OutdoorNebraska

40 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 5 S TAT E W I D E C O M P R E H E N S I V E O U T D O O R R E C R E AT I O N P L A N Comparison of Data from 2016 to 2020 Comparing the results from 2016 and present, public recreational land and water acres can give a good idea of the trends occurring over time for each type of recreational provider. Overall, some regions of the state are losing recreation acres, whereas others are gaining them. Regions 2 through 5 gained land and water acres. Several factors may contribute to this, such as the shift in management within an area or providers adding additional acres to outdoor recreation as discussed above in the Public Recreation Lands and Water section. When comparing the number of acres per person to the last SCORP, subtle changes occurred in every region except Region 4. This is largely due to the additional federal acres in this region. Outdoor recreation enhances the quality of life for its users, such as providing areas of solitude and places to exercise, or the opportunity to bond with others that share similar interests; and it's clear that our federal providers see this as an important aspect to continue offering. The following sections will discuss community recreation trails, and the role wetlands play in outdoor recreation planning. Community Recreation It is also important to document the number and types of outdoor recreation amenities within communities to see how recreation is dispersed throughout the state, because these amenities can differ depending on the SCORP region. The Community Outdoor Recreation Questionnaire was sent to every community in the state to inventory the supply of outdoor recreation in terms of acres and facilities provided. Keep in mind that although every community was sent a survey, not every community returned one. NGPC did have an 87% return rate. Table 3.3 shows the results of this analysis by region. First, it asked how many outdoor recreation acres exist within the community. Every region had over 1,000 acres except North Central and West, which could be due to fewer communities and smaller populations in these regions. For clarification, ballfields include baseball and softball fields, and sport courts include tennis, basketball, volleyball, and multipurpose courts. Some of these regions do not have amenities that other regions possess, which could be due to funding or user preferences within those regions. For example, every region except North Central has at least one skateboard park. The North Central and Southwest regions do not have a water park, and the West region is the only region that doesn't have a splash pad. North Central is the only region without an archery range. Nonetheless, communities can use this table to help them identify what amenities their region has and how they compare to other regions in the state. Keeping an up-to-date inventory of recreational amenities in your community can help future planning efforts. Jumping in the pool at Chadron State Park. (Dawes County)

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