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Washington

  • Economic Analysis of Outdoor Recreation in Washington State 2020 Update

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Washington State. The report includes estimates on spending, jobs, income, impact on GDP, consumer surplus, and environmental benefits of outdoor recreation. In 2019, outdoor recreation in Washington contributed $26.5 billion in spending and supported 264,000 jobs, compared to $21.5 billion and… Read more

  • No Walk in the Park: The Viability and Fairness of Social Media Analysis for Parks and Recreation Policy Making

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study examines the biases in social media analyses using different data sources that estimate the number and demographics of visitors to urban parks. Flickr, Instagram, an on-site survey, an online/phone survey, and an AI facial recognition program are utilized to address the bias that can be generated from different social media platforms. The number… Read more

  • Applying Novel Visitation Models using Diverse Social Media to Understand Recreation Change after Wildfire and Site Closure

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study analyzes how visitation in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington changed as a result of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. A visitation model is constructed by incorporating data from social media to measure visitation patterns and used to look for a substitution effect on nearby recreation sites after the fire. Read more

  • Next-generation visitation models using social media to estimate recreation on public lands

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study evaluates how social media predicts visitation across multiple sites. Two geographically different areas were chosen to evaluate how well visitation models can be generalized to different areas. Adding social media data to a model was found to improve visitor estimates at unmonitored sites, even when a model is parameterized with data from another… Read more

  • Evaluation of the Burke-Gilman Trail’s Effect on Property Values and Crime

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that the Burke Gilman Trail in Seattle is most often seen as an asset by those who moved to the neighborhood after it was built, while those who have lived there since before the trail was built are less likely to see the trail as increasing the sales price or ease of… Read more

  • Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition Rider Survey

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that the Galbraith Mountain mountain bike trail system is a valuable asset for local residents, many of whom moved to the area or stay in the area because of the trails, and for visitors, who visit frequently and spend money at local businesses. While the club building the trails is developing a… Read more

  • Economic Impacts of MVSTA Trails and Land Resources in the Methow Valley

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that the 200-kilometer Nordic skiing trail network in the Methow Valley of Washington state is the reason why many people visit the area and choose to purchase homes there. Non-resident trail users and residents alike are largely willing to pay some amount of money to support trail maintenance and additional trail construction. Read more

  • Trails on Tribal Lands in the United States

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that the benefits of trails in Indian Country may be more significant than in other communities that are less culturally or spatially fragmented, less politically and economically marginalized, or less culturally tied to the landscape. Trails can provide particularly valuable benefits to residents of Indian Country, helping to improve residents’ quality of… Read more

  • A Hedonic Travel Cost Analysis for Valuation of Multiple Components of Site Quality: The Recreation Value of Forest Management

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that wilderness trail users are willing to travel farther (and therefore spend more) to reach trails with campgrounds, old-growth forests, and views. Conversely, they avoid trails with long dirt road approaches and clear-cuts visible from the trail. Read more

  • Estimating Social Welfare Using Count Data Models: An Application to Long-Run Recreation Demand Under Conditions of Endogenous Stratification and Truncation

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that surveys that directly extrapolate the number of times an individual person visits a trail to the general population will significantly overstate the future trail use. Care must be taken to account for the differences between those interviewed at the trailhead and the rest of the population. Read more

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