Peters Testimony

Summary

Written testimony of Rebecca Peters, Okoboji Tourism Director for Vacation Okoboji, addressed to Chair Shaheen, Ranking Member Ernst and Members of the Committee, dated 2023-11-01 in the archive's record. The testimony addresses challenges and opportunities for small businesses in the outdoor recreation economy of the Iowa Great Lakes Area in Dickinson County. It states that visitor spending has an economic impact of over $296 million dollars supporting more than 1,300 jobs, and that municipalities collected over $2,000,000 in hotel motel taxes last year. It describes challenges from inflation, gas prices and uncertain access to federal funding for a campground renovation planned by the Iowa DNR. It also cites a statewide report of a $10.4 billion-dollar tourism impact in Iowa.

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Full text

Rebecca Peters
Okoboji Tourism Director
Vacation Okoboji

Good afternoon, Chair Shaheen, Ranking Member Ernst, and Members of the Committee. Thank
you for the invitation to be here and allowing me the opportunity to testify today. I am here to
speak to the challenges and opportunities faced by small businesses in the outdoor recreation
economy.

My name is Rebecca Peters, and as the Okoboji Tourism Director I have the opportunity to
promote the Iowa Great Lakes Area to potential and returning visitors. The Iowa Great Lakes
Area, often referred to as Okoboji, is comprised of 7 interconnected communities woven around
a chain of glacially formed lakes in Dickinson County in Northwest Iowa. Okoboji is home to
Iowa’s largest and deepest natural lakes. While our county is home to fewer than 18,000
permanent residents, on any given weekend in the summer an additional 40,000 - 60,000 visitors
join us to embrace the abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities found on our lakes and
surrounding prairies. It’s the small businesses who enhance and support our visitor economy and
make up the majority of our local economy.

Outdoor recreational opportunities draw visitors to Okoboji year-round. They join us each
summer for boating, sailing, swimming, and fishing on our lakes. During the winter our ice-
covered lakes are filled with ice fishermen, snowmobilers, and snowshoe hikers. Our small
businesses support those activities and provide services that keep visitors in Okoboji longer by
offering boat sales and rentals, selling bait and fishing gear, providing guiding services, and
offering lodging and dining.

One such business is Mau Marine, a second-generation, family-owned marina located along the
lakeshore. They give families access to the water through their boat sales and rentals. The
Marina also owns the adjacent Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen, which allows visitors to enjoy
lakefront views, unique food, and live music. The entire team at Mau Marine love our lakes, and
support initiatives to build upon the legacy and longevity of Okoboji’s lakes.

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is a model for immersive, field-based research, and education located
on a 147-acre campus on scenic West Lake Okoboji. The Collaborative Lakes Area Monitoring
Project conducted by Iowa Lakeside Laboratory has been connecting scientists with volunteers to
provide long term monitoring data on regional lake conditions for the past 25 years. This
important dataset has helped shape clean water policies and guide wetland restoration projects
that have helped to improve our watershed. Water clarity in West Lake Okoboji alone has
improved from 10” of visibility to over 20” of visibility in less than 25 years! Investments in
conservation to protect the lakes has created additional recreational opportunities including over
40 miles of bike trails, bird watching, and hiking. Every dollar spent in conservation has
multiplying effects on recreation, and spurs small businesses such as bike shops, kayak outfitters,
and outdoor sports suppliers.

A healthy watershed and clean water are a key aspect of outdoor recreation in
Okoboji. According to a 2019 study by Iowa State University, water quality was the most
important factor for Iowans when choosing where to recreate. High quality water in Okoboji
lures visitors to our beaches and lakeshore resorts including Fillenwarth Beach, a family owned
and operated resort on the shores of West Lake Okoboji that has welcomed visitors for more than
100 years. The resort gives visitors an opportunity to get on the water through sailing, lake
history cruises, and even swimming off the dock in our spring-fed waters. Guests return year
after year to take advantage of the outdoor recreation opportunities that not only the lake and
resort offer, but all of our small businesses that enhance a visitor’s experience to create lifelong
memories.
Most of our lodging properties in Dickinson County are small, family-owned businesses, and
those businesses have helped the municipalities in Dickinson County collect over $2,000,000 in
hotel motel taxes last year alone. In fact, the economic impact from visitor spending is over
$296 million dollars and supports more than 1,300 jobs - in a county of fewer than 18,000
people. Okoboji’s visitor economy and outdoor recreational opportunities enhance the quality of
life in Dickinson County. The quality of life is so appealing that we are one of the few rural
counties in Iowa that continues to see population growth, and with that, more opportunities for
small businesses.
However, Okoboji’s small businesses face challenges also. Inflation is causing our small
businesses to struggle with rising input costs to maintain the current visitor experience, while
visitors have less disposable income to invest in a vacation. In the past year, many guests have
had to shorten their stay or cancel their trip altogether. Gas prices are another factor that effects
our visitor economy. We are primarily a drive market and see a decrease in visitation when gas
prices rise. There are also obstacles we face when receiving federal funding to improve public
land for camping. Currently the Iowa DNR has plans to renovate one of our largest
campgrounds, but access to federal funding has left the timeline for this project in question. It’s
incredibly difficult for our community and visitors to make plans for the upcoming summer
when we’re unsure if the campground will be open or closed for improvements based on when
federal funding will come through.
We are fortunate for the opportunities we have, but there is so much room for growth in this
economy with outdoor recreation. Not just in Okoboji, but in all of Iowa. In our small,
agricultural state, the tourism and outdoor recreational economies are growing. The most recent
statewide economic impact report shows that tourism provided a $10.4 billion-dollar economic
impact in Iowa – a 10% increase from the previous year. That’s the type of growth that benefits
small businesses. Further we know that younger generations value quality of life, including
outdoor recreation opportunities, as a critical factor in deciding where to live. Generation Z is
also one of the most entrepreneurial and are keen innovators in creating small businesses.
Supporting outdoor recreation is a win-win when it comes to building small businesses and
drawing the employees necessary to sustain those businesses.
Thank you, Chair Shaheen, Ranking Member Ernst, and members of the Committee for the
opportunity to appear before you today.


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