The way is was, the way it is. (ORRRC at 40!).

In 1960, when the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission did the first participation surveys, transistor radios, Chevy Impala V8 convertibles, Elvis Presley, the Cold War, John F. Kennedy and family vacations were among the thoughts in people's minds. Just more than 60 percent of the country's population lived in metropolitan areas. Almost 90 percent of the population was non-Hispanic white, 56 percent had not graduated from high school and there were less than 46 million families, most of whom had just one car. Picnicking, driving for pleasure and swimming were the most popular outdoor activities, and few others came close.

Today, megatopics include terrorism, corporate scandals, the stock market downturn, urban sprawl, DVDs and monster SUVs. ORRRC made projections that our country's population would grow to more than 351 million by 2000 and that just more than 71 percent of that population would be urban. Indeed, most people in this country are now urban, but the percentage is more than 80 percent and still rising. Although population has grown to 281 million--70 million less than ORRRC predicted--we've still added more than 100 million in the last four decades. Of our contemporary population, a much lower 75 percent are non-Hispanic white, just 17 percent instead of 56 percent haven't finished high school and there are nearly 75 million households, many of which have at least three cars. Still, in the midst of all this change, the list of most popular activities is familiar--walking for pleasure, nature study and walks, picnicking, driving for pleasure and sightseeing.

ORRRC left quite a legacy to this country. Not only did it inspire numerous highly significant congressional acts (e.g., creating the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the National Wilderness Preservation System and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System), it also started a system of national assessments of the demand and supply of outdoor recreation. What a magnificent piece of work that first ORRRC national assessment was--27 commissioned reports that ranged from an examination of the land resource to a look at urban open space to a study of financing options.

For me, one of the more important was Report 19, the National Recreation Survey. Under the leadership of Abbott Ferriss, that survey asked 62 questions of 15,609 people 12 years or older over a year. The current equivalent, the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, operates almost continuously, accumulating a nearly 65,000-respondent data base. From lessons learned from that first national assessment of outdoor recreation that ORRRC did, we conduct every 10 years a comprehensive assessment of demand and supply. The table on p. 64 compares the percentage of the population 12 or older in 1960 that participated in each of the 23 activities covered in ORRRC Report 19 with similar data collected in 2000 and 2001. ORRRC asked about participation over the last s months; we now ask about the last 12 months. But because we used the ORRRC participation percentages in the highest-use season for 1960-61, we believe the numbers to be comparable with the figures for 2000-01.

Then, picnicking, driving, swimming and walking topped the national list. These are relatively passive activities requiring little in the way of special equipment, skill or money. Outdoor activities-hiking, camping, snow skiing, canoeing, mountain climbing and sailing--weren't all that popular. Then, fishing and hunting captured a great deal of attention--ORRRC devoted a report to each one of these activities. Technology was vastly different and limiting, with motor boats often being 35 horsepower or less, and camping gear being mostly of canvas and heavy. Other than swimming, water and snow sports participation wasn't widespread. Reported participation in activities specifically to learn about and photograph nature was quite limited.

Not only has the population increased, but so too have the percentages of persons 12 or older who participate in the 23 ORRRC outdoor activities. Least changed in percentage are horseback riding, sailing, waterskiing, sledding, picnicking, driving for pleasure, ice skating, swimming, hunting and playing outdoor games and sports. Most changed are nature study and walks (from 16 to over 76 percent), walking (more than 80 percent now), hiking (a favorite of the fast-growing Hispanic speaking population), attending outdoor performances, bicycling, camping and attending outdoor sports events. From just more than half of the population participating in the most popular activities then, more than three-quarters now participate. Viewing, learning about and photographing birds, wildlife, flowers, trees, fish and other natural subjects has risen to be second only to walking for pleasure (a favorite of seniors). Active forms of recreation (e.g., hiking, bicycling, snow skiing, and canoeing) have risen.

ORRRC did a pretty good job of describing American's palate of outdoor activities, and it predicted very well the magnitude of increase in participation in the activities on the screen then. It predicted that demand (i.e., participation) would double by 2000. In fact, for the activities covered by ORRRC, the number of persons who participate has more than doubled. Now, and not visible to ORRRC, there exists a host of activities well beyond the commission's list of 23. NSRE currently asks respondents about participation in almost 80 activities--and there are many more besides these. Added to the survey since 1960 are activities Such as backpacking, white-water kayaking (the fastest growing activity since 1995), snow boarding, rock climbing, wind surfing and birding (fastest growing long-term since 1982).

