New state office to focus on outdoor recreation
In April, the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs opened a new Outdoor Recreation Industry Development office, making New Hampshire the 16th U.S. state to do so. Its director, Scott Crowder, talked about the office and its mission to maximize the economic benefit of New Hampshire’s large outdoor recreation industry.
Why was this office created? Why is it needed in New Hampshire specifically?
Outdoor recreation is ingrained in our way of life here. … Because of how we’re positioned geographically, we have a diverse set of amenities and assets and places you can go for outdoor recreation, from the White Mountains to the Seacoast to the Lakes Region, to the Monadnocks to the Great North Woods. The natural beauty and the outdoor recreation experiences in New Hampshire, whether it’s the fall foliage or skiing in the winter, are a big part of why people visit. … Our communities have developed around [and] put value on outdoor recreation. … Thirty-seven thousand jobs are filled in the outdoor recreation industry sector in the state … and it spans into a lot of other different industries, [such as] hospitality, food and beverage and travel and tourism. … 3.2 percent of our GDP is directly correlated to outdoor recreation. It’s a huge contributor to the state’s economic positioning … but we didn’t have anyone looking at outdoor recreation from an economic and workforce development standpoint. … We want to make sure we’re capitalizing on New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation assets to enhance the quality of life for our residents and the experience for our visitors.
What’s on the agenda?
Some of the line items in the legislation include helping to develop [outdoor recreation] workforce development; leveraging New Hampshire’s natural assets and outdoor amenities for economic development and economic vitality; conservation and stewardship, making sure that these outdoor amenities are being well-preserved so that they can be used in the same way tomorrow and in 100 years from now; entrepreneurship and promoting businesses; and collaborating with different departments — whether it’s Fish and Game, the Trails Bureau or State Parks — to create an outdoor recreation collective that will work together to elevate New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation.
How does the pandemic impact outdoor recreation in the state?
Covid gave a lot of people an opportunity to be introduced or reintroduced to outdoor activities … and the trend is going in the direction of more people spending more time outside. In the last year, businesses in the outdoor recreation [industry] and in resort towns were so busy it was crazy. They saw [profit] numbers they had never seen before. … Coming out of Covid, we have a great opportunity, because there’s a lot of pent-up demand [for] and excitement to do things with friends and family again, and outdoor recreation is a focal point of how people want to be spending their time. We need to make sure we’re taking advantage of that interest to benefit our communities.
What is your background in this kind of work? How did you come into this position?
I’ve always kind of had my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world of travel and tourism, sports and outdoor recreation in the state. … I grew up in Nashua and would spend my summers on Lake Winnipesaukee. I studied sports management and marketing in college and have [worked within] the world of traditional, organized sports as well as outdoor recreation. … I started an outdoor recreation shop on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith. … I’ve worked in events and sports tourism. … I’ve been on the Lakes Region Tourism Board for a decade now. … A few years ago I was put on a little committee to look at the viability of creating this office. … When the [director] position was posted, I put my hat in the ring for it.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve been going on a little bit of a listening tour across the state, having conversations with municipalities, nonprofit groups, private businesses — all the stakeholders that exist within the outdoor recreation space here in New Hampshire — to figure out the lay of the land, put the pieces together and see how this office could be the most impactful. … Over the next three [to] six weeks, we’ll be able to put more pen to paper about how to move forward with a strategic vision … and set goals for one year, three years and five years down the line.
What is your personal vision for the office? What would you like to accomplish as director?
I think it’s [building] that collective effort of outdoor recreation [collaborators]. There are a lot of people who are super-passionate about outdoor recreation in our state and a lot of dots that we can connect … at a state level, regional level and community level. … This [office’s mission] is a big task, and in order for it to be successful, I can’t exist in a vacuum; there has to be that collaborative approach.
Featured photo: Scott Crowder