Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers and Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Mary Monroe Brown, announced Dec. 15 that annual data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry contributed a record-setting $8.7 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021.
Additionally, Wisconsin’s outdoor economy grew by 14.1%, more than three times faster than the state’s overall economy, which grew by 4.6%.
“From hunting and fishing to boating and paddling to snowboarding and skiing, outdoor recreation is part of who we are as a people and a state—it improves our quality of life, draws visitors from all over the world, supports tens of thousands, and serves as a major economic driver for communities across Wisconsin,” Evers said. “I’m proud of our work to create the Office of Outdoor Recreation and to ensure this critical industry recovers from the pandemic, and these numbers are an excellent testament to this important work and the Office’s success.”
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Key findings of the report show Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry supported nearly 90,000 jobs across various sectors in 2021, with a growth rate of 9.7% compared to 2.4% for all jobs. Manufacturing jobs accounted for 10% of all outdoor recreation jobs in each of the last two years, ranking Wisconsin fourth in the country. Despite supply chain issues during the pandemic, manufacturing jobs continued to grow from 2019 to 2021, increasing by 11%.
The data also show travel and tourism, as well as local trips, account for nearly $2.8 billion of outdoor recreation’s contributions to Wisconsin’s GDP. In 2020, Wisconsin was one of only seven states to see an increase in economic impact from local outdoor recreation-related trips. In 2021, the economic impact of local trips grew even more, increasing by 7.2% to $771 million.
“We’ve long understood this inextricable link between outdoor recreation and tourism,” said Secretary-designee Sayers. “Our traveler surveys consistently show outdoor recreation is a top marketable reason people visit Wisconsin. Supporting the entire outdoor recreation industry through the work of the Office of Outdoor Recreation is essential to safeguard and enhance a significant tourism offering that helped buoy our industry during the most unprecedented challenges of the pandemic.”
The Office of Outdoor Recreation (outdoorrecreation.wi.gov) was created at the Department of Tourism by Evers in 2019 and serves as a central hub for Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry, working with stakeholders and providing resources to bolster Wisconsin as a top outdoor recreation destination.
“This incredible growth puts an exclamation point on the significance of the outdoor industry to our economy and the overall well-being of Wisconsin and Wisconsinites,” said Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Mary Monroe Brown. “The Office is working with partners to not only unite the industry but also to deliver critical resources, like the recent workforce attraction tool that businesses are already using to attract talent to our beautiful state.”
Last month, the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation released “Live + Work Where You Play: Outside in Wisconsin,” a free 16-page publication to assist businesses and organizations with recruitment and talent attraction. The tool leverages the state’s outdoor recreation culture, industry, and abundant offerings to give Wisconsin employers an edge over the competition in the job market. The free resource is one of many available on the Office’s website, along with educational webinars, a research library, and a first-of-its-kind outdoor business directory to help businesses and organizations connect.
“As St. Croix Rod has experienced tremendous growth over the past three years, recruiting and retaining staff in a small rural area has been challenging.,” said Scott Forristall, CEO of Park Falls-based St. Croix Rod. “We’ve shifted our effort to seeking individuals who want to live an outdoor lifestyle and who can represent our brand authentically. We had been directing job candidates to the Office’s website as part of our recruitment efforts, and we are thrilled to utilize the beautiful new booklet to show how Wisconsin is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise.”
In Wisconsin, fishing was one of the categories that grew in 2020 and again in 2021. According to the new data, the top categories within outdoor recreation’s contributions to Wisconsin’s GDP were:
Multi-use apparel and accessories: $961 million.
Motorcycling and ATVing: $882 million, number one nationally.
Boating and Fishing: $602 million.
Bicycling: $451 million, number two nationally.
Nationally, the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 1.9% and $454 billion of GDP and grew 18.9% compared to 5.9% for the overall U.S. economy. The top three categories were boating and fishing, RV traveling, and hunting, shooting and trapping.
“From the creation of jobs and increased profit for small businesses in local economies to larger boons to our national economy, this sector is a consistent driver, even in times of economic uncertainty,” said Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a national coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations. “The strength of the outdoor recreation economy reflects what many in the industry have long known to be true: there are infinite benefits that come from more people spending time outdoors, and they’ll only grow with continued investment.”
For the national report and state-level data and tables, visit the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account section of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis website at https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/outdoor-recreation.
In 57 Photos: Scenes along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Bumble bee feeds on Dame’s Rocket along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Black Raspberry along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Black Walnut along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Box Elder along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Overgrown Milwaukee Road concrete electrical box base along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Canadian Anemone along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Carolina Rose along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Cleavers (Catchweed bedstraw, stickyweed) along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Common Burdock (Cuckoo-button) along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Common Milkweed along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Common Yarrow along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Cow Parley (Wild Chervil) along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Dame’s Rocket along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Eastern Daisy Fleabane along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Eastern Trailhead signs at Farmer’s Gateway Park in downtown Clinton
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Milwaukee Road electrical box along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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American elm along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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End of the line at the western trailhead of the Pelishek-Tiffany nature trail at North Road at Allens Grove near Darien
Lingering vestiges of the old Milwaukee Road railway, such as this enduring steel rail west of North Road, endure along the 5.8-mile rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail in Walworth and Rock Counties between Allens Grove and Clinton.
