Land-Grant University Capacity to Support Recreation Economies in National Forest Gateway Communities

This new research report – “Land-Grant University Capacity to Support Recreation Economies in National Forest Gateway Communities” – provides insights into how well Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) are positioned to promote and develop outdoor recreation economies near U.S. national forests. It also identifies specific locations that are best equipped to allocate resources for recreation economy programs.

The report aims to assess the ability of LGUs to align with a 2022 USDA memorandum of understanding (MOU), which emphasizes outdoor recreation economies as a key agency priority. Historically, recreation and tourism have not been focal program areas for Cooperative Extension, raising questions about LGUs’ readiness to engage in this space.

This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. NTAE-SC-2023-2343 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). The Regional Rural Development Centers, which are funded by U.S. Congress through USDA NIFA’s annual appropriations process, also contributed to this work. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Extension Foundation, or other funders.