The National Park Service has signed off on New Hampshire’s 2024-2028 outdoor recreation management plan, a strategic tool for the $2.7 billion industry that employs 28,000 workers.

The plan – developed by New Hampshire State Parks in partnership with the University of New Hampshire’s Recreation Management and Policy program – will prioritize five areas: the recreation experience; recreation and climate; recreation for all; health and wellness; and economic vitality. 

To create the new five-year plan, the partners studied participation patterns, attitudes, perceptions, and opinions of New Hampshire residents around outdoor recreation. Through focus groups, web surveys, and other means of data collection, the plan features insights from organizations that manage publicly accessible lands; individuals who are disabled, Black, Indigenous, and people of color; outdoor recreation providers; and residents 18 and older who have participated in outdoor recreation over the last year.

“The benefits of outdoor recreation are more than just physical,” said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart. “Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed noted that stress reduction is an important benefit of outdoor recreation participation, and 84 percent agreed that participation in outdoor recreation activities helps them to appreciate life more.”

Stewart noted that New Hampshire’s plan also addresses the importance of implementing visitor education programs, “which is especially crucial as more and more people become involved in outdoor recreation opportunities, in all seasons, statewide.”

Numbers included in the plan show the state saw a 38% increase in visitors in 2021 from the previous record year in 2019. Those 4.3 million visitors spent a collective $2 billion, a 65% increase from 2019.

Any state participating in the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund program is required to develop a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plan for approval. The program, established by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, provides 50/50 matching grants to state and local governments for recreational purposes. New Hampshire has received nearly $50 million in grants since the program’s inception.