IDEAS RESEARCH Follow the Money In April, the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) released its report on the $887-billion Outdoor Recreation Economy. We take a deep dive into what those numbers mean on the ground. REAL VALUE America's public lands are the pump at the heart of the outdoor recreation economy. er spending figure. After all, it's more than Americans spend on gasoline or pharmaceuticals. But the stat that will matter the most when it comes to lobbying is this: The outdoor economy contributes $65.3 BILLION ANNUALLY TO FEDERAL TAX REVENUE AND $59.2 BILLION IN STATE AND LOCAL TAX REVENUE. The real kicker will come in the next nine months or so-that is when the federal government will release its numbers as dictated by the REC ACT, A BIPARTISAN BILL PASSED LAST WINTER that will officially codify and track exactly how much outdoor recreation contributes to the U.S. GDP. THIS ECONOMY IS NOT SLOWING DOWN The last time OIA released a report on the outdoor recreation economy in 2012, it calculated the size of this beast at $646 billion. The jump is real-and many sectors of the outdoor industry are thriving because more Americans are getting outside or particpating in outdoor sports. According to The NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service, for the 12 months ending February 2017, many CONSUMER GOODS CATEGORIES ARE EXPERIENCING STEADY GROWTH. Backpacking sleeping pads/ mattresses jumped eight percent over the previous one year period. Andrew Kornylak THE OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMY HAS LONG LEGS Everyone is focusing on the OIA's $887-BILLION consum-http://www.insole.com