SUMMER FUN INDEX. Counting the ways we enjoy. clean water

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1 SUMMER FUN Counting the ways we enjoy INDEX clean water SUMMER 2015

2 THE SUMMER FUN INDEX: Counting the Ways We Enjoy Clean Water John Rumpler, Environment America Research & Policy Center Acknowledgments Special thanks to Environment America Research & Policy Center summer interns Diane Prend and Hillel Maroun, whose hours of research and have been indispensable to this project. We also appreciate Harriet Eckstein for her creative ideas for graphic presentation of the Summer Fun Index data. The findings of the Summer Fun Index are based on publicly available data from state and federal agencies. The authors are responsible for any analytical errors but can make no warranty for the accuracy of the underlying data. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of our funders or those who provided review Environment America Research & Policy Center Environment America Research & Policy Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are dedicated to protecting America s air, water and open spaces. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public and decision makers, and help Americans make their voices heard in local, state and national debates over the quality of our environment and our lives. For more information about Environment America Research & Policy Center or for additional copies of this report, please visit Design: Harriet Eckstein Graphic Design Cover photos (clockwise from top left): Rafting, Washington Bureau of Land Management, Flickr; Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico Bureau of Land Management; Lake Superior, WI, Randen Pederson; Napali, Hawaii, Todd Wiggins; Little Juanita River, PA, Chesapeake Bay Program; Sandy Point State Park, MD, Chesapeake Bay Program; Florida, Samual King, Jr., Flickr

3 THE SUMMER FUN INDEX: Counting the Ways We Enjoy Clean Water Written by John Rumpler, Environment America Research & Policy Center Summer 2015 The 2015 Summer Fun Index Clean water is at the heart of summertime fun for millions of Americans. We swim at a favorite beach, fish in a nearby creek, sail or kayak on the bay, or simply hike along a beautiful lake or stream. In short, the summer reminds us that America s waterways are vital to our quality of life. We should be doing everything we can to protect them. As the summer draws to a close, Environment America Research & Policy Center s second annual Summer Fun Index provides a numerical snapshot of people engaging in water activities. And this year, we have a special reason to celebrate: on August 28th, the Environmental Protection Agency s new Clean Water Rule goes into effect helping to ensure that all our waters are safe for swimming and fishing by restoring Clean Water Act protections to thousands of waterways across the country. Findings Across 28 states surveyed, there were 486,838,192 visitors to state and national parks 1 with waterways. In addition, we found nearly 2,000 summer camps where the next generation of young American children is learning to swim, fish, sail, or paddle a boat. Moreover, the latest data show 16,953,565 Americans have licenses to fish and 7,863,337 registered boats in these states alone. State & national parks* 2,201 with waterways Visitors to state & national 486,838,192 parks* with waterways Summer camps offering 1,975 water activities Licensed fishers 16,953,565 Registered boats 7,863,337 * For purposes of this report national parks includes a variety of types of national park units. Of course, not all these clean water activities are equally distributed. Some states are clear leaders in offering certain types of summer fun activities. From the placid lakes of upstate New York to the Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon 1

4 visitors to state & national parks with waterways Ca 91,515,392 Recreational fishing is an iconic American pastime. There are even organizations devoted to particular types of fishing. Across the nation, the five states with the greatest number of licensed fishers are California, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, and Wisconsin. On a per capita basis, states of the northwest Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Minnesota, and Idaho dominate the realm of the rod and reel. Of course, the fishing is always better when the water is clean and the fish are safe to eat. ny 51,290,698 or 44,213,006 pa 40,467,784 il 37,938,145 to the roaring surf of the California coast, millions of Americans flock to state and national parks with waterways every year. Here we show the five states surveyed with the most visitors to parks with water both numerically and on a per capita basis. Summer camps offer many children a chance to experience new water activities paddling a canoe, rafting down a river, or learning to swim. California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin are the states with the most summer camps offering water activities of those surveyed. On a per capita basis, however, the smaller states of New England dominate the summer camp scene with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island all among the top five. 2 top states visitors per Capita to state & national parks with waterways oregon Delaware Montana washington Maine Sailing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, rowing, waterskiing and more perhaps nothing speaks to the diverse ways in which we seek fun on the water as the myriad activities involving watercraft of one kind or another. Nationally, the top five states for registered boats are Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, California, and Wisconsin. On a per capita basis, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Maine, and Michigan win the boating regatta. Of course the number of boats is just one measure of how much we love to be out on the water. Researchers at the Outdoor Foundation and Coleman Company, Inc. calculated that kayakers made 99.9 million outings and canoers dipped their paddles in the water 74.1 million times in 2012 alone. 2 summer camps with water activities Summer Camps wi Wisconsin 102 FL Florida 127 pa Pennsylvania 132 NY New York 197 ca California 228

