The Economic Impact of Echo Red 2 Red: A Mountain Biking Event

The Keck Summer Collaborative Research Program provides opportunities for Linfield College students and faculty to conduct research on issues related to the Pacific Northwest, and to bring the research findings back into the classroom within the subsequent academic year. Students partner with faculty to conduct research and present their work to other students, Linfield staff and faculty, and community members during a series of brown bag lunches. Katie Main and Kadin Hashimoto conducted research with Jeff McNamee and gave this presentation during the summer of 2012. Many studies have evaluated the benefits of trails noting improvements in health and fitness, environmental preservation, community development, and housing and property values. Mountain biking, one of the many activities that requires the use of trails, is quickly becoming a popular sport within the United States and beyond. Due to the potential economic benefits of trails and the scrutiny under which the federal funding for trails now finds itself, the current project aimed to quantify the economic effects of mountain biking events in Oregon. A survey aimed at examining the expenditures made by visitors to the Echo Red 2 Red event in March 2012 was sent out to participants. There were 527 participants in the event and 161 respondents to the survey. The MGM2 model was used to analyze the data generated from the survey. Notable results include that visitors who stayed overnight spent, on average, $140, while those who made a day trip to the area spent $30. Visitors had an average age of 40 and reported higher levels of education and income. The total economic impact of the event was $62,000. While this estimate does not seem significant, it has promising implications for future events, especially for rural areas. Limitations include survey recall error, the response rate of 30%, and the potential errors associated with the MGM2 model