State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf

Land and Water Conservation Fund Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965, as amended: providing funds for and authorizing Federal assistance to the States in planning, acquisition, and development of needed land and water areas and facilities A comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan shall be required prior to the consideration by the Secretary of financial assistance for acquisition or development projects.

Land and Water Conservation Fund LWCF funding is authorized at $900 million, however the most it has even been funded is $300 million in 1979 when Montana received $3.1 million. Since 1979, funding in Montana has decreased 88% to a current level around $400,000 a year. In the LWCF Act, the federal side is stated as receiving no less than 40% of the funds, meaning that up to 60% could go to the states. However, there has been an unequal appropriation between the federal and state side, wherein the federal side has averaged up to 80% of the funds, and the states receive 20% or less of the funds. Those 20% must be split between all the 50 states, plus DC, plus outlining areas. LWCF Act of 1965 will sunset in 2015, 50 years after it was signed into law. There has been some recent discussion on the reauthorization of LWCF, and we can expect there to be quite a bit more as we get closer to 2015.

Land and Water Conservation Fund SCORP is the guiding document for funding community outdoor recreation projects in Montana This includes park and open space acquisition, facility development: swimming pools, skate parks, community parks, tennis courts, ballfields, school playgrounds, fishing access sites, state parks SCORP, as it relates to LWCF, really is a community asset.

Open Project Selection Process How SCORP works Stateside LWCF SCORP Open Project Selection Process Community Grants

Community Outdoor Recreation Grants How SCORP works Community Outdoor Recreation Grants Acquisition Planning The state side of LWCF allows states to assist their political subdivisions by providing grants for acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. Development

Who is the audience? How SCORP works Federal agencies State agencies County Governments City Parks and Recreation Departments City and County Planners Boards and Commissions User Groups Non-Profits

SCORP, as it relates to LWCF, really is a community asset. SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 This includes park and open space acquisition, facility development: swimming pools, skate parks, community parks, tennis courts, ballfields, school playgrounds, fishing access sites, state parks SCORP, as it relates to LWCF, really is a community asset.

Municipal/county Beyond Urban SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 Municipal/county Beyond Urban Bike lanes - off road ATV trails Walk/jog/bike paths - natural/wild areas Rifle/handgun ranges - hiking trails Sled/tubing areas - Interpretive trails Hiking trails - Bike lanes

Focus on walking, jogging, hiking and biking paths and trails SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 Focus on walking, jogging, hiking and biking paths and trails Should be increased Bike lanes improved Identified as a top need Emphasis on friends and service groups Potential funding source Potential collaborator Managers concerned with “basic” recreation activities

SCORP Advisory Committee SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 Supply of outdoor recreation resources & facilities Demand of outdoor recreation preferences Facility and Resource Survey Agency Data Public Use Survey BRFSS Results ITRR Resident Data Regional & National Trends Industry Reports Analyze the supply of outdoor recreation resources and facilities, as well as demand of recreation preferences. Identify trends and major issues of statewide importance. Collected data from a number of surveys and reports. Also looked at regional and national trends and industry reports. We have been working with Montana’s recreation providers for the past year and a half to develop a new vision for outdoor recreation in Montana. We have an advisory committee of 11 agency and organization representatives that comprise of federal, state, and local agencies, as well as organizational partners. We asked our recreation partners to actually contribute to the SCORP and develop a narrative that discusses their agency’s mission, how they provide and/or support recreation in Montana, and a candid discussion of their visitation, budgets, challenges, and priorities. SCORP Advisory Committee

Youth and future generations Children and nature SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 Needs assessment Youth and future generations Children and nature Health benefits of recreation Connecting people with nature Aging population Increased connectivity between trails Recreation data for justification needs

Improve quality of life for all Montanans SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 Priorities for SCORP Improve quality of life for all Montanans Sustain the economic vitality of Montana communities Promote stewardship and sustainability Enhance agency coordination, cooperation, and service provision