5 Top boating STaTeS Surveyed Registered boats FL Mn Mi Ca Wi 873, , , , , Registered boats (thousands) Clean Water Act protection has been essential for the restoration of countless waterways across the United States, and the Act remains a critical tool for confronting several of today s major threats to our waterways including runoff pollution from development and the direct dumping of pollution from industrial facilities and sewage treatment plants. However, these waterways are only as clean as the water that flows into them, and therefore the EPA s Clean Water Rule closes loopholes and further protects streams, tributaries, and other connected waterways that feed the water sources that Americans so avidly use. All of these summer fun activities swimming, fishing, and boating depend on clean water. Yet without adequate protection, our waters become plagued by pollution. Pathogens and bacteria make our beaches unsafe for swimming. Toxics make fish unsafe for eating. Algal blooms threaten our health and dead zones strip the life from our vibrant waterways. So if we want to enjoy fun on the water next summer and beyond, we ll need to take decisive action to protect clean water from polluters. On May 27th, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers finalized the Clean Water Rule which restores the Act s protections to thousands of waterways across the nation. This new Clean Water Rule will go into effect on August 28th a terrific way to end the summer. Top Fishing states surveyed Fishing licenses issued Policy Recommendations Every year, millions of Americans enjoy their summer fun in and around our rivers, lakes, bays, and streams. That might help explain why Congress declared that all of our waterways should be safe for fishing and swimming when it passed the Clean Water Act in Ca California 1,651,053 TX Mn FL Wi Texas 1,643,377 Minnesota 1,418,995 Florida 1,388,124 Wisconsin 1,366,345 3

6 In addition, state and federal enforcement of clean water laws must be strengthened in several ways, including: Requiring that all facilities that threaten our waters with pollution including factory farms are issued permits with stringent, enforceable standards sufficient to protect our rivers, lakes, and streams; Enforcing the law with penalties swift, certain, and severe enough that it no longer pays to pollute; Rejecting applications to pave over or otherwise degrade our wetlands, which provide vital wildlife habitat and filter out pollutants; Establishing numeric pollution limits and enforceable clean up plans for all waters too polluted for swimming, fishing, or supporting fish and wildlife; Protecting pristine waters with special Clean Water Act designations that bar new sources of pollution; and Ensuring that communities have the tools and the resources to prevent runoff pollution and end sewage overflows. With these measures, we can ensure that our waters are safe for swimming, fishing, and boating next summer and for generations to come. Methodology To derive the number of national parks with waterways in each state, we referred to the state lists available on the National Park Service website ( nps.gov/findapark/index.htm). Based on the brief summary of each national park and additional Internet research, we determined whether there was a lake, river, stream, wetland, or beach located in each park. We compiled lists for each state and counted up the parks with waterways. We did not include national trails because they cross through multiple states and we did not want to count them multiple times for each state. We also did not include historical sites, memorials, or monuments if the main reason for attendance involved historical or cultural experiences. For example, we did not count homes of past presidents even if there was a stream running through the property. To calculate the number of visitors to each national park with a waterway, we referred to the Visitor Use Statistics available on the National Park service website ( We looked up the 2014 visitor data for each park on our list and added the values to get the total national park visitors per state. Our values underestimate the total visitor numbers because the data was not available for each of the parks on our list. To derive the number of state parks with waterways, we referred to each state s respective parks division website. We read through the summaries of each state park to determine whether there was a lake, river, stream, wetland, or beach located within the park. We compiled lists for each state and counted up the parks with waterways. We counted parks with water activities, like fishing and boating, available. We anticipate our numbers are slight underestimates because it was difficult to determine which parks had hiking trails along streams or scenic views of water bodies or other ways to enjoy our waters. We took the sum of this value and the number of national parks per state to get the combined total of state and national parks per state. Very few state park divisions have visitor data available online. Thus, to calculate state park visitor numbers we had to contact the respective state parks divisions to request the 2014 park-by-park visitor data. We added up the values for all of the parks on our state lists to get the total number of state park visitors. Our values underestimate the total visitor numbers because the data was not available for each of the state parks on 4

