 2 margin at state park campgrounds.
The department is striving to increase in-state usage of parks.
Economic Value
Vermont's forest-based recreation and tourism industries provide significant
benefits to the economy as a whole and to those individuals employed.
It is somewhat hard to measure economic contributions, as forest recreation
consists of many activities, some of which actively use the forest and
others in which the forest serves as a backdrop. Based on figures supplied
to the North-eastern Forest Alliance, the Vermont Department of Travel
and Tourism reports $952.9 million in forest-based travel expenditures
in 19906. A 1998 University
of Vermont study showed an annual impact in excess of $60 million from
the visitors to Vermont state parks7.
Employment and payroll for 1989 attributed to forest-based recreation
was estimated at 18,630 people employed with a payroll in excess of $157
million. This continues an upward trend in recreation-based tourism, as
can be seen in the increase in Vermont rooms and meals tax revenues. Traditional
forms of forest recreation also remain important to the state economy.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, an estimated $14.5 million
is spent by hunters in the state each year.
The fall tourist season is directly related to the forests of Vermont,
as visitors flock to the state to view the changing color of forested
hillsides. Vermont's Department of Travel and Tourism estimates that almost
60,000 people were employed in travel-related industries (hotels, restaurants,
stores), generating estimated payrolls of $63.6 million in 1991 and realizing
$258 million in travel expenditures during the foliage season6.
Although often overlooked, recreation accounts for more than 50 percent
of the forest-based economic contributions to the state6.
This is due in part to the large revenues generated by state taxes on
rooms and meals. The state must make a concerted effort to track recreation's
economic contributions and impacts on Vermont's forests. Recreational
use and benefits to the forest-based economy will continue to increase
over time, and investments in forest-based recreation will place financial
burdens on public agencies.
Hunting and Fishing
Hunting and fishing are traditional forms of recreation which are not
only popular, but contribute substantially to the economy of the state.
According to a national survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 83 percent of all Vermonters ages 16 and older participated in
wildlife-based recreation in 1991, ranking Vermont third after Alaska
and Minnesota1. Vermont also has one
of the highest percentages of participation in non-consumptive wildlife-based
recreation such as bird feeding and wildlife viewing. Total expenditures
by Vermonters on wildlife-based recreation were estimated at $170 million
in 1991, with fishing leading the way at $64.2 million. Estimates of the
economic contribution from non-resident hunting and fishing vary, but
it is agreed that the multiplier effect to tourist-based industries is
between 2 and 4 times the direct license sales.
Hunting and fishing license sales have fluctuated over the years, but
show a slight decline from 1987 to 1997. Resident hunting licenses have
dropped from 89,584 in 1987 to 80,800 in 1997. Non-resident hunting license
sales show a similar drop, from 18,931 to 12,554. Fishing license sales
have also decreased, both for residents and non-residents. Figures for
1987 and 1997 show a decrease in resident sales from 57,287 to 50,978
and in non-resident sales from 100,637 to 81,3303.
On the positive side, resident license sales for bow hunting and muzzle
loading deer season have grown remarkably since 1988. Decreases in license
sales can be attributed to several causes‹less leisure time, an aging
population, and increased posting of private land. License sales have
a direct impact on the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which relies on
license revenues for some of its operating budget.
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