MT State Park Strategic Plan MT Governors Office of Outdoor Recreation Creating a Vibrant Future: Success Story MT State Park Strategic Plan MT Governors Office of Outdoor Recreation MT DNRC Public Access Coordinator 5 year RTP grant funding through federal highway administration 5 year RTP grant funding through fed hwy admin (longest authorization to date)

Bringing together multiple data sources is difficult Creating a Vibrant Future: Lessons Learned Bringing together multiple data sources is difficult Need to straddle the line between representing all outdoor recreation and keeping the plan manageable Getting people to weigh in on the plan can be time consuming Good graphics matter

SCORP: Creating a Vibrant Future 2014-2018 SCORP is the guiding document for funding community outdoor recreation projects in Montana This includes park and open space acquisition, facility development: swimming pools, skate parks, community parks, tennis courts, ballfields, school playgrounds, fishing access sites, state parks SCORP, as it relates to LWCF, really is a community asset.

SCORP 2019-2024: Need Cool Title

Need to develop plan in an abbreviated timeframe Limitations and Opportunities for SCORP 2019-2024 Need to develop plan in an abbreviated timeframe Not enough time for representative statewide study Chance to develop a streamlined and efficient plan Can update previous plan data Previous SCORP is a perfect template

Individuals who represent the breadth of outdoor recreation in Montana SCORP 2019-2024: Advisory Council Individuals who represent the breadth of outdoor recreation in Montana Agencies: State, Federal Tourism: MT, Tribal Interest groups Private industry and economic development Asked to represent Montanans not specific interests or agendas

SCORP 2019-2024: Goals for Completing Plan Facilitated discussions Existing statewide data BRFSS data Advisory Council Planning documents NGO and Interest group data behavioral risk factor surveillance system SCORP Plan Development

Advisory Council: Fall 2018 SCORP 2019-2024: Work Plan Advisory Council: Fall 2018 Approve work plan Facilitated Discussion Groups: Winter 2019 Data synthesis and analysis Draft recommendations: Spring 2019 SCORP writing Public and Professional Input: Summer 2019 Final document edits

Invited list of 40+ outdoor recreation providers and supporters Facilitated Group Discussions Invited list of 40+ outdoor recreation providers and supporters Groups discussions to allow for more nuanced perspectives Will address outdoor recreation needs in the state Help define priorities for SCORP

Tentative meeting locations Facilitated Group Discussions Tentative meeting locations Kalispell Butte Billings

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data Sources and Statistics Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Institute on Tourism and Recreation Research Resident travel Outdoor Industry Reports USFS and NPS visitation and characteristic data The purpose of the study was to estimate annual resident travel within Montana, the spending volume of resident visitors to counties outside their residence (50 miles or more away from home), and to map the flow of resident travel within Montana. Montana residents took 13,547,000 day trips spending $1,662,620,000 and 4,013,000 overnight trips spending $1,206,970,000 for a total of nearly $2.87 billion on travel in Montana.

State Parks Strategic Plan City and county recreation plans Reports and Existing Planning Efforts Parks in Focus State Parks Strategic Plan City and county recreation plans MT Trails Coalition Report

Holistic picture of outdoor recreation Advisory Council and Draft Recommendations Holistic picture of outdoor recreation No single interest will be represented Recommendations can have profound impact on how funds are allocated Need to steward the plan throughout the state

Will use traditional public comment approaches Public Input and Comments Will use traditional public comment approaches Will also ask for feedback from a larger group of outdoor recreation entities Will collect and summarize feedback Will integrate feedback into recommendations

Results and data will be crunched by UM Final SCORP Plan Results and data will be crunched by UM Writing will be completed by UM Priorities and recommendations will be collaborative with advisory council Goal to make an agile and efficient SCORP Will work with graphic designer SCORP: Best One Ever

Questions? elizabeth.metcalf@umontana.edu