Walker County, AL
Walker County is a county in Alabama northwest of Birmingham with a population of just under 65,000 people. Jasper, AL is the largest city in the county with a population of around 14,000.
Walker Area Community Foundation
The Walker Area Community Foundation is a nonprofit grant-making foundation dedicated to the improving the lives of Walker County residents. The organization is currently partnering with the University of Alabama business school to create a grant proposal for the development of an outdoor recreation economy (ORE) in Walker County. The WACF has a goal of securing $35 million in funding for this project.
Outdoor Recreation Economies
Outdoor recreation is a big economic driver for the United States, currently generating over 7 million jobs and offering a higher quality of life. Outdoor recreation economies include a variety of activities such as camping, fishing, hunting, motorcycling, off-roading, snow sports, trail sports, water sports, wheel sports, wildlife viewers, and more. Consumers spend $887 billion annually on outdoor recreation activities. The state of Alabama is currently falling behind on the outdoor recreation front despite its abundance of natural resources. Through this grant proposal, Walker County hopes to secure funding to begin development of an ORE in Alabama.
Our Job
The goal of our work is to address minority concerns when planning, building, and operating an ORE in this area. We aim to discover, assess and present evidence that will be useful in writing a grant proposal by allowing a thorough examination and discussion of the issues related to minority use or perception of any ORE in the Walker County area.
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To read more about our work, check out our