Mountain Biking and its Repercussion on Oregon

Associate Professor Jeff McNamee of the Health, Human Performance and Athletics Department, will be looking at the economic impact of mountain biking in Oregon. McNamee will be conducting this project in partnership with exercise sport and science majors Kadin Hashimoto and Katie Main. 

Oregon's rural communities, particularly the communities that once relied on timber revenues, are seeking new business models to sustain themselves. Many of the communities have looked to the reaction industry and its diversity of activities to drive business growth and create jobs.

The group will focus on Oakridge, Oregon which was once a booming "timber town" and repositioned itself as an adventure tourism destination with mountain biking taking center stage. Jeff will be working with his students to develop systematic data collection initiatives for economic development agencies and tourism organizations to demonstrate the impact for stakeholder's and policy makers.