Most of us have seen
those credit-card ads that go something like “Fishing license, $40.
Fly casting gear, $480. Reeling in a rainbow trout in the
wilderness under a 14,000-foot peak: Priceless.”
But
dollar signs can be associated with these “priceless” activities.
Let’s start with the rainbow trout. Rainbows are native to the West
Coast, but have been introduced throughout the Mountain West, with
a big assist from national fish hatcheries operated by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Like any good federal agency,
the Wildlife Service sends out press releases, including one that
points out how “fishing for rainbow trout reels in big bucks.” The
agency commissioned a study by economist James Caudill, who
examined stocking information from 11 national fish hatcheries in
2004 and evaluated the results.
As you might expect from
a study commissioned by the people who operate hatcheries, these
hatcheries provide a great return for taxpayers. The 11 hatcheries
produced 9.4 million rainbow trout, inspiring nearly 4 million
angler-days, which meant $172.7 million in spending on licenses,
food, gas, lodging, tackle, etc. That spending supported jobs, and
the workers paid taxes.
Add it all up, according to the
study, and “every dollar spent on rainbow trout production rises up
through the economy fueling $32.20 in retail sales and $36.88 in
net economic value.” So that rainbow on the end of the line isn’t
just a magnificent creature, or even a tasty main course for a
pan-fried outdoor dinner; it’s also part of an economic engine that
can drive for the long haul, with the net value of $21.19 per fish.
What about the value of wilderness, or more accurately,
nearby wilderness that you might see from a raft? Wilderness
designation has been proposed for about 20,000 acres in Chaffee
County in central Colorado. Years ago, it was identified as the
Aspen Ridge Wilderness Study Area. But over time, it became the
Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area, even though all the land in
question does not include the river in Browns Canyon. So even if
Congress approves wilderness designation someday, the river would
not flow through the Browns Canyon Wilderness. Browns Canyon is a
popular place for whitewater rafting, though, so the boundary
doesn’t matter to at least one river outfitter, Joe Greiner of
Buena Vista, Colo.
At a hearing on wilderness designation
earlier this year, he said, “I want to be able to promote that. I
think it would be a great marketing angle for us: ‘Come visit
Browns Canyon Wilderness.’ ”
Ah, wilderness, the
“marketing angle.”
As for the majestic 14,000-foot peak
in the wilderness behind a trout stream, it, too, is an economic
factor. Colorado has 54 peaks whose summits exceed 14,000 feet
above mean sea level. Most don’t require special skills or
equipment to climb; endurance and common sense will do. Thus
they’re popular destinations — so popular that tundra gets
trampled and trails erode into gulches.
The Colorado
Fourteeners Initiative is a nonprofit group that works to keep the
big peaks from getting loved to death by educating climbers and
establishing sustainable trails. In 2006, it worked with two
recreation economists from Colorado State University to determine
the economic value of having a big peak nearby.
After
surveying climbers in Park and Summit counties, they learned that
the average peak visitor spends $191.61 within a 25-mile radius,
and a total of $221 on their Fourteener trip.
The view
from the summit on a clear day might be priceless, along with that
giddy light-headed summit exuberance produced by hypoxia, but now
we also know that the Fourteener experience is worth $221 to the
general economy.
In all these calculations and marketing
angles, we seem to forget that so many people volunteer their time
and energy to improve cold-water fisheries, preserve wilderness and
care for some trampled mountains. That is truly priceless and a
gift to all of us, though doubtless somebody will someday come up
with dollar amounts. That appears to be the American way, after
all.
Ed Quillen is a contributor to Writers on
the Range, a service of High Country News in Paonia, Colorado
(hcn.org). He writes and produces Colorado Central magazine in
Salida, Colorado.
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