7 our lists. We were unable to get park visitor data for Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Ohio. We took the sum of this value and the number of national park visitors to get the combined total of state and national park visitors per state. To derive the number of summer camps offering water activities in each state, we referred to the My Summer Camps website ( We performed statewide searches of camps using the different activity filters including canoeing, kayaking, sailing, surfing, fishing, etc. We compiled lists of camps for each state and counted them up to get the total number of summer camps with water activities. We were careful not to double count camps unless they had multiple locations within the state. The number of registered boats per state was taken from the U.S. Coast Guard s 2014 Recreational Boating Statistics report ( statistics/accident_statistics.php). Table 38 provides recreational vessel registration data by state. Many states on this table only require motorboats and sail boats to be registered. Thus our data underestimates the number of canoes, kayaks, and other non-motorized recreational boats per state. The number of paid fishing license holders per state was taken from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Fishing License Report ( fws.gov/subpages/licenseinfo/fishing.htm). We had to contact the agency in order to get the 2014 report. Notes 1. For purposes of this report national parks includes a variety of types of national park units. 2. The Outdoor Foundation and Coleman Company, Inc Special Report on Paddlesports org/resource/resmgr/general-documents/researchpaddlesports2013.pdf 5

8 California Summer Fun Index In California, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy California s beaches, rivers, and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 214 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 91,515,392 Summer camps offering water activities 228 Licensed fishers 1,651,053 Registered boats 728,679 Photo by Bryant Murkhardt California ranks #1 for visitors to parks with waterways, summer camps with water activities, and licensed fishers, out of 28 states surveyed.

9 Colorado Summer Fun Index In Colorado, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Colorado s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 44 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 16,158,103 Summer camps offering water activities 88 Licensed fishers 662,601 Registered boats 83,683 We run about 8,000 folks on the river each year. Geoff Olson, owner of BlueSky Adventures In Glenwood Springs, Colorado. tinyurl.com/envcovideo

10 Photo by CT Corps New England Connecticut Summer Fun Index In Connecticut, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Long Island Sound and Connecticut s other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 76 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 7,474,650 Summer camps offering water activities 32 Licensed fishers 153,596 Registered boats 99,658

11 Photo by Jim Pennucci Delaware Summer Fun Index In Delaware, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Delaware s shore and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 12 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 4,854,451 Summer camps offering water activities 7 Licensed fishers 82,412 Registered boats 59,337 Delaware ranks 2nd for visitors to parks with waterways on a per capita basis, out of 28 states surveyed

12 Samuel King, Jr. Florida Summer Fun Index In Florida, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Florida s coast and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 149 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 37,664,276 Summer camps offering water activities 127 Licensed fishers 1,388,124 Registered boats 873,507 Florida ranks 1st for boats, and is in the top 5 states for fishing and summer camps with water activities, out of 28 states surveyed.

13 Hawaii Summer Fun Index In Hawaii, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Hawaii waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 41 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 3,458,269 Summer camps offering water activities 17 Licensed fishers 1,994 Registered boats 12,033 Photo by Todd Wiggins

14 Illinois Summer Fun Index In Illinois, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people in Illinois enjoy Lake Michigan, our rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 112 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 37,938,145 Summer camps offering water activities 26 Licensed fishers 721,671 Registered boats 274,906 Illinois ranks 5th for visitors to parks with waterways, out of 28 states surveyed.

15 Iowa Summer Fun Index In Iowa, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Iowa s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 69 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 14,317,288 Summer camps offering water activities 22 Licensed fishers 359,767 Registered boats 221,939

16 Maine Summer Fun Index In Maine, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Maine s beaches, rivers, lakes, and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 70 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 4,348,097 Summer camps offering water activities 94 Licensed fishers 268,468 Registered boats 106,328 Maine ranks #1 for summer camps and in the top 5 states for boating and visitors to parks with waterways, on a per capita basis out of 28 states surveyed

17 Photo courtesy of Chesapeak Bay Program Maryland Summer Fun Index In Maryland, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people in Maryland enjoy the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 55 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 16,442,720 Summer camps offering water activities 51 Licensed fishers 278,349 Registered boats 178,573

18 Massachusetts Summer Fun Index In Massachusetts, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people in Massachusetts enjoy the Cape Cod seashore, the Charles River, and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 133 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 5,103,239 Summer camps offering water activities 67 Licensed fishers 198,182 Registered boats 135,750

19 Michigan Summer Fun Index In Michigan, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people in Michigan enjoy the Great Lakes and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 99 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 9,513,361 Summer camps offering water activities 95 Licensed fishers 1,081,946 Registered boats 789,458 Michigan ranks 3rd for boating out of 28 states surveyed. Photo courtesy of Innisfree Hotels

20 Minnesota Summer Fun Index In Minnesota, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people in Minnesota enjoy our lakes, rivers, and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 71 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 9,464,367 Summer camps offering water activities 83 Licensed fishers 1,418,995 Registered boats 809,292 Photo by Joanna Gilkeson USFWS Minnesota ranks in the top 5 states for number of licensed fishers and registered boats.

