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Recent Press  High Country News (May 12, 2008) Boom! Boom! By Francisco Thorp "In western Colorado, an energy boom of unprecedented proportions has been layered on top of a thriving amenity economy. Which will come out on top?" ...'This economic diversity is key to long-term growth, says Ben Alexander of Headwaters Economics, an independent nonprofit research group. 'People are earning real money in this job market, and that's a great thing.But, he warns, regions with economies that are overly dependent on energy development - places like Gillette and Rock Springs, Wyo., southeast New Mexico, and Big Horn, Mont. - are 'less resilient, more volatile, and over the long run, they can grow more slowly.' Link to Article New York Times (Feb. 24, 2008) Once Immune, Utah is Feeling Economic Dip By Kirk Johnson "In the economic boom that thundered through Utah over the last few years, many people saw a kind of perfect chemistry at work." "What demographers call Utah's special story -- its population is the youngest in the nation by far and one of the fastest growing, mainly from large Mormon families -- was paying off, melding with a surging engine of growth in Utah's backyard and throughout the world. ..."And the wave of affluent retirees, except for Utah's southwest corner in St. George, has mostly gone elsewhere, remaking towns like Grand Junction, Colo., and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In the five states that are Utah's immediate neighbors -- Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona -- Utah's economy is least dependent on -- or in a downturn, least helped by -- the 'nonwage' income that retirees have to spend from annuities and investments, according to Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group in Bozeman, Mont. Link to Article Missoulian (December 30, 2007) Plum Creek subdivisions could strain fire budget By Michael Jamison "...State and county leaders discussed budgets strained by infrastructure needs in neighborhoods that not so long ago were working woods. Now, those far-flung homeowners want roads and snowplows and police and bus routes to schools, but property tax revenues from the new subdivisions don’t begin to cover the costs. As far as those worries are concerned, not much has changed here at the end of 2007, except perhaps that more people than ever are watching and wondering. The singular exception is with regard to fire, where two things happened this year to ratchet up the discussion about Plum Creek’s land management. First, a red-hot wildfire season sent state firefighting costs soaring into the tens of millions of dollars, forcing lawmakers to redirect money that was to be spent elsewhere. Second, Bozeman-based Headwaters Economics completed a long-term analysis of expected future firefighting costs if more of the land is developed. Link to Article Denver Post (November 29, 2007) State economy finds strength in diversity By Aldo Svaldi "Diversification and growth in the Colorado economy will keep the current energy boom from driving up wages and hiring as much as it did during the 1970s. But in some counties, energy-industry development could displace non-energy jobs and sources of income, leaving those economies more vulnerable in the long run. 'Energy is important but less important than it used to be in the past. Diversity leads to stronger long-term growth over time,' said Ben Alexander, associate director at Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit research group based in Bozeman, Mont. Link to Article Billings Gazette (September 19, 2007) Fire costs to grow, group says By Mike Stark "Fighting fires in forested areas where more people are building homes will only get more expensive and dangerous in Montana and across the West, according to a report from a group of economists released Tuesday. Headwaters Economics of Bozeman examined private land in the "wildland urban interface" - areas that abut fire-prone forests - in 11 Western states and found that 14 percent of it has been developed. What worries Ray Rasker, the group's director and lead economist, is what might happen if some, or all, of that remaining 86 percent is built up, especially given the increased costs of fighting wildfires in recent years. Link to Article Link to San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Link to Wall St. Journal Editorial (preview only) Link to Our Study — West-wide Wildland Urban Interface Analysis Seattle Post-Intelligencer (July 26, 2007) Corner of State Sets Pace to Save Forests By Joel Connelly P-I Columnist "An increase in value-added manufacturing has kept people at work in the mills. The economy diversified with service-related industries. Retirees discovered that this is an affordable corner of the state. God's unspoiled out-of-doors was an economic asset. Still, 'responsible management areas' will make a difference. 'Assuming standard multipliers, it is reasonable to assume timber-related employment could increase on the order of 220 to 440 jobs,' said an economic assessment prepared by Montana-based Headwaters Economics." Link to Article Link to Our Study — Timber, Restoration Forestry and Wilderness in Northeast Washington Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Dec. 12, 2006) Growing Trend: Development Tally Shows Past 5 Years Have Altered Valley By Walt Williams "[Ben] Alexander said one troubling trend about the figures compiled by his organization was that the growth in the number of acres used for new homes has increased faster than the growth in population." Link to Article Maps to accompany the article and additional information. Washington Post (Dec. 2, 2006) In West, Conservatives Emphasize the 'Conserve' By Blaine Harden "'The New West is best understood as islands of urban economics in a rural setting,' said Ray Rasker, executive director of Headwaters Economics, a think tank in Bozeman, Mont. 'They are made possible by a combination of environmental amenities combined with the presence of transportation, especially good airports.'" Link to Article Reprinted in The Seattle Times (Dec. 15, 2006) Westerners Are Coming Back to Conservation Link to Article. LA Times (Nov. 26, 2006) Circling the Welcome Wagons Equity-rich boomers who yearn for wide-open spaces are heading for the Rocky Mountain West—Montana in particular—where the locals are waiting. With pitchforks. By Jim Robbins "And a Third Coast. In the Rocky Mountain West, nearly 'all net new jobs are in service—engineers, architects, maid, waiters,' says Ray Rasker, executive director of Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research firm in Bozeman, the seat of Gallatin County (the population of which, by the way, has shot up 55% in 15 years)." Link to Article Smithsonian (Aug. 2006) Cowboys and Realtors The mythical West lives on - even as the wealthy, the leisured and the retired buy into Big Sky Country. An essay. By Blaine Harden "Retirement income, most of it belonging to newcomers, is the primary engine behind this economic transformation. For Montana as a whole, it amounts to about three times the combined income from farming, ranching, logging, and oil and gas exploration, according to Ray Rasker of Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group in Bozeman." Link to Article
Headwaters Economics Banner photo has been generously provided by Alex Diekmann. |