Russell L. Gum

Problems and Solutions in Estimating the Demand for and Value of Rural Outdoor Recreation

An improved methodology for estimating demand functions for outdoor recreation and evaluating the outdoor recreation resource by use classification is presented. The illustrative framework is a large-scale empirical study of all outdoor recreation activities in all areas of Arizona. The use of the improved procedures produces estimates of resource values which are much larger than in most previous studies and which are about the size of estimates of gross variable expenditures. It is argued that the time has come to relax the search for improved estimating methodology and concentrate on interpretation of the estimates in studies of resource allocations.