Communities

Vermont Community Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) Toolkit

Bicycles parked outside a brick building with an open sign and outdoor seating.

SE Group, in collaboration with Headwaters Economics, partnered with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing and the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) to develop the Vermont Community Outdoor Recreation Economy Toolkit (CORE Toolkit). The project created a practical, scalable set of tools that helps Vermont communities understand and measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation. Through a stakeholder driven process and pilot testing in five communities, the project produced a web-based toolkit and interactive data platform that supports local planning, investment decisions, and grant applications tied to outdoor recreation development.

Why This Project Matters

Across Vermont, rural communities are increasingly turning to outdoor recreation as a strategy to support economic vitality while enhancing quality of life. Trails, rivers, forests, and recreation amenities attract visitors, support local businesses, and create healthier communities. State leaders recognized that local officials and community organizations needed better tools to quantify these benefits and make informed decisions about recreation investments. The CORE Toolkit helps communities better understand how recreation assets contribute to economic activity, community wellbeing, and long-term resilience.

The Challenge

While many Vermont communities recognize the importance of outdoor recreation, few have access to locally-actionable data on the economics of the outdoors. State-level data, while a useful “conversation starter” about the outdoor economy, wasn’t providing the necessary insights for ground-level planning, investment, and coordination. Local leaders needed an accessible way to evaluate their outdoor economy, understand connections between recreation and local businesses, and build stronger cases for funding and infrastructure investments. The challenge was to create a toolkit that was technically robust yet simple enough for communities with varying levels of data capacity to use effectively.

Metal figures near a wooden gazebo and a sign in a grassy park setting.

SE Group’s Role

SE Group led the planning and stakeholder engagement process that shaped the development of the CORE Toolkit. Working closely with state agencies, regional partners, and pilot communities, the team identified the key questions local leaders needed to answer about their recreation economies.

SE Group collaborated with Headwaters Economics, who developed the interactive data dashboard, supported economic data interpretation, and led the website build. Together, the project team designed a framework that helps communities analyze their outdoor economy through the lenses of People, Place, and Commerce.

Five pilot communities tested early versions of the tools and provided feedback that helped refine the final toolkit. The resulting platform allows communities to explore recreation data, estimate economic impacts of key assets, and understand how recreation investments influence broader community outcomes such as public health, local business activity, and resident quality of life.

Deliverables

Vermont Community Outdoor Recreation Economy Toolkit
Web-based platform and interactive data dashboard
Economic impact calculator for recreation assets
Step by step guidance for assessing local recreation economies
Pilot community testing and stakeholder engagement process
Implementation guidance for communities and regional partners

Impact

The CORE Toolkit provides Vermont communities with a powerful new resource for understanding and strengthening their outdoor recreation economies. By combining accessible data tools with practical guidance, the toolkit allows local leaders to evaluate recreation assets, support strategic planning, and make stronger cases for funding and infrastructure investments. Communities are already using the toolkit to inform grant applications, budget planning, and long-term recreation development strategies across the state.