Travel Oregon, in partnership with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), the Oregon Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC), Oregon Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) and Earth Economics, released a new Outdoor Recreation Economic Impact Study that demonstrates the importance of Oregon’s vast range of outdoor recreation opportunities to the state’s economy.
$15.6 BILLION IN OUTDOOR RECREATION SPENDING $552 MILLION IN STATE AND LOCAL TAXES CREATED $13 BILLION IN GDP CONTRIBUTIONS 224,000 FULL AND PART-TIME JOBS $9.3 BILLION IN WAGES AND OTHER COMPENSATION
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has created an iNaturalist project to increase their knowledge of wildlife and biodiversity in the state, with special emphasis on the Oregon Conservation Strategy Species. The following is their description of the project and links to participate.
Have you ever taken a picture of wildlife in Oregon and wondered if anyone might want to know where you saw it? We do!
Help us improve our conservation efforts by sharing your wildlife observations! The Oregon Wildlife Conservation iNaturalist Project allows you to share your wildlife observation data directly with biologists. Even if you can’t identify what species you are looking at, odds are that someone in the iNaturalist community can. Participation in this project helps to enhance our understanding of wildlife in our state, and your data can help improve wildlife conservation efforts in Oregon.
It is not possible for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to survey all wildlife species, we need your help to monitor their presence and distributions across the state. The Oregon Wildlife Conservation iNaturalist Project was developed to collect wildlife observation data from community scientists like you on amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles across Oregon. While we are interested in all wildlife observations, we are particularly interested in your observations of the 109 wildlife Strategy Species, or species of greatest conservation need, and Strategy Data Gap Species that are missing key information needed to accurately determine their conservation status.
The information gathered will augment ongoing research efforts, conservation actions, and management plans for sensitive wildlife species by ODFW and our partners. Your help is crucial for the successful conservation of Oregon’s wildlife species! iNaturalist is a free online tool managed by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society that helps users to identify, report, and learn more about the plants and animals they observe.
We appreciate your contribution and ask that you help to spread the word.
Make your voice heard, complete this survey and forward this to others before the deadline of Oct. 30th, 2020 if you are concerned about economic growth, over-tourism, workforce investments, protecting the environment, building more tourism infrastructure (trails, kayak launches, etc.) or all of the above.
Your feedback becomes part of the official record at the state level (Travel Oregon) and for Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) at the coast-region, which determines how funding is allocated across our departments, programs and projects over the next two years.
2020 has presented new and dynamic challenges that require innovative problem-solving and leadership. Your responses will directly inform our investments and solutions to our shared coastal challenges.
We know it’s long (15 minutes start to finish), but your feedback is absolutely critical to ensure investments made in OCVA’s 2021 – 2023 Regional Cooperative Tourism Program plan are on target and address your concerns. The survey is available in English and Spanish.
