On November 14, 2002, business leaders from across California sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein urging her to support new wilderness and wild river designation in California.
(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the letter and some of the reports.)
Numerous studies have documented the economic importance of wild places, both in California and nationally. Read an overview of California wildlands economics (PDF).
For specific studies, visit the links below.
The Economic Benefits of Wildlands in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Region of California found that wilderness and wildlands in the eastern Sierra contributes a total economic benefit of $700 million and support more than 2,800 jobs in Mono and Inyo counties.
The Economic Values of Protecting Roadless Areas in the United States (PDF), found that protecting roadless areas nationwide would provide 23,000 jobs, $600 million in recreation benefits to users, $290 million in passive use values, $490 million to $1 billion in carbon sequestration, and $490 million in waste treatment services.
The 2001 National Survey of Fishing Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (PDF) (slow download) found that 5.7 million people viewed wildlife in California in 2001, generating $3.7 billion in economic activity. Nationwide, wildlife associated recreation amounted to 1.1% of the Nation's gross domestic product-over $110 billion annually.
Over 47,700 jobs are generated from wildlife watching activities in California, according to the 1996 National and State Economic Impacts of Wildlife Watching (PDF) (slow download).
According to the U.S. Forest Service visitor use survey, Wilderness users in southern California's Angeles National Forest spent nearly $55.00 for each trip to the wilderness and generated over $5.5 million in economic activity in 2001. Overall recreational use on the forest generated $1.8 billion in economic activity.
For a summary of economic theory and practice regarding wilderness economics, see The Economic Values of Wilderness by Dr. Pete Morton.
For an assessment of how wilderness increases property values, see Windfalls for Wilderness: Land Protection and Land Values in the Green Mountains.