21 Montana Summer Fun Index In Montana, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Montana s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. Photo by Marcus Storm State & national parks* with waterways 41 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 4,371,041 Summer camps offering water activities 20 Licensed fishers 363,175 Registered boats 47,427 Montana ranks among the top 5 states for fishing, visitors to parks with waterways, and summer camps with water activities, on a per capita basis out of 28 states surveyed.

22 NV Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Summer Fun Index In Nevada, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Nevada waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 15 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 1,915,662 Summer camps offering water activities 9 Licensed fishers 119,159 Registered boats 44,196

23 Andrew Malone New Hampshire Summer Fun Index In New Hampshire, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy New Hampshire s lakes and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 43 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 337,989 Summer camps offering water activities 44 Licensed fishers 151,141 Registered boats 92,258 New Hampshire ranks 3rd for summer camps with water activities on a per capita basis out of 28 states surveyed.

24 New Jersey Summer Fun Index In New Jersey, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s people enjoy the Jersey Shore and our other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 39 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 11,157,165 Summer camps offering water activities 53 Licensed fishers 173,790 Registered boats 152,889

25 Photo courtesy of New Mexico Bureau of Land Manaagement New Mexico Summer Fun Index In New Mexico, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy New Mexico s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 24 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 3,619,214 Summer camps offering water activities 10 Licensed fishers 183,265 Registered boats 34,647

26 Photo by Rand Snyder New York Summer Fun Index In New York, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy the Finger Lakes, the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and New York s other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 164 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 51,290,698 Summer camps offering water activities 197 Licensed fishers 963,413 Registered boats 451,862 New York ranks 2nd for visitors to parks with waterways and 2nd for summer camps with water activities, out of 28 states surveyed.

27 Photo by Michael Pierce Ohio Summer Fun Index In Ohio, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Lake Erie, Ohio s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 73 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 2,189,849 Summer camps offering water activities 107 Licensed fishers 739,616 Registered boats 459,778

28 Photo by Thomas George Photograp1hy Oregon Summer Fun Index In Oregon, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Oregon s rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 170 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 44,213,006 Summer camps offering water activities 75 Licensed fishers 606,376 Registered boats 163,358 Oregon is #1 for visitors to parks with waterways on a per capita basis out of 28 states surveyed.

29 Pennsylvania Summer Fun Index In Pennsylvania, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Pennsylvania s rivers, streams, and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 110 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 40,467,784 Summer camps offering water activities 132 Licensed fishers 985,335 Registered boats 322,195 Pennsylvania ranks 4th for visitors to parks with waterways and summer camps with water activities, out of 28 states surveyed.

30 Rhode Island Summer Fun Index In Rhode Island, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island s other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 18 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 1,672,888 Summer camps offering water activities 21 Licensed fishers 23,999 Registered boats 36,291 Rhode Island ranks 5th for summer camps with water activities out of 28 states surveyed, on a per capita basis. Julian Colton

31 Texas Summer Fun Index In Texas, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Texas rivers and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 81 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 10,145,223 Summer camps offering water activities 93 Licensed fishers 1,643,377 Registered boats 566,897 Texas ranks 2nd in the nation for number of licensed fishers.

32 Putneypics Vermont Summer Fun Index In Vermont, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Lake Champlain and Vermont s other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 47 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 890,829 Summer camps offering water activities 39 Licensed fishers 115,838 Registered boats 27,861 Vermont ranks 2nd for summer camps with water activities out of 28 states surveyed, on a per capita basis.

33 Virginia Summer Fun Index In Virginia, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Virginia s rivers, streams and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 38 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 12,539,304 Summer camps offering water activities 57 Licensed fishers 563,647 Registered boats 236,521 Photo by Rob Shank Virginia, where we row, has beautiful rivers. Tom O Rourke, executive director and head coach of River City Crew, a non-profit youth rowing program. videos/ /

34 WA Bureau of Land Management Washington Summer Fun Index In Washington, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Puget Sound and Washington s other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 117 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 29,253,956 Summer camps offering water activities 79 Licensed fishers 687,931 Registered boats 226,662 Washington ranks 4th for visitors to parks with waterways, out of 28 states surveyed, on a per capita basis.

35 Wisconsin Summer Fun Index In Wisconsin, summer fun means swimming, fishing, boating, or just relaxing by the water. Here s how people enjoy Wisconsin s lakes and other waterways, by the numbers. State & national parks* with waterways 76 Visitors to state & national parks* with waterways 14,521,226 Summer camps offering water activities 102 Licensed fishers 1,366,345 Registered boats 627,352 Wisconsin ranks 5th in the nation for number of licensed fishers and registered boats, and 5th for summer camps with water activities, out of 28 states surveyed. Photo by Randen Peerson