Land in Colorado managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior supported 13,216 recreational jobs statewide and contributed $1.3 billion in economic output in fiscal 2010, the agency said Wednesday.
About 9,000 jobs were in rural areas, ranking Colorado No. 4 in states benefiting from rural jobs supported by Interior recreation programs and services, according to the report issued by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
The report listed 15.4 million visits in 2010 to Interior recreation sites in Colorado.
Recreational visits to Interior-managed lands resulted in economic activity exceeding $1 billion in six other states and the District of Columbia. The other states are Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California, Florida and Oregon.
The report noted that Great Sand Dunes is adjacent to the rural counties of Alamosa, Custer, Huerfano and Saguache, with a combined labor force of 17,540 and average unemployment of 8 percent. The population of the four counties is 34,000.
In 2009, said the report, Great Sand Dunes attracted nearly 290,000 visitors. Visitors from out of town spent an estimated $9.5 million, which supported 137 local jobs. The monument also directly employs 32 people, which contributed $2.5 million to the local economy and supported an additional six local jobs.
“Great Sand Dunes is illustrative of Interior’s impact on a small rural community,” said the report. “Though the area population is only 34,000, Interior lands provided an important source of jobs and revenue.”
