ABSTRACT

Recreational opportunities and environmental amenities are income elastic; that is, the demand for them rises with income. Since World War II, incomes for United States citizens have been rising dramatically, increasing the willingness of Americans to pay more for outdoor opportunities. Increased ability to pay for outdoor recreation means that there are more opportunities for profit and more recreation-related products. Sales for outdoor equipment reached over $25 billion in 1987, and the latest US Fish and Wildlife survey on wildlife-related recreation revealed that recreationists spent $21.5 billion on travel, food, and lodging in 1985. In 1962, John F. Kennedy appointed the first presidential commission on outdoor recreation, an early example of the public's role in providing recreational opportunities. A dismayed Jacqueline Schafer, member of the President's Council on Environmental Quality, has pointed out that the Commission on Americans Outdoors does not emphasize people and the ways they create opportunities.