Press Room (182): Media & Newsletters

In the news:

…A study by the research firm Headwaters Economics found that the local economies surrounding new national monuments grew in 17 of 17 cases. The study looked at monuments larger than 10,000 acres created after 1981. It included the Agua Fria National Monument that Bill Clinton created in 2000.

The study says travel and tourism represented about 20 percent of total employment in Yavapai County in 2008. Population, jobs, personal income and income all grew by double digits during the eight years after the monument was created…

In the news:

…As an employer, I know that the outdoors is key to attracting talented employees to the area and getting them to stay. A study from the nonpartisan Headwaters Economics demonstrates what I've experienced - proximity to protected federal public lands drives job growth and is correlated with higher levels of per capita income. People like to live and work in areas that offer a good quality of life and access to the outdoors…

In the news:

…While Eastern states flood, many Western states are going up in flames. In 2012, more than 9.2 million acres burned in wildfires – an area larger than the state of Maryland – making it the third-worst fire year in U.S. history. In 2012, the Forest Service overspent its available fire suppression budget by $400 million, as it has almost every year for the last 20 years, transferring millions of dollars away from other land management projects. The costs are not only borne by the federal government; Wyoming and Montana spent more than $90 million of state money fighting wildfires in 2012. Climate models show a likely increase in fires in coming years. A study by Headwaters Economics found that even a one-degree rise in temperatures would like lead to a 300 percent increase in acres burned, and a 100 percent increase in fire suppression costs…

In the news:

…According an analysis available of economic trends from 2000 to 2010, researchers at Headwaters Economics concluded that “New Mexico is attracting people and investment, while creating jobs faster” than the rest of the country.

The Headwaters economists also found that part of our economic advantage is our protected public lands, like the Rio Grande del Norte, which is important for attracting people and business across a range of service sectors…

In the news:

…These accomplishments bode well for our region’s future, too. A comprehensive study by Bozeman’s Headwaters Economics suggests that prosperity in the West will increasingly hinge on immediate proximity to public lands with strong protections.…

In the news:

…People continue to move into what fire officials call the “wildland urban interface” — in El Paso County, 68 percent of land is undeveloped, and although thousands of people live in red zones, there is room for more, according to statistics from Headwaters Economics, a land-use research group…

In the news:

…Rural counties with national parks, wildlife refuges and other protected public lands may have an economic edge over other rural counties.

A study by Headwaters Economics of Bozeman, Montana, shows that rural counties in the Western United States tend to have higher per capita incomes when they have protected public land within their borders. The reason may be that counties with natural amenities like national monuments and wild and scenic rivers are more likely to attract talented workers, who have above-average earning power…

In the news:

…According to a 2011 study by Headwaters Economics, communities near large monuments show consistent increases in population, employment and personal and per-capita income…

In the news:

…Over several days in September 2010, the Fourmile Canyon Fire ripped through the suburban forests outside of Boulder, Colo. It burned a mere 6,181 acres, small by today’s standards, yet the fire was also costly. That’s in part because the flames focused on a section of wildland urban interface that was scattered with homes. According to a study by Headwaters Economics, Boulder County has one of the most heavily developed WUIs in the country, and fighting fires in such areas is far more costly than in undeveloped forests…

In the news:

…I think of a conversation I had recently with Ray Rasker, an economist and policy expert with Headwaters Economics here in Bozeman. His office studied a number of towns and cities that have taken definitive action on climate change, places like Seattle and Taos and New York. In every case where something got accomplished, he said, it came down to one person: A mayor or councilman or citizen with charismatic leadership and vision..…