Small towns and rural communities in Colorado depend on recreation and tourism for large parts of our economy. In Clear Creek County, with a population of roughly 9,000 residents, rafting pumps $19 million into our economy annually. Hunting and angling generate another $5.6 million.
Another example of economic development from recreation and tourism is from a recent study showing that visitors to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sagebrush landscapes spent an estimated $1 billion last year across the Intermountain West.
That’s right — $1 billion, indeed. Camping, hunting, fishing, and other activities in 11 Western states brought in $623 million in direct spending and $1.06 billion in indirect spending. The study looked at 11 Western states, including Colorado. A whopping 67.8 million visitors spent time on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Surrounding communities benefited economically from the visitors too, who buy lots of gas, food, and spend money on lodging and licenses, among other things.
These examples show how important good conservation is for rural economies. Hunting, fishing, bird and wildlife watching, kayaking, and guiding depend on strong conservation efforts on both public and private land for healthy wildlife and ecosystems. Without good conservation, visitors won’t flock to these places.
Right now, rural communities in the West have a great opportunity to partner with federal agencies to build good conservation plans for the sagebrush ecosystem. Without a good plan, declining populations of species such as the sage grouse might require action under the Endangered Species Act.
The Endangered Species Act is an essential tool to protect species from extinction. It can also be disruptive to the people who live in the area. If voluntary conservation measures can raise sage grouse populations and benefit the local economy, that’s ideal.
When small towns and rural main street business owners collaborate in developing conservation plans, both the local economy and the conservation plan is better. That way conservation plans are tailored to individual states and regions, as they should be.
There are many ways landowners, farmers, and ranchers in sage brush habitat can be involved in good conservation. One is to talk to our state legislators about supporting voluntary habitat stewardship. If you have farmland or rangeland, you can also talk to your local Natural Resource Conservation Service agent about conservation programs you might enroll your land in, such as the Conservation Stewardship Program or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Another critical step is making sure that Colorado decision makers work with the Bureau of Land Management to update plans for land the BLM manages in Colorado. We’ve seen promising signs from the BLM, but we need them to step up for habitat conservation.
Imagine a conservation plan that protects existing rights, allows for new development, grows the tourism and recreation industry, and commits to habitat conservation to stabilize wildlife populations. By working together, we can make it happen.
Tim Mauck is a commissioner in Clear Creek County.
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