Statement of Tom R Davenport,

Business Manager for Mt Rogers Outfitters

For The Committee on Agriculture

Regarding H.R. 1011, the *Virginia Ridge and Valley Act*

September 27, 2007

Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Goodlatte and members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to express my views as a
businessperson on H. R. 1011, the *Virginia Ridge and Valley Act*,
introduced by Representative Rick Boucher.

I am the business manager for Mt Rogers Outfitters, an outdoor
recreation retail establishment focused primarily on the backpacking and
hiking segment of the market.

I am a relative newcomer to the retail industry; the first 25 years of
my career were in manufacturing management.

I am pleased now to be a part of a growing sector of the U. S. economy
rather than a declining one. Nationwide the outdoor recreation retail
industry generates \$289 billion annually in retail sales and services.
This makes outdoor recreation retailing big business, exceeding the
sales contributions of several economic sectors, including
pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing; automobile and light truck
manufacturing; power generation and supply; securities, commodity
contracts, and investing; legal services; and the motion picture and
video industry.

Outdoor recreation retailing is also big business in the southeast. Of
nine geographic census divisions in the U. S., the South Atlantic
Region, which includes Virginia, generates more active outdoor
recreation sales than any other, followed by the Pacific Region. In our
region the industry generates \$51.3 billion in retail sales annually
and supports nearly 800,000 jobs.

One significant feature about our industry is that you do not have to be
a big operator to participate. It does, however, require a fair measure
of entrepreneurial talent, and it requires a significant natural
resource attraction.

Our business is a small operation. We are located in Damascus, VA, a
small community (population 981) surrounded on three sides by National
Forest lands. Our business was the first outdoor retail business in
Damascus, founded in 1991 by Dave Patrick, who, the previous year, was
the first person from the area to complete a thru hike of the
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT). The Appalachian Trail, in fact,
follows a course down the main street of Damascus and on the sidewalk in
front of our store.

Long distance hikers and backpacking enthusiasts recognize the area
around Damascus as an outstanding backpacking venue. The June, 2006
edition of *Backpacker Magazine* highlighted the section of the AT from
Grayson Highlands to Damascus as the best weekend hike on the entire AT.
The article refers to our store as "the ATs top hiking store". Last
year, the Wall Street Journal ran a feature about the "Trail Days"
festival in Damascus, an event that draws maybe 20,000 people to our
small town for a reunion and celebration of the hiking adventure.

The economy of the town of Damascus is highly dependent on the National
Forest and the natural resources and scenic quality of the area. We do
have one light industrial facility on the outskirts of town and one
general service grocery store. All other economic activity revolves
around outdoor recreation, mostly on National Forest. People come to
Damascus, not because there is something to do or see in the town, but
because of the recreational opportunities in the National Forest.

So far, we have managed to build our economic base locally, meaning that
there are no regional or national chain-store franchises operating in
the town---with the exception of gasoline service stations and one minor
food establishment.

The vast majority of the customers and clients that we serve at Mt
Rogers Outfitters come from outside the area, even outside the state of
Virginia. North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida stand out
as major sources of our customer base. We are, therefore, bringing "new"
money into the area. We provide a variety of products and services for
the customer. We emphasize gear that is functional (as opposed to
gadgetry or fashion); we emphasize fit and performance (providing
impromptu demonstrations and comparisons of products along with fit
workshops); we provide detailed consultation in planning the ventures;
we provide a bunkhouse for overnight stays in town; and we provide
transportation to and from various trailheads. More importantly, we
provide a gateway to a valued resource---one our customers cannot access
in their home area.

Many of our customers are, or become, long distance hikers or they seek
off trail adventures to strengthen their outdoor skills and enhance
their outdoor experience. Most of our customers value the solitude,
remoteness, and natural qualities associated with the National Forests
in our region. The comments we hear from these folks show that they
connect with the mountains and forest in a very powerful and dynamic
way, and that their experience elicits very strong emotions.

Because of the nature of our business, because of our proximity to
National Forest lands, and because of our interest, and our customer's
interest, in the quality of our outdoor recreational opportunities and
experience, we have been actively involved in participation in the
management of the National Forest. We help maintain trails, we
collaborate in public participation opportunities, and we participated
in the forest plan revision process.

During that planning process we advocated for Wilderness recommendations
for Seng Mountain, Raccoon Branch, Garden Mountain, Hunting Camp/Little
Wolf Creek, and for the proposed additions to Lewis Fork and Little
Wilson Creek. These are the areas most frequently visited by our
customers according to our shuttle records.

We readily acknowledge that the management activities of the Forest
Service in our service area have been generally sound and reasonable.
The managers of the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area have been
supportive and responsive to the needs of our business as well as the
other outdoor recreation businesses that have recently sprung up in
Damascus. We view the Forest Service as a partner and share credit with
them for the economic revitalization in our community.

We think we are being realistic, however, in recognizing that the
direction of National Forest management can swing on political
considerations independent of our ability to control or influence them.

We think it is in our economic self interest to secure the present and
future integrity of a few of the best places. Indeed we think it is in
the economic self-interest of much of the rural portion of the region
encompassed by the Ninth Congressional District. We were pleased to see
the Smyth County and Bland County boards of supervisors endorse the
permanent protection of these special areas in their counties. Given the
scale and distribution of Federal lands in the District, outdoor
recreation retail sales could play an increasingly significant role in
other local economies, just as it does in Damascus.

Economics is about how to best utilize our natural, human, and capital
resources to ensure our long range future. The designations contained in
the Ridge and Valley Act provide the most secure assurance that a key
component of our economic vitality---our resource attraction---remains a
high quality resource. We ask you to advance the *Virginia Ridge and
Valley Act.*