Jerry Johnson

Residents' perceptions of tourism development

Abstract This paper examines resident perceptions of tourism development in a rural area experiencing an economic transition. The economy is shifting from the extractive industries of mining and logging to an emergent tourism industry. The study utilizes a longitudinal research desihn to investigate community sentiment over the developmental phase of a new year-round ski area. Various attitude indicators were used over the 6-year period. The residents initially held high expectations for tourism development, but support has diminished over time. The data suggest a complex relationship between the level of economic development, the level of tourism development, and the expected perceived socioeconomic and environmental impacts by residents resulting from tourism.

Ecological Causes and Consequences of Demographic Change in the New West

R areas in the American West are undergoing a dra m a tic tra n s i ti on in dem ogra phy, econ om i c s ,a n d eco s ys tem s . Long known as the “Wi l d ” We s t , the regi on has been ch a racteri zed by low human pop u l a ti on den s i ties and vast tracts of u n s et t l ed or undevel oped land (Wi l k i n s on 1993, Power 1998). For most of the 1900s, the pop u l a ti on of m a ny ru ral areas in the West grew very slowly or even dec re a s ed . Because local econ omies were based on natu ral re s o u rce indu s tries su ch as mining, l oggi n g, f a rm i n g, and ra n ch i n g, m a ny re s i dents of the regi on con s i dered con s erva ti on stra tegies on public lands detri m ental to local econ omic devel opm en t . E f forts to establish natu re re s erves and to pre s erve p u blic lands from com m ercial devel opm ent were seen as res tri cting the use of vital natu ral re s o u rce s . In recent dec ade s ,p a rts of that Wild West have given way to the “ New ” West (Ri ebsame et al. 1 9 9 7 ) . People from t h ro u gh o ut the Un i ted States have been migra ting to the Rocky Mountains and the inland We s t . With a pop u l a ti on growth ra te of 2 5 . 4 % , the mountain West was the faste s t growing regi on of the co u n try du ring the 1990s. Su rpri si n gly, rapid pop u l a ti on increases are occ u rring not on ly in urban areas su ch as Denver and Salt Lake Ci ty but also in ru ra l co u n ti e s ,m a ny of wh i ch are gaining pop u l a ti on even faster than urban areas (Th eobald 2000). Some 67% of the co u nties in the Rocky Mountains grew faster than the nati onal avera ge du ring the 1990s (Beyers and Nel s on 2000). Con s equ en t ly, s m a ll cities su ch as Bozem a n , Mon t a n a , and Moa b, Ut a h , a re beginning to ex peri en ce traffic con ge s ti on and s prawl . Some of the ru ral pop u l a ti on growth in the New We s t repre s ents an intra regi onal red i s tri buti on of people from the h i gh plains, wh i ch con ti nue to lose pop u l a ti on (Jo h n s on 1 9 9 8 ) , to more mountainous are a s . Ma ny of the new re s i den t s , h owever, a re in-migrants from other regi ons thro u gh o ut the Un i ted States (Ri ebsame et al. 1 9 9 7 ) . The re s i dents of a ru ra l su b d ivi s i on in a boom co u n ty in Montana might inclu de recent arrivals from big East Coast citi e s ,m i dwe s tern farm s ,a n d the nearest small town . Am ong the in-migrants are reti ree s , we a l t hy young adu l t s , and profe s s i onals in com p uter techn o l ogy, real estate , and other servi ce indu s tries (Nel s on 1999).

The role of economic and quality of life values in rural business location

Abstract The familiar view of job creation is that business location is largely a function of traditional economic values such as tax structure and cost of doing business. This paper examines the role of other values that may be important to the business location decision. These include the role of a quality environment, scenic beauty, low crime rate, and recreation opportunities. Four general categories of values are examined in this study of businesses within the boundaries of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The four categories are: Economic values, Qualitative values, Community values, and Recreation values. Comparisons are made between long-time resident business owners (Old-timers) and relative newcomer business owners (Newcomers). The findings indicate that values that reflect the quality of the living environment are important to the business location decision by rural business owners. Further, those who have lived in the study region for more than five years tended to rate the importance of the quality of life values more highly than did newcomer business owners. These findings imply that policy makers, and those concerned with expansion of the stock of businesses in a community, will want to consider quality of life values as important to business location behavior and subsequent recruitment of new businesses.

Travel-Stimulated Entrepreneurial Migration

Travel-stimulated entrepreneurial migration involves the movement of existing and potential businesses to a region by entrepreneurs who first visited it while on pleasure or business travel. The incidence of travel-stimulated entrepreneurship is examined within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. These pleasure and business travel-stimulated entrepreneurs are compared with native-Montana entrepreneurs regarding types of businesses they operate and their business location values. The findings indicate that travel-stimulated entrepreneurial migration contributes to business formation and diversity of firms competing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The concept of travel-stimulated entrepreneurial migration is discussed with respect to conversion studies, economic impact models, and the tourism destination life-cycle model.

Is Downtown Mainly for Tourists

This article examines the perceived impacts of tourism development on downtown in a rural community. A random sample of residents of Bozeman, Montana, provided the data for developing the Downtown Tourism Impact Scale. The scale proved both valid and reliable. Perceptions of downtown correlated with residents shopping, socializing, and community affiliation. The results led to the formulation of a downtown tourism life cycle model.

The role of the Conservation Reserve Program in controlling rural residential development

Abstract Rural population growth in the form of residential development frequently results in the loss of agricultural productive land as well as loss of adjacent open space that often characterizes rural communities. A land-use prediction model was used to determine what influence the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) may have on urban sprawl and rural community sustainability. The model demonstrated that the projected mean rural residential growth rate was almost half the growth rate with CRP as compared to without CRP in the local land management mix. In addition, ecosystem integrity on the land surrounding a rural community was sharply increased with the introduction of CRP. However, community economics and subsequent social character of the community may have been significantly impacted by CRP. In order to partially mitigate CRP-induced community impacts we propose future CRP guidelines support the establishment of within-production field scale ecological refuges. These refuges would satisfy the conservation requirements of the program, return a level of traditional agricultural production to the land management mix, and provide the adjacent community with aesthetic and recreational amenities that are frequently associated with modern rural economies.

Application of the tourism life cycle concept in the greater Yellowstone region

Abstract Tourism development in the greater Yellowstone region is examined using the tourism life cycle concept. This concept postulates that, over time, tourism destinations experience known and ordered stages of development. The stages include exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, and then a series of choices ranging from rejuvenating to decline. Few empirical assessments of the tourism life cycle concept exist for federally managed resources. Four dimensions provided data for monitoring the tourism life cycle. They are visitation trends, growth of the service economy in the region, host residents’ perceptions of current tourism development, and current biological indicators of the ecosystem. These four sources of information indicate that tourism development in the greater Yellowstone region is more intricate than the life cycle concept would suggest. The information reveals that development is not at a specific stage in the cycle. Development and its attendant impacts on th...

Knowing your local community: The role of socio‐economic profiles for learning about the changing west

Abstract Rural community economies of the western United States are undergoing a shift from historic dependence on extractive industries to one increasingly diverse. Presented is a methodology of building socio‐economic profiles using public information as one phase of a comprehensive community planning and self‐education process. The profile is intended to help community members and researchers understand the shifts, and thereby ask informed questions about the relative importance of environmental quality as a source of community change. Understanding community change can identify future directions for community development, natural resource dependence, population demands for natural resources, and recreational needs. The methodology described is derived from a workbook aimed at a broad range of users interested in community change. The case setting for the discussion of the efficacy of the methodology is a research project conducted in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.