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Until now, the heightened flood risk faced by mobile home park residents has received scant attention, said Kristin K. Smith from Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group.

Meanwhile, in the Western U.S., wildfires are happening more often and burning longer, says Kimiko Barrett, a wildfire research and policy analyst at Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group.

That double-edge sword of being a desirable outdoor recreation destination is known as the “amenity trap,” according to a new report from Bozeman-based Headwaters Economics. The report looks at the benefits and burdens faced by towns whose riches in outdoor recreation have brought a wealth of visitors too.

Studies by the Headwaters Economics think tank say trails attract new residents and entrepreneurs, boosting public health and tax income, but the influx can lead to less affordable housing and force out long-time residents unless economies diversify.

Last month, a report by Montana’s Headwaters Economics outlined the paradoxical challenges of living in a mountain town so plentiful with natural features that its allure brings in crushing numbers of visitors and second-home owners, thereby degrading the quality of life for locals. The report called this type of town an “amenity trap.”

Recent reports from researchers at Headwaters Economics and the Sightline Institute point to the need to rethink human development in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), the zone where flammable, unoccupied land meets man–made communities.

Places like Whitefish and Bozeman have booming ski resorts, but no place where resort workers can afford to live. Those tourist-driven challenges might have tourist-paid solutions, according to a new report  by Headwaters Economics that examines the double-edged sword of benefits and burdens for communities known for their outdoor recreation amenities.

When awarding grants through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, the federal government aimed to prioritize communities that are low-income and face serious wildfire risk. Montana-based Headwaters Economics analyzed the first group of grantees and found that, so far, the program’s largely meeting its objectives.

It’s clear we need to develop a plan for making our communities safer in the face of this growing wildfire threat. Headwaters Economics recently released a report that shows how it can be done, and it begins with making smart investments in fire preparedness and in changing our dangerously outdated state laws and building codes.

“Wildfires are the exception with natural disasters in that they are the only type of hazard where we would intentionally put somebody else in harm’s way in order to protect our home,” said researcher Kimiko Barrett [of Headwaters Economcs]. “You’d be called crazy if you asked somebody to stand in front of an oncoming flood to protect your structure. Yet, we continually do this with wildfires. Not only do we do it, but we assume it. We expect it.”

Although Bozeman is also exploring high-density developments in its urban core, population growth frequently manifests as sprawl into previously open land. An analysis by Headwaters Economics found that 96,000 acres of open space in Gallatin Countywere converted to residential development between 1990 and 2018, besting the next-highest county in the state, Flathead, by 27%. 

Another option to gauge community risk is Wildfire Risk to Communities, an effort between USDA and Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit researcher. Users can type in a community or county into the interactive site to look at maps and understand, explore, and reduce wildfire risk. 

here’s more that can be done to protect California homes from wildfires, said Kimiko Barrett, a wildfire research and policy analyst with Headwaters Economics, including home hardening efforts.

Headwaters Economics recently released a report that shows how it can be done, and it begins with making smart investments in fire preparedness and in changing our dangerously outdated state laws and building codes.

The economists and researchers at Headwaters Economics call it the amenity trap and they’ve mapped out a way communities can escape confounding stresses in rural, amenity-rich regions that are drawing visitors and new residents in record numbers.

[Headwaters Econoimcs’] report should be required reading for all who are interested in maintaining housing affordability and community vitality in communities that attract tourists and new residents because of the amazing recreational opportunities nearby.

Megan Lawson, an economist at Headwaters Economics, said the incentives can be a powerful tool for local governments. They can help cities address a growing number of short term rentals, even in states like Idaho where most regulations on vacation rentals are prohibited.

More and more people are visiting and moving to cities and towns around the Mountain West, drawn by access to public lands and other natural amenities. That brings economic growth – and also growing pains. A new report aims to help communities address the challenges.

A new report from Headwaters Economics, a Montana-based research nonprofit, dubs this pattern the “amenity trap,” meaning “the paradox of a place with natural attractions that make it a great place to live but also threaten it with being ‘loved to death.’”