And the list goes well beyond those in the NSRE. Flipping through the pages of the outdoor magazine Hooked on the Outdoors, one sees cross country biking, sea kayaking, minimalist backpacking, ice climbing, adventure racing, paragliding, free climbing, trail running, ski mountaineering, and so on and so on. Many of today's outdoor enthusiasts are redefining adventure recreation. Because demand for opportunities is growing so large, the future of outdoor recreation seems to me highly uncertain.

Today, there's no more land or water than there was then. Gains in access and facilities have been largely limited to local governments recapturing open space and greenways previously lost to urban development. My tennis hat and biking helmet are off to the success of those locally driven efforts.

But is that enough? More people, more and many different kinds of equipment, different and sometimes conflicting activities, people in places they never used to be, and people recreating in seasons when there used to be no one around; these factors make our job as outdoor recreation professionals ever more challenging. Challenging in providing high-quality opportunities, and challenging in providing long-term protection for the resource. A recent region-wide assessment of outdoor recreation in the South noted that we haven't adequately addressed the region's demand growth of the 1980s and 1990s, nor do we seem to be making progress in addressing the future growth that we know will occur. Our political systems at all levels have failed to fully recognize the growing importance of outdoor recreation to the American people. National forests, national parks, state parks, private lands and other sites provide only a little more opportunity for outdoor recreation now than they did then. Could it be that our political system still considers recreation to be frivolous?

I watch with interest the apparent priorities of our political and economic systems, which seem obsessed with economic growth. New highways, tax concessions, trade agreements, development grants, waivers of environmental regulations and a host of other development incentives suggest that my perception of obsession is correct. What is the desired end of endless growth is? Where are we going with it? It occurs to me that the more we grow, the bigger our headaches become. What would things be like if we were to focus more on keeping our environment healthy and maintaining adequate forests, rivers, wilderness, scenic areas and other spaces where outdoor recreation and appreciating the beauty of nature were primary purposes of land management? If the political system in this country continues to emphasize development, returns on investment, wealth, gross domestic product and other economic measures of welfare over a conception of welfare that also includes lack of stress, healthy living environment and adequate outdoor recreation opportunities, we'll likely see ever more pressure on a dwindling outdoor resource, because the recreation capacity of that resource isn't growing the way demand is.

The need is obvious. Federal, state, local and private providers, recreation professionals and recreation users must become a more effective coalition. Recreation interests are too often splintered and competitive to be effective politically. Organizations such as NRPA, the National Association of Recreation Resource Planners and the Outdoor Industry Association, to name a few, need to work more forcefully, as a coalition with common purpose, to make outdoor recreation a much higher profile, vote-bearing political issue. We researcher types need to do our part by making sure good data and timely information are available to fortify the arguments and initiatives of such a coalition. We might never see the likes of another 27-report ORRRC effort, but we can certainly see to it that the most critical of information needs are addressed.

AMERICAN RECREATION THEN AND NOW

Percentage of persons 12 or older participating in each
of 23 outdoor activities, with highest difference at top.

Activity                                   1960-61   2000-01

Nature study and walks                          16      76.3
Walking for pleasure                            36      83.7
Hiking                                           6      43.1
Attending outdoor concerts, dramas, etc.         9      40.2
Bicycling                                        9      39.3
Camping                                          8      34.8
Attending outdoor sports events                 29      51.4
Sightseeing                                     42      53.2
Snow skiing                                      2      11.5
Other boating (motor, rafting, etc.)            22      31.0
Fishing (warm, cold and salt water)             29      35.2
Mountain climbing                                1       6.6
Horseback riding                                 6       9.4
Sailing                                          2       5.4
Waterskiing (not including jet skiing)           6       9.2
Sledding or tobogganing *                        9      12.2
Picnicking                                      53      55.2
Driving for pleasure                            52      53.2
Ice skating                                      7       8.0
Swimming (pool and natural water)               45      45.3
Hunting                                         13      13.0
Playing outdoor games and sports                30      23.6

H. Ken Cordell, Ph.D., is lead scientist for the Nation Survey on Recreation and the Environment, a national recreation survey of 65,000 Americans. He recently has published three books: Outdoor Recreation in American Life, Integrating Social Sciences with Ecosystem Management and Footprints on the Land. He's working on two other books: Outdoor Recreation in 21st Century America and Wilderness, A Core American Value. For more information on the NSRE, see www.srs.fs.fed.us/trends.