Water recreation seen as a regional economic tool | Business Local

But here — in the streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and reservoirs that dot the landscape — the water provides just as much relaxation and recreation as can be found on the sea.

“The beauty of recreating in Virginia’s Blue Ridge is the diversity and ease of access,” said Pete Eshelman, director of the Roanoke Outside Foundation. “The outdoors is the fabric that connects the entire region, from rural to urban.”

Creeks, rivers and lakes have long been recognized as part of that fabric, and are now being seen as a watershed for the local economy.

“We live in a truly beautiful place. Everywhere you look you see mountains, lakes, and rivers, but for the longest time we treated it like wallpaper … nice to look at but that’s about it,” Eshelman said.

“But after years of intentional place-making efforts, the region now recognizes that trails and rivers are more than dirt and water … they’re tools for economic growth.”

While talks are underway for a regional study to gauge the economic impact of outdoor recreation, there’s already plenty of anecdotal evidence that the market is growing.

Business at Twin River Outfitters, which rents canoes, kayaks, and tubes from its Buchanan location on the Upper James River, has flourished since its 2007 opening.

More recent additions include Alleghany Outdoors, which offers similar opportunities on the Jackson River, and Buffalo Mountain Adventures, where standup paddle-boarding, climbing and kayaking outings are available. A complete list can be found at www.roanokeoutside.com.

Buffalo Mountain opened in 2019, and after a slow start when the pandemic first hit has seen a growing market. In addition to rentals, the business offers guided trips, and in May opened a store in Floyd that sells gently-used gear.

“Just in the couple of weeks that we’ve been open, we’ve had plenty of people stopping by who are super interested,” owner Brittany Bonner said.

The river basins of the Dan, James, New and Roanoke rivers cover a region that includes the second-oldest river in the world (the New), the largest freshwater lake in Virginia (Smith Mountain Lake) and the second-largest municipal park in the United States (Carvins Cove Natural Preserve.)

Those and other water bodies provide a multitude of business opportunities for outfitters, gear shops and the like. But they also generate much broader spinoff benefits for the region.

“Today, more than ever, communities that are competing for the next business relocation and attracting the talent needed to grow existing and new businesses, need to differentiate themselves from competing communities, and livability is something they can control,” Eshelman said.

“For us, our outdoor story is that differentiator. A great quality of life helps with employee recruitment and retention.”

Recent recognition from national publications is helping to spread the word. A USA Today poll ranked the Roanoke River as a top urban kayaking spot, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine listed Roanoke as the best mid-sized mountain town and Travel and Leisure magazine recognized the Upper James River Water Trail as one of its 15 featured destinations worldwide for adventure travel novices.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also boosting outdoor recreation. In a survey conducted last year by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 82% of the respondents said they were looking for more outdoor places to enjoy a virus-free outing.

As more people are drawn to the region, there’s a growing effort to enhance and protect its resources.

Through the creation of Project Outside in 2020, $150,000 went to 24 regional projects, among them a new Roanoke River access at Wayside Park near Dixie Caverns and the expansion of parking lot at a popular spot on the James River in Botetourt County.

“We need to really pay attention to taking care of what we have,” Eshelman said, “so we don’t love it to death.”