The Haines Economic Development Corporation hosted a workshop last weekend to discuss promoting outdoor recreation. The three-day event attracted a few dozen participants who contributed a wide variety of ideas. 

The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities is a planning assistance program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Haines is one of 25 communities in the nation to benefit from the program this year. Consultants working through the EPA were in Haines last weekend to host a workshop aimed at growing the local outdoor recreation economy and revitalizing Main Street.

Steph Bertaina manages the program for the EPA.

Bertaina: “What we are doing here together is going through a planning process, to help Haines create an action plan around outdoor recreation and community revitalization. And from this process, we hope to develop relationships with federal funding partners and state agencies.”

Multiple stakeholders came to the gathering. They included Borough representatives, the Chilkoot Indian Association, the U.S. Forest Service, as well as many people involved in the outdoor industry.

Bertaina: “We started by asking the question ’What does outdoor recreation mean to you as a community, what is important, what do you love about your community.’”

The answers were written on posters pinned to the walls. Outdoor recreation was described by participants as letting it go, being present and ever-changing, but also as dangerous and expensive. Participants listed their favorite places and activities in the Chilkat Valley, including gardening, subsistence fishing, the smell of cottonwoods and snow machining.

The facilitators broke the crowd into small groups. Each group brainstormed on a specific task. Some worked on a map of the local recreation activities. Others worked on a schedule for a weekend visit to the Chilkat Valley. All were asked to identify opportunities for improving the outdoor experience for both residents and visitors. 

Attendee Chip Lende shared the results of his group’s discussion.

Lende: “Haines is a mecca for road biking, we just built a hundred million dollar highway with no traffic and perfect pavement and spectacular scenery, and we need to capitalize on that. It’s a big asset, and we could turn into a road biking mecca for the whole country, it’s an opportunity.”

Trails and access of all kinds were brought up. Maintaining cross-country ski trails, opening mountain biking routes and plowing ice skating corridors on frozen lakes were proposed as ways to increase recreational outlets. Participants said making the permitting process more flexible would allow guiding companies to broaden the range of activities they offer their clients.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates the outdoor recreation industry accounted for around 2% of the US gross domestic product in 2021. In Alaska, that share is 3.6% and is growing fast after dipping during the pandemic.

Almost 19,000 jobs in the state are linked to the outdoor industry, bringing over a billion dollars to employees.

An article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce claims a network of ten huts could bring up to 1.5 million dollars in economic activity to an area and sustain eleven jobs. 

Bertaina says she has worked with many communities and she says some trends and themes are shared, she hears the same questions in many places.

Bertaina: “How do we balance making this a place that is wonderful for our residents to live in, and also how do we balance the needs of visitors who are coming? A lot of communities are asking questions about how do we market and brand and promote ourselves as a community,  how do we share our identity with others, so that we can draw visitors, but so that it is also authentic to that sense of place and that community.”

There are also more practical matters.

Bertaina: “We are seeing a lot of conversation about how to physically connect us. How do you connect your downtown to nearby trails and outdoor recreation amenities, so that people can easily access them?” 

And concerns about inclusivity.

Bertaina: “And I think we are also seeing trends about how do we make sure everyone is part of the conversation. How do you make sure that outdoor recreation is for everyone and is benefitting everyone? So a lot of conversation around who is typically excluded, or not able to access those amenities, who is benefitting from this economy, and how do we make sure that it really is working for everyone in this community.”

Some near-term goals identified during the workshop were improving signage for the various trails in town, and maintaining them.