One big footprint: Americans’ enthusiasm for outdoor recreation generates $730B yearly in economic muscle

The figures quantified what most everyone already knew: Outdoor recreation is big business, involving millions of people and spreading an estimated $730 billion annually through the U.S. economy.

While large, the magnitude of the numbers didn’t come as a surprise to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, who said Friday he was fully aware of the importance of recreation from a lifetime spent in the outdoors of Idaho, where he previously was governor and congressman.

By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_4172402