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Scenic farm view along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Ground Ivy (Creeping Charlie) along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Hoary Alyssum patch along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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PT Looking south at the Milwaukee Road switching station at Bardwell rail line junction near Darien, June 1983..jpg
Looking south from the Milwaukee Road’s diamond railway interchange at the Bardwell interlocking station in the Town of Darien in June 1983. The Milwaukee Road abandoned its 6.2-mile line southwest from Bardwell to Clinton a few months prior in February 1983. The section of tracks pictured here is now operated by the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad. The bankrupt Milwaukee Road’s whitewashed clapboard interlocking station at Bardwell has since been razed.
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Milwaukee Road freight train heading northeast on the Southwest Division toward the Bardwell junction near Darien, 1976..jpg
A Milwaukee Road freight train heads northeast on the Southwest Division line from Clinton toward the diamond interchange at unincorporated Bardwell near Allens Grove and Darien in 1976. The 6.2-mile line pictured here between Bardwell and Clinton was abandoned by the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1983.
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Multiflora Rose along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Nature overtakes old Milwaukee Road telegraph polealong the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Ohio Spiderwort along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Old Milwaukee Road concrete box drainage culvertalong the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Oxeye Daisies along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Old Milwaukee Road telegraph pole along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail between Allens Grove and Clinton still bears its “54” mile marker
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Prickly Wild Rose.along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Patch of purple and white Dame’s Rockets along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Circa-2000 Tiffany/Turner Memorial Rest Area along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
The 5.8-mile rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail (PTNT) offers a number of rest areas, rest benches and rest shelters along the repurposed Milwaukee Road railway right-of-way between Allens Grove in Walworth County and Clinton in Rock County.
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Riverbank Grape (Frost Grape) along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Milwaukee Road signal stand remnants hidden in the brush along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Abandoned remnants of an old Milwaukee Road signal stand lie hidden in Virginia creeper and cleavers along the 5.8-mile rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail in Walworth and Rock counties between Allens Grove and Clinton.
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Shaded trail section along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Abandoned Milwaukee Road signal control box hidden in undergrowth along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
The Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail’s nearly 130-year legacy as a Milwaukee Road railway corridor is still evident here and there along the 5.8-mile multi-use recreation trail in a peek-a-boo fashion for the eagle-eyed. Here, an abandoned Milwaukee Road signal control box lies hidden in the trailside underbrush.
Eric Johnson
Sulphur Cinquefoil along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Telegraph pole with enduring wires and glass insulators along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Clues to the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail’s former longtime use as a Milwaukee Road railway corridor have in many places been enveloped the nature since the line’s February 1983 abandonment by the bankrupt railroad. Here, a telegraph pole hidden in the treeline along the mullti-use recreation trail still sports its wires and colorful glass insulators.
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Traces of the old Milwaukee Road line along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail near Clinton in Rock County
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Trail view along the rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Trail view along the rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Seen near its western trailhead near North Road in the unincorporated Walworth County hamlet of Allens Grove, the 5.8-mile rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail traverses former Milwaukee Road railroad right-of-way between Allens Grove and Clinton in Rock County. The 64.3-acre linear park, purchased by Rock County Parks in 1995, accommodates a variety of users year-round, including winter snowmobilers and cross-country skiers and warm-weather hikers, bikers, horseback riders, joggers and bird-watchers.
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Trail view along the rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Trail view along the rails-to-trails Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Treacle Mustard along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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White Campion along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Wild Asparagus along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Wild Four O’Clock along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Naturalized over the past four decades, the 5.8-mile, 64.3-acre Pelishek-Tiffany Trail Trail corridor on the old Milwaukee Road right-of-way between Allens Grove in Walworth County and Clinton in Rock County features a wide variety of trees, bushes and wildflowers, including Wild Four O’Clock as seen here.
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Wild Parsnip along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Wild Parsnip along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Dames Rocket along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Discarded Milwaukee Road telegraph wire along the Peleshek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Paradise apple along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail main trailhead at Farmers Nature Trail Gateway in Clinton
The Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail’s main trailhead on Mill Street in Clinton features a parking area, restroom facility, picnic tables, a gazebo-styled pavilion and a small covered bridge walkway connecting the parking lot to the multi-purpose recreational rail-trail on 5.8 miles of former Milwaukee Road corridor between Clinton in Rock County and Allens Grove in Walworth County.
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Honey Locust along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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White Mulberry.along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Smooth Solomon’s Seal along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
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Farming scene along the Pelishek-Tiffany Nature Trail
Eric Johnson
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