The outdoor recreation industry has been exploding over the course of the last decade or more. During the last five years, this has been especially true with people rediscovering the benefits of the outdoors while the COVID pandemic and inflation surged. Outdoor experiences have been the driving force behind people moving, relocating, and buying property in places that offer more in the way of connecting to the natural world. In the most recent study performed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, outdoor recreation now accounts for over one trillion dollars in economic output surpassing oil, gas, and mining extraction combined. In addition to economic output, outdoor recreation has also contributed to over five million jobs. This brings the conversation of protecting our natural spaces to the forefront. Not only is outdoor recreation essential to healthy people and communities but to our economy as a whole. Outside magazine details these statistics and more in the article posted in the link above.