…Chris Mehl, a consultant with Headwaters Economics out of Bozeman, [gave] a short overview on an economics report his company did for the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front.
The report analyzed the impact public and protected lands have on the economy. The study analyzed factors in Teton, Lewis and Clark and Cascade counties and compared those statistics to statewide numbers. In general, Mehl said, the more public/protected lands in an area, the better off the economic indicators for private lands. Mehl’s survey looked at the education level of workers, number of jobs, type of jobs, earnings per job, per capita income, non-labor income and a host of other criteria.
Mehl’s main point was that if Congress were to pass the Coalition-backed Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, adding new wilderness and a new conservation management area designation to public lands here, those designations would have a positive rather than negative effect on the Teton County economy.
Mehl said his study showed that in terms of job creation, from 1970 to 2011, he found that counties that had 30 percent or more public lands saw a 345 percent job growth compared to counties without public lands. Additionally, he said another study showed that the per capita income was $400 higher per year in counties with protected lands.…
But, he said, protected lands are just part of what might drive an economy to do well. Other factors for income growth include producer services, education, proximity to a major airport, ski resorts, arts, entertainment, food and mountains.
Because of the Heritage Act’s modest size and its continuation of local “branding” of this area, Mehl said, and given the existing agricultural base with a tourism component, “it’s hard to see how this would harm any of your existing businesses.