SALT LAKE CITY -- Biking, hiking, camping and skiing add up to more than pocket change.

The Outdoor Industry Association said outdoor recreation is worth $730 billion a year to the U.S. economy, from the birder who buys binoculars to the accountant who reviews the books at big retailers.

The study was released Friday during a trade show at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

"I know the importance. My goodness, it's everywhere," said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who oversees the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, public lands that draw millions of users.

The former Idaho governor attended the news conference and toured the trade show, which has more than 1,000 exhibitors pitching backpacks, tents, canoes, energy bars, clothes and countless gadgets.

The president of Recreation Equipment Inc., known as REI, said a report on the industry's economic impact is important when dealing with policymakers at all levels of government.

"There is an assumption that we're just granola-crunching environmentalists," Sally Jewell said. "We haven't made a good case about the business. When we bring it closer to home, it resonates."

The report was written by Rob Southwick of Southwick Associates, a Florida firm that specializes in the economics of outdoor activities. He took results from 14,000 surveys by Harris Interactive and 52,000 surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau and adjusted them for the general U.S. population.

The $730 billion figure, he said, represents the ripple effect of spending on bicycling, camping, fishing, hunting, paddling, snow sports, hiking and wildlife viewing.

A person spends $61 on an average day trip, $115 on an average overnight trip and $185 a year for equipment, said Southwick, who got technical support from professors at four universities.

The recreation economy supports 6.5 million U.S. jobs and generates $88 billion a year in state and federal taxes, Southwick said.

"If you're concerned about the economic health of this country, go play," he said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.