Outdoor activities are increasingly popular across the United States, and the Chilkat Valley is no exception. A wide variety of outdoor activities are available: Cross-country skiing, backpacking, backcountry skiing, hiking, bird watching, kayaking, wild ice skating, snowmachine terrain, fishing, hunting, foraging and just marveling at the pristine wilderness. HEDC is seeking to grow the outdoor recreation economy for locals and visitors in the “Adventure Capital of Alaska’, while investing in our main streets and conserving forests and natural lands. Encouraging growth on main streets while promoting outdoor recreation can help foster community revitalization, protect air and water quality, create jobs and support economic diversification, and offer new opportunities for people to connect with the natural world.
See our video:
Read more on how the Recreation Economy for Haines Alaska came to be: Recreation Economy for Rural Communities | US EPA
Slides from the workshop held in Haines in March 2023