Audubon Arizona commissioned a study of outdoor recreational activity on or along the water to estimate the level of participation in the state and the contributions from these activities to the county and state economies.

One of the motivations for this research effort was to update and expand upon previous research evaluating the economic contributions of outdoor recreation along the Colorado River and its tributaries (Southwick Associates, 2012). Arizona was one of the six states included in that effort. In the prior study, statewide estimated participation and the proportion of participation among the statewide adult population was reported. To provide a comparative measure, we report similar metrics in this report which reflect participation among Arizona residents only. Arizona’s outdoor recreational community includes both state residents as well as those who travel to the state to enjoy all that the state has to offer. All economic contributions include activity-related spending by both residents and non-residents.