Nine Mile Recreation Area fuels $3.3M economic boost in Marathon County

From skiing and biking to hiking and snowshoeing, Nine Mile Recreation Area has long been a favorite destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

Now, a new report reveals the economic impact of those activities: more than $3.3 million contributed to the local economy in 2023 alone.

Nine Mile is one of five outdoor destinations featured in the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation’s pilot program, the Do-It-Yourself Economic Impact Report.

The program, launched in 2024, helps communities quantify the value of their outdoor recreation assets, empowering them to advocate for future investments. Collectively, the five sites studied — including Nine Mile, the City of Eau Claire’s paved trail system, and Dodge County’s Horicon Marsh — generated $27.3 million for local economies.

Through a nine-month process, five teams made up of local governments, tourism bureaus and nonprofits worked with The Harbinger Consultancy to collect and analyze data, ultimately producing detailed economic impact reports.

Cassie Mordini, director of the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, spoke with WPR’s Shereen Siewert about the report and the message it sends to residents and decision makers.

“Outdoor recreation is big business in Wisconsin, both at the state level and in our local communities,” Mordini told Siewert, on “Morning Edition.” “It’s a powerful tool that drives local economic impact and helps foster vibrant communities. It’s definitely worth the investment, and it’s worth taking the time to step outside, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the experience.”

The Office of Outdoor Recreation has also published a guide to help other stakeholders replicate the success of this pilot program. The guide provides insights on topics like developing a framework for visitor research, methods for counting visitors, conducting surveys, accessing secondary data and more.

The following interview was edited for brevity and clarity.  

Shereen Siewert: What is the Do-It-Yourself Economic Impact Report program and how does it work? 

Cassie Mordini: One of the top questions we get from outdoor recreation stakeholders is: How much does outdoor recreation contribute to our local economy in Wisconsin?

We know it’s an economic driver, contributing $11.2 billion to Wisconsin’s gross domestic product in 2020. That data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. However, it doesn’t provide detailed insights beyond the state level, so communities often don’t know how it contributes specifically to their local economy.

Our stakeholders have been looking for ways to calculate and understand this economic activity in their own areas. Often, the way to do this is by hiring an economist, but that isn’t always a cost-effective option for smaller communities or organizations.

The great thing about the program we developed is that we were able to hire a consultant to guide several communities and organizations through the process. This included helping them understand what data they needed to calculate economic impact, where to find that data — whether it already exists or needs to be collected via surveys, trail counts, or similar methods — and how to analyze and process it to determine the economic figures they were seeking. 

SS: What does this report suggest about the value of investing in outdoor recreation infrastructure in Wisconsin communities? 

CM: That’s a question we hear often. Many people think outdoor recreation is just something that’s nice to have. When a community or organization is building a case to support something like a trail system or a boat launch, the question that often comes up is, what’s the return on investment?

To answer that, we look at who is using the recreational facilities, how they’re moving around the community, and how they’re spending their money while they’re there. These studies focus on visitation, visitor spending, and how that spending circulates through the economy after the initial direct expenditure. 

SS: How does outdoor recreation’s economic impact go beyond just the dollar figure, such as in creating jobs or improving community health? 

CM: We know that outdoor recreation contributes to thriving communities and overall community well-being. These spaces bring people together, whether through events hosted there — like the several held annually at Nine Mile — or through the sense of connection they foster.

These events not only attract visitors but also unite the local community through volunteer efforts, organizing activities and maintaining the trails. Many people are involved through user groups and clubs, such as the Mountain Biking Coalition or the Nordic Ski Group, which help maintain the trails and create a sense of pride in the community.

Additionally, access to outdoor recreation promotes active, healthy lifestyles and contributes to personal health and well-being. 

SS: What role do local partnerships play in the success of places like Nine Mile? 

CM: Partnerships are key to bringing any place to life and creating community synergy because everyone has an important role to play. In this case, the county parks are responsible for owning and providing access to Nine Mile Forest.

However, nonprofit clubs and groups play a key role by hosting events that activate the space and engage the local community. Organizations like Visit Wausau, a destination marketing group, help share the story on a larger scale by marketing the area to a broader audience.

This brings in visitors from outside the community to enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities, explore the surrounding area and contribute to the local economy by spending money during their visit. 

SS: Obviously, this kind of report is very significant to the people of Marathon County and the Wausau area. How can other communities in Wisconsin learn from this report to better understand and leverage their own outdoor recreation assets? 

CM: That’s a great question and one that people often don’t consider. If you can find a community in another part of the country or state that is similar to yours and has conducted a study of an area like yours, it’s absolutely worth pointing to as an example.

For instance, you could say, “Look at what’s happening in Wausau. Their community is similar in size and makeup to ours. They have a forest like we do, and here are all the activities they host there and the economic impact it generates.”

By using their model, you can compare what’s similar and what’s different, giving you a good estimate of your own community’s potential impact if you implement something similar. 

SS: What are the next steps for the pilot program? Do you have plans to expand it or refine it in the future? 

CM: Yes, we’re happy to say it was definitely a success. The teams that participated were thrilled with the experience. We also learned a few things along the way, so we’re gathering their final feedback and planning to make a few minor adjustments to the program. We hope to offer it again in the future — stay tuned! 

If you have an idea about something in central Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at central@wpr.org.