Outdoor recreation is the future, but are we ready?

Outdoor recreation is the wave of the future. While hunting and fishing is barely holding its own, visitation and recreation at our state parks is up. The 2.255 million visits last year set a record for the second straight year. In the first six months of this year, visitation was up 21 percent over the same period in 2014. Current visitation is over three times what it was in 2000.

People all over the country are flocking to the great outdoors for their recreation, whether it is hiking, trail running, mountain biking, camping, bird and wild animal watching, mountain climbing, or enjoying heri...