COLORADO SPRINGS – Government data released Thursday confirmed what the outdoor recreation industry has known all along: that it is indeed a force.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the likes of hikers, cyclists, anglers and off-road enthusiasts pump $412 billion into the nation’s gross domestic product, accounting for 2.2 percent of the economy.

Those are figures based on 2016, a year in which the federal analysts found the outdoor recreation industry to have grown by 1.7 percent, slightly outpacing that of the overall economy by hiring and paying workers more. The study found the industry produced more than $734 billion in U.S. gross output, the total value of the sector’s goods and services.

“All of this data underscores that outdoor recreation is a significant and growing contributor to the U.S. economy – we strongly encourage members of Congress to invest in public lands as these numbers demonstrate the return on investment,” Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association, said in a statement.

The report comes after the Boulder-based association lobbied two years ago for the Outdoor REC Act, passed with the help of U.S. senators, including Colorado Republican Cory Gardner. He authored that act, “because it’s important that Congress has a clear understanding of how much of a major economic driver outdoor recreation is for communities across the country,” he said in a statement.

Outdoor advocates flooded the political stage last year when President Donald Trump shrunk Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, opting for the Utah land to be set aside for oil and gas exploration. When the industry’s premier trade show, Outdoor Retailer, debuted in Denver last winter, the clarion call was to “save public lands.”

The Outdoor Industry Association is urging lawmakers to ensure funding for annual reports by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, hoping eventually for the studies to show regional data.

The association in April released a first-of-its kind report breaking down the industry’s impact on congressional districts. Residents of the 5th Congressional District, including the Pikes Peak region and the Arkansas headwaters southwest, annually spend $2.14 billion to play outside, according to that report.