A new report highlights the role of Montana’s outdoor recreation economy in spending, jobs, and economic diversification.
Research
San Luis Valley Wildfire Risk
Explore interactive maps of watersheds, wildfire, and the wildland-urban interface in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.
Austin Wildfire and Vulnerable Populations Tool
Identify neighborhoods where overlapping wildfire threats and socioeconomic vulnerabilities may make people disproportionately susceptible to wildfire.
Economic Diversification and Outdoor Recreation in Bonner County
Improving economic diversification and outdoor recreation in Bonner County will bring new spending and jobs to the community.
Best Practices for Watersheds and Recreation
Best practices for balancing the needs for clean drinking water, recreation, and economic development in municipal watersheds.
New Montana Homes Increase Wildfire Risks
The number of western Montana homes in areas with high wildfire hazard has doubled, outpacing development rates in areas with low wildfire hazard.
National Parks Economic Impacts
Explore National Parks economic impacts from estimated visits, jobs, and labor income created by visitor spending in National Park Service lands.
Updated August 2019 with latest available data.
National Forest Socioeconomic Indicators
Explore the socioeconomic conditions in communities surrounding our National Forests
Coal Communities Lack Strong Transition Plans
A recent review published in the Resources Policy journal with researchers at Montana State University shows that coal communities lack strong transition plans and largely are unprepared for coming changes.
Full Community Costs of Wildfire
Almost half of the full community costs of wildfire are paid for at the local level, including homeowners, businesses, and government agencies.
Impact of National Monuments Redesignated National Parks
Investigating the economic effects of National Monuments redesignated National Parks, and the potential impact of converting the White Sands National Monument to a National Park.
Gallatin County’s Economy, Growth, and Open Space
This report summarizes Gallatin County’s economy, how it has grown, and what is driving its performance. The report also describes how growth threatens open space and the role these lands play in local quality of life.
Measuring Whitefish Trail Use
Outdoor recreation and the economic impact of Whitefish Trail use in Whitefish, Montana.
Montana Losing Open Space
From 1990 to 2018, the number of single-family homes in Montana grew by more than 50 percent, and the popularity of large lots converted 1.3 million acres of undeveloped land to housing.
Montana Losing Open Space: Sortable Data
Review the different rates of home construction and loss of open space across Montana counties.
Communities Threatened by Wildfire, 2000-2017
The interactive map identifies frequently threatened towns and cities, including the different sizes and distances of wildfires from nearby communities.
Communities Threatened by Wildfires, 2000-2017
Explore all communities threatened by wildfires from 2000 to 2017.
Communities Threatened by Wildfire, 2000-2017: Sortable Table
The sortable table identifies frequently threatened towns and cities, including the different sizes and distances of wildfires from nearby communities.
Estimating Trail Use
By pairing limited, local surveys with activity tracking app data, we are estimating trail use across large areas.
Benefits of a Frontage Path in Gallatin County, Montana
Updated: This report describes the benefits of a frontage path–a proposed paved, multi-use pathway connecting Belgrade and Bozeman along an approximately ten-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 10 in Gallatin County.