Revised 6-19-03,Lori Morris
Economic Value of Recreation
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1, the State of Washington ranked in the top ten in spending for wildlife viewing, hunting and fishing. The Chehalis Watershed Basin is mostly rural and offers many opportunities for recreation enthusiasts. This presents the local communities within the watershed the opportunity to benefit from the demand created by recreationists for services and supplies and at the same time manage the watershed in a way that compliments a more natural self-sustaining ecosystem.
Define the Issue
The geographic range or study area is the Chehalis Basin watershed. Located in Washington State, the Chehalis Basin watershed is west of the Cascade Mountain range and includes the counties of Grays Harbor, Thurston, Lewis and Mason plus small portions of Pacific, Cowlitz, Jefferson and Wahkiakum countries.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service1 reports recreational spending for fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing in Washington State for 2001, was $2.18 billion. This figure includes total trip-related and equipment expenditures. Expenditures for wildlife viewing were $980 million, fishing $854 million and hunting $350 million. Maintaining existing habitat or rehabilitating degraded habitat is essential to continue to attract recreation enthusiasts to the area. For example, it is a widely held assumption that the aquatic habitats essential to salmon and steelhead have experienced many types of degradation since development and urbanization of the area has occurred throughout the region. Recreationists are attracted to environments that attract and support many types of wildlife. Management of this land in order to maintain and sustain wildlife habitat and continues to attract wildlife of all types will also continue to draw recreationists to the area. If the habitat is allowed to degrade and can no longer attract or support wildlife many recreation enthusiasts will find other high quality areas that allow them to pursue there pastime activities.
Background
The following points were from a Fact Sheet dated December 2002 titled "Economic Benefits of Fish and Wildlife Recreation in Washington State"2.
NOTE: the following information is for the entire state of Washington.
1) Fishers, hunters and wildlife viewers spent a combined total of over $2.18 billion in Washington State in 2001.
2) Washington ranks eighth in the nation in spending by sport fishers, which totaled nearly $854 million in 2001.
3) Washington also ranked seventh nationally, in spending by wildlife-watchers. Participants spent nearly $980 million in 2001.
4) Hunters spent nearly $350 million, in 2001, pursuing their sport in Washington.
5) The survey indicated that nearly 2.5 million people, both residents and non-residents, participated in wildlife-watching activities in Washington State in 2001, while 227,000 people hunted, and 659,000 sport anglers fished.
Washington State Parks
The following numbers were collected from Washington State Parks3 for park facilities within the Chehalis Watershed. Detailed information was not available on the intended purpose of the trip, such as, fishing, hunting, hiking, bicycling or other active or passive recreation activities.
Washington State Parks Within Chehalis Basin
Camping and Day Use Participatio
| Number of Recreational Users -2001 | |||
| - | - | - | - |
| Washington State Parks | Utility | Standard | Day Use |
| Twin Harbors | 9,280 | 35,837 | 184,265 |
| Grayland Beach | 32,215 | 80 | - |
| Westport Light | - | - | 206,024 |
| Westhaven | - | - | 189,365 |
| Rainbow Falls | - | 7,226 | 85,960 |
| Ocean City | 16,849 | 32,077 | 288,271 |
| Damon Point | - | - | 147,600 |
| Millersylvania | 16,480 | 22,834 | 480,260 |
| Lake Sylvia | - | 11,550 | 256,132 |
| Schafer | 915 | 4,629 | 51,681 |
| Total | 75,739 | 114,233 | 1,889,558 |
Department of Fish and Wildlife
The following table shows the number of fishing and hunting licenses sold for the fiscal year 2002 in Washington State. Data was not disaggregated to the county or regional level. According to officials the WDFW, the majority of the charter stamps sold were probably for charters operating out of Westport as well as most of the saltwater and shell fish licenses. The WDFW fact sheet states that "...razor clam diggers spent an estimated $4.6 million in 2001 in Washington coastal communities such as Long Beach and Ocean Shores, according to officials in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties."2
Department of Fish and Wildlife - Statewide
| Recreational License Sales - FY 2002 | ||
| - | - | - |
| - | Fishing Licenses | |
| Combination | - | 404,593 |
| Charter Stamps | - | 42,703 |
| Freshwater | - | 381,803 |
| Saltwater | - | 74,458 |
| Shellfish & Seaweed | - | |
| - | Total | 1,068,136 |
| - | - | - |
| - | Hunting Licenses | |
| Bear & Cougar | - | 4,080 |
| Bear - Second | - | 487 |
| Cougar - Second | - | 100 |
| Deer | - | 68,551 |
| Elk | - | 15,677 |
| Deer & Elk | - | 43,653 |
| Deer, Elk, Bear & Cougar | - | - |
| Deer, Bear & Cougar | - | - |
| Elk, Bear & Cougar | - | - |
| Goat or Sheep or Moose | - | - |
| Special Hunt Application | - | - |
| Auction Licenses | - | - |
| Small Game w/Big Game | - | - |
| Small Game | - | 42586 |
| Turkey 2nd & 3rd | - | - |
| Western WS Pheasant | - | - |
| - | Total | 381,878 |
How it came up
The Chehalis Steering/Technical Committee believes that quantifying the economic activity linked to recreation within the Chehalis Basin Watershed will provide impetus for protecting the natural resources needed to sustain that economic activity.
Parties Involved
Beneficiaries of the $2.18 billion are the sporting goods stores, bait shops and boat ramps plus motels, campgrounds, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, charter boat operators, and equipment rental companies. Governmental units rely on the sales tax collection at the above units to operate and maintain public services such as police and fire protection, water and sanitary service.
Existing State, Federal, Local laws & regulations
Hunting and fishing licenses are required by participants.
Solutions & Toolbox
Preserve and maintain existing fishing and wildlife habitat for future recreation enthusiasts. Provide an environment complementary to sustaining a vibrant and diverse ecosystem. Maintain a more natural self-regulating environment that will lessen the impacts of severe weather condition within the ecosystem and surrounding developed areas.
Analysis
Typically the most cost effective method is to identify areas of high quality or habitat value and protect or maintain the in a manner that the areas are self sustaining.
Footnotes:
1 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, December 2002, "Adding it up, Washington Communities Profit from Fish, Wildlife Recreation"
2 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, December 2002, Fact Sheet, "Economic Benefits of Fish and Wildlife Recreation in Washington State"
3 Washington State Parks, attendance records for 2001
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