State recreation director meets with local leaders

Reading emails outside, or taking a quiet stroll after dinner.

These may not sound as thrilling as a white water rafting trip down the Lehigh River or a rigorous hike to the peaks of Hyner Run State Park in Clinton County.

Still, these fall into the category of "outdoor recreation," said Nathan Reigner, state director of the new Office of Outdoor Recreation.

A recreation social scientist, whose 20 years of professional experience in the private and non-profit and academic sectors, spans more than half the states and four continents, Reigner is on a cross-state stakeholder meeting series tour.

He stopped Wednesday at Lycoming College's Krapf Gateway Center to gather insight and feedback from representatives of organizations, tourism, government officials and owners of businesses catering to outdoor recreation.

Economic,

psychological links

"Outdoor recreation can make a critical contribution to overcoming urgent economic challenges, but only if it is empowered and coordinated," said Reighard, describing just one in a litany of foundational concepts.

It was a perfect location in Williamsport to address outdoor recreation. The Krapf Gateway Center's lower level has a rock climbing wall and a bicycle center, and the college is a contributing member of the community's efforts to promote outdoor recreation, with efforts to connect its students and staff to the nearby Susquehanna Riverwalk, part of a walking-bicycling trail connector with scenic views of the city, surrounding hillsides, farms and mountains, West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Ridge.

Far more than the activity itself -- whether that is camping, hiking, boating, biking, hunting or fishing -- getting outdoors and breathing air, improving lung function or seeing an eagle soar in the sky is as much a psychological process as it is physical.

It is supposed to be an all-inclusive activity, for those with immobility issues, because it motivates. It provides escape from the humdrum of daily activities and allows the participant to find meaning by connecting with nature and outdoors.

Outdoor recreation can add years to one's life, improving health overall, reducing stress and thereby reducing health care costs. It improves moods.

When a pedestrian or bicyclist or hiker on a trail says "hi" to another passing by, or when a marshmallow oozes out over a chocolate-covered graham cracker as the campfire crackles -- such are the moments and stories that bring people together and strengthen communities.

"How do we maximize those things?" he asked.

The business connection

For the outdoor economy to grow, the concept of outdoor recreation as more than just a walk in the woods or a bike ride on a trail must become commonplace.

The benefits are certainly economic but much more. For example, a productive outdoor industry that provides goods and services used for outdoor recreation can grow; it improves quality of life that attracts residents and businesses and community prosperity that is built on sustainable use of natural assets.

As for the economic punch, outdoor recreation added $14 billion to the state economy in 2021.

Each year, it also improves communities by making the people in them healthier and helps the environment and eco-systems by drawing attention to natural resources.

There are savings in healthcare, safety, infrastructure and environmental management resulting from recreational participation and assets.

The conversations at these stakeholder meetings are meant to gather feedback from those in communities as the department builds a mosaic to better address what is needed to grow outdoor recreation and the economy it supports in Pennsylvania.

That happened inside the auditorium, where participants could look through large windows to see the sprawling mountainside of Bald Eagle Ridge in the distance.