Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** National parks drove record spending last year
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Visitors to Zion National Park spent $672 million and drove a total economic output of $961 million in 2022, according to the National Park Service; Al_HikesAZ, Flickr ([link removed])

A new report ([link removed]) from the National Park Service found that visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2022 resulted in a record $50.3 billion economic benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 378,400 jobs. Annual appropriations for the National Park Service totaled $3.3 billion ([link removed]) in fiscal year 2022, effectively turning a $1 investment in the national park system into a more than $10 boost to the nation’s economy.

“At the Interior Department, we understand that nature is essential to the health, well-being and prosperity of every family and every community in America. But outdoor recreation is not just good for the soul, it’s a significant driver of our national and local economies and job sustainability,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland ([link removed]) .

Hotels and restaurants ([link removed]) saw the largest share of visitor spending dollars. Visitors also spent heavily on gas, outdoor recreation, and retail. California, Utah, and North Carolina ([link removed]) brought in the most visitor money out of the 50 states. In the West, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks and Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([link removed]) brought in the most spending, with Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain national parks following closely behind. The Great Smoky Mountains brought in the most spending out of all NPS-managed sites, at $2.1 billion ([link removed]) .


** The power of urban parks
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While the national park system drives thriving economies, urban parks help make cities healthier. That's according to a new report from the Trust for Public Land called the Power of Parks to Promote Health ([link removed]) that quantified the health and ecological benefits of urban parks. The Center for Western Priorities spoke to Vice President of Strategy and Engagement at the Trust for Public Land I Ling Thompson about the report on the latest episode of CWP's podcast ([link removed]) , The Landscape.


** Quick hits
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Report highlights dirty legacy of mining in the West

Sierra Nevada Ally ([link removed])

BLM holds NM meeting on oil and gas leasing proposal, seeks input

KUNM ([link removed]) | KRWG ([link removed])

An Arizona malbec? How the arid state became America’s newest wine country

The Guardian ([link removed])

What’s next for bison in Yellowstone? NPS seeks public feedback

Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])

Opinion: John Fielder captured Colorado’s landscape. Let’s preserve it for him

Denver Post ([link removed])

Humans caused 60% of Colorado wildfires over the past 30 years

Axios ([link removed])

Forests managed by Indigenous nations face a $100 million funding gap

Grist ([link removed])

Tracy Stone-Manning talks to NPR about how BLM "does all the things"

1A ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” We still have a framework where mining and drilling rights are supreme. And then we’ve layered over these environmental safeguards, which try to guide how we do those activities and minimize the impact. But we’re still operating in a system where mining rights, drilling rights, are the foundation and we’re just addressing the symptoms of that activity.”

—Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby, Sierra Nevada Ally ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@USFWS ([link removed])
Yellow-eyed juncos are the much less commonly seen cousins of dark-eyed juncos. In the US, the only place to see these bright-eyed birds is in Arizona's Sky Islands. Photo: Mick Thompson CC BY-NC 2.0 [link removed] ([link removed])

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