Insights and commentary on events in the West.
— While most western rural counties are aging and losing young families, the loss of school kids in rural western counties with protected lands such as National Monuments was, on average, less than half the rate of loss for similar counties without protected lands.
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— The wildfires that burned the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park devastated nearby communities and underscore the need to reduce the risks and costs of future catastrophic events.
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— The new Administration’s plans to remove coal regulations should not dampen efforts to shift coal transition planning West to assist displaced workers and diversify coal-dependent communities.
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— Trails are good for people, but the health and social benefits of trails are not equally available to everyone.
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— Many people talk about trails and quality of life, but how do we measure and obtain it?
read more — This blog draws on federal data and research to describe more about the local economies of the communities dependent on federal coal.
read more — Lower overall coal generating capacity—the outcome of coal fired power plant retirements and a demand for coal that rises and falls depending on natural gas prices—will create new volatility for coal jobs and for counties, schools, and states that depend on tax revenues from coal.
read more — Mapping and understanding communities at risk from wildfires just became easier with a new interactive tool generated by Headwaters Economics.
read more — Updated tools, research, and studies on the benefit of trails to communities and local citizens.
read more — How national wildlife refuge payments--especially important to rural counties--could be reformed and funded.
read more — Five urban areas in the West and Southwest are taking steps to mitigate wildfire risks and costs through the perspective of land use planning.
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— Headwaters Economics has updated its Trails Library to include 105 studies on trails, searchable by benefit, use, year, and region.
read more — Understanding the local economy, and how it compares to peers, is a crucial part of smart community and economic development. Several new tools, utilizing the latest data (through 2014), now are available for every county in the nation.
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— Many Congressional Districts benefit from LWCF, and Republican Districts have seen disproportionate LWCF investment for federal land acquisition.
read more — Understanding what drives the local economy is crucial to smart community and economic development. This map provides detailed socioeconomic reports for every county.
read more — Despite being known for its rural landscapes, the West is surprisingly urban.
read more — In the West today, what economic sectors are driving the economy and make up the growing workforce?
read more — The Office of Natural Resources Revenue recently proposed a new rule that would change the way federal coal is valued for royalty purposes. Will it hurt the industry? Yes and No.
read more — A sample of research and free tools available to help communities better understand the potential socioeconomic impacts of climate change.
read more — How can communities measure and take advantage of the economic impacts of nearby outdoor recreation activities on public lands?
read more — Getting the economics right is important for communities to compete in a modern economy. We've created a number of tools to help rural, western communities better understand current trends as well as the role of the nearby National Forest or other public lands.
read more — Compared to other nations and even U.S. states, the federal government is a conspicuous laggard in creating a natural resources trust which would allow for stable, permanent, and ever rising payments to states and local governments without risks to taxpayers.
read more — Lower oil prices could be great for the economy, but for the communities dependent on drilling, the price drop may prove challenging for several reasons.
read more — It's All Hallow's Eve, so we decided to look at western counties where the dead most recently were living. But a high death rate does not mean a county is faring poorly. Like most things, it’s complicated.
read more — Protected federal lands (such as Wilderness or National Parks) not only preserve unique landscapes, but have the potential to attract in-migrants such as baby boomers, which in turn help support a robust local economy.
read more — Today's economy is much different than what we hear in the rhetoric from current politicians. We need our leaders to wrestle with current problems rather than old ones.
read more — The failure of Congress to pass wildfire disaster funding is a missed opportunity for two reasons: one to stop 'fire borrowing' and second to reduce risks and costs to homeowners and the taxpayer.
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