As the first streaks of light touch a snowcapped Mt. Princeton in the Sawatch Range, the Arkansas River continues to churn on its eastward quest to eventually meet with the mighty Mississippi. Rafting guides can be heard rolling out of their tents, anglers are already wading their way into her rolling waters, and tourists are anxiously anticipating their 鈥淐olorado鈥� experience. The Arkansas Valley is just one example of many areas throughout Colorado that thrives, due in large part to the outdoor industry, by leveraging wild places and open spaces to bolster and diversify local economies. With President Obama signing the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act (Rec Act) in November 2016, the industry鈥檚 economic impact is now included in the national GDP. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the outdoor industry generated $374 billion in economic activity, 2% of the country鈥檚 GDP, and a total gross output of $673 billion in 2016 (U.S. Department of Commerce, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, February 14, 2018, www. bea.gov/newsreleases/industry/orsa/ orsanewsrelease.htm). In Colorado alone, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, the outdoor economy generates $28 billion in consumer spending and provides over 229,000 direct jobs (Outdoor Industry Association. 鈥淐olorado鈥檚 Outdoor Economy,鈥� outdoorindustry.org/state/colorado/).
New leaders are needed to ensure that wild lands and open space remain accessible, conserved, and managed in a sustainable way. The Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program at the University of Colorado Boulder is positioned to do just that. The MENV Graduate Program is a 17-month intensive professional master鈥檚 program that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to address complex environmental challenges of the 21st century. Through this comprehensive approach to professional education, MENV students receive a graduate degree from one of the world鈥檚 preeminent universities in environmental and natural sciences, while simultaneously gaining valuable professional experience through project-based learning, professional development workshops, and the Capstone Project.
The MENV Graduate Program prepares leaders today to help shape the conversation on the use of wild and open spaces that support the outdoor industry as it continues to grow. Students take courses in environmental science, leadership, ethics, and systems thinking, and then they track into specializations in environmental policy, sustainability planning, sustainable food systems, or renewable energy. Project-based learning provides an important opportunity for student inquiry in real-life situations. For example, the Sustainable Communities and Sustainable Livelihoods course focuses on Colorado communities whose futures are intertwined with wild places and the connection to recreation economies. Solving complex problems in rural communities means that students must understand cultural, economic, and political underpinnings. This project-based course partners with Colorado Blueprint and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Students spend the semester paired with a rural Colorado community, assisting in identifying growth opportunities in the outdoor recreation landscape and positioning communities to improve reach and impact in the marketplace that will be sustainable. Last fall MENV students were partnered with the town of Craig, a town that is currently going the process of shutting down a major coal plant and needs to find new ways to generate income. With the pristine Yampa River running at the edge of town, the community is hoping to start development of infrastructure to support commercial river rafting operations. Students also worked with Summit County, the USDA Forest Service, and other stakeholders to explore possible managing solutions to the overcrowding at Quandary Peak near Breckenridge. Working hand-in-hand with the people in the community and local leaders in industry and government, students co-developed a vision for new recreation opportunities for the town of Craig and a strategy to manage Quandary Peak鈥檚 visitors, access, and resource impact that accounts for the growing popularity of Colorado鈥檚 Fourteeners.
A hallmark of the program is the Capstone Project鈥攁 full calendar-year immersive project where students serve聽as consultants and staff in companies, organizations, or government offices. Capstone partners span a broad spectrum of organizations involved in environment, energy, and planning. Many MENV students choose to work with leading organizations in the outdoor industry and those focused on land management in the U.S. West. Over the last two years, these partners include the Outdoor Industry Association, Western Resource Advocates, the National Parks Conservation Association, Aspen Skiing Company, Vail Resorts, and The Nature Conservancy, among others. Lindsay Bourgoine of Protect Our Winters says, 鈥淧rotect Our Winters really valued serving as a Capstone partner and hosting an MENV student in 2017. As a small nonprofit, capacity challenges are very real, and it was an incredible opportunity for us to add significant capacity all while giving back and mentoring a student in the entrepreneurial environment of a young non-profit.鈥� Being able to provide students with this type of first-hand knowledge is important and a positive experience for both students and sponsoring organizations.
Altogether, the MENV Graduate Program will hone students鈥� professional skills, such as project management, stakeholder engagement, analysis, collaboration, and financial planning, which will be essential for students to hit the ground running from day one with their clients. MENV students are highly motivated graduate students, equipped with prior professional experience, who will provide innovative solutions and actionable recommendations to Capstone client organizations.
The United States is globally recognized as a leader in outdoor recreation. As a multidimensional economic sector, outdoor recreation fuels employment in other sectors, such as manufacturing, finance, retail, transportation, food service, tourism, travel, and more. In 2017, over 144 million Americans recreated in the outdoors, national parks attendance reached over 300 million visitors, and the outdoor industry showed growth at a staggering level (Outdoor Industry Association. 2017 Participation Report, ). The national outdoor industry grew at 3.8% rate, compared to the overall U.S. economy鈥檚 2.8% growth, in 2016. Further, the industry accounted for 7.6 million jobs and an estimated $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue, as well as $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue (Outdoor Industry Association. The Outdoor Recreation Economy, 2017 report, . org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/OIA_ RecEconomy_FINAL_Single.pdf).
The outdoor industry is not just for guides and outfitters. It is an industry that blends the worlds of product development, tech, land management, billion-dollar retailers, and the list goes on. In order for this industry to grow to its potential, it needs leaders that understand how to talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk. As communities invest in outdoor infrastructure that attracts employers and active workforces, those communities may thrive economically and socially, but new economies bring challenges and changes to the places where we love to play and the brands that we associate with recreation. We need leaders who are ready and willing to tackle issues that cut across business, policy, and stewardship. The MENV Graduate Program at the University of Colorado is helping blaze that trail to develop the next generation of leaders in the outdoor industry