Donald B.K. English

The Role of Amenities and Quality of Life In Rural Economic Growth

A structural model of regional economic growth is estimated using data for 2243 rural U.S. counties. Five indices designed to capture specific amenity and quality of life characteristics are constructed using fifty-four separate indicators. Results suggest that amenity characteristics can be organized into consistent and meaningful empirical measures that move beyond ad hoc descriptions of amenities. In addition to insights into the influence of local characteristics ranging from tax burdens to income distribution on regional economic growth, results suggest that predictable relationships between amenities, quality of life, and local economic performance exist. Copyright 2001, Oxford University Press.

Toward a Value for Guided Rafting on Southern Rivers

This study examines per trip consumer surplus associated with guided whitewater rafting on two southern rivers. First, household recreation demand functions are estimated based on the individual travel cost model using truncated count data regression methods and alternative price specifications. Findings show mean per trip consumer surplus point estimates between

Tourism Dependence in Rural America: Estimates and Effects

89 and

Wildland recreation in the Rural South: An examination of marginality and ethnicity theory.

286, depending on modeling assumptions and river quality. Magnitudes of these surpluses are very dependent on assumptions about the opportunity cost of time.

Economic benefits of reducing fire-related sediment in southwestern fire-prone ecosystems

Recreation and tourism development continue to play an important role in reshaping rural America. Efforts to evaluate the effects of such development are complicated because residents and nonrecreation visitors also use the businesses that are affected by recreation and tourism visitors. We present a method for estimating in nonmetropolitan counties jobs and income that are generated by recreation and tourism visitors from outside the county. Several different techniques are used to (1) cluster similar counties, (2) account for the portion of tourism sector employment that serves local residents, and (3) account for the portion of export activity that serves nonrecreation visitors. Finally, we address the consequences of recreation dependence in rural counties. The counties most dependent on nonlocal tourism activity are compared to other rural counties on income, population, economic structure, and housing variables.Recreation and tourism development continue to play an important role in reshaping rural America. Efforts to evaluate the effects of such development are complicated because residents and nonrecreation visitors also use the businesses that are affected by recreation and tourism visitors. We present a method for estimating in nonmetropolitan counties jobs and income that are generated by recreation and tourism visitors from outside the county. Several different techniques are used to (1) cluster similar counties, (2) account for the portion of tourism sector employment that serves local residents, and (3) account for the portion of export activity that serves nonrecreation visitors. Finally, we address the consequences of recreation dependence in rural counties. The counties most dependent on nonlocal tourism activity are compared to other rural counties on income, population, economic structure, and housing variables.

Wilderness and primitive area recreation participation and consumption: an examination of demographic and spatial factors

The ethnicity and marginality explanations of minority recreation participation provide the conceptual basis for our inquiry. These theories are examined for a sample of rural African Americans and...

Correcting response bias in tourist spending surveys

[I] A multiple regression analysis of fire interval and resulting sediment yield (controlling for relief ratio, rainfall, etc.) indicates that reducing the fire interval from the current average 22 years to a prescribed fire interval of 5 years would reduce sediment yield by 2 million cubic meters in the 86.2 square kilometer southern California watershed adjacent to and including the Angeles National Forest. This would have direct cost savings to Los Angeles County Public Works in terms of reduced debris basin clean out of

Calculating Confidence Intervals for Regional Economic Impacts of Recreation by Bootstrapping Visitor Expenditures

24 million. The net present values of both 5- and IO-year prescribed fire intervals are positive. However, given other multiple use objectives of the USDA Forest Service, a IO-year prescribed fire interval may be more optimal than a 5-year fire interval. INDEX TERMS: 6304 Policy Sciences: Benefit-cost analysis; 6329 Policy Sciences: Project evduation; 18 15 Hydrology: Erosion and sedimentation; KEYWc)RDS: Ca~ifbrnia, erosion, forest fire, national forests, recreation, sediment

Effects of Reservoir Aquatic Plant Management on Recreational Expenditures and Regional Economic Activity

This paper explores the influence of demographic and spatial variables on individual participation and consumption of wildland area recreation. Data from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment are combined with geographical information system-based distance measures to develop nonlinear regression models used to predict both participation and the number of days of participation in wilderness and primitive area recreation. The estimated models corroborate previous findings indicating that race (black), ethnicity (Hispanic), immigrant status, age, and urban dwelling are negatively correlated with wildland visitation, while income, gender (male), and education positively affect wildland recreation participation and use. The presence of a distance or proximity factor mitigates some of the influence of race and ethnicity. The results of the cross-sectional models are combined with U.S. Census projections of total population, changes in population characteristics, and estimates of current National Forest Wilderness visitation estimates to give some insight into pressure that might be expected on the nation’s designated wilderness during the next half century. Results generally indicate that per-capita participation and visitation rates will decline over time as society changes. Total wilderness participation and visitation will, however, increase, but at a rate less than population growth.

Regional demand and supply projections for outdoor recreation

Abstract Many studies that estimate economic impact, use onsite tourist contacts followed with mailed expenditure surveys. Typically, response rates to such surveys are under 50%. A recent study of tourism impacts in the Florida Keys (USA) had similar problems. Response bias was considered to be a significant concern. This paper documents the tests for response bias used to identify socioeconomic factors related to survey response and expenditures per tourist. These included income, age, race, and domestic residence. Corrective weights were developed from the four variables. Uncorrected expenditure means underestimated average spending slightly for the summer season, but overestimated it for winter by almost 9%.