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Putting Pricetags on the Priceless

September 19, 2006

Outdoor recreation returns $730 billion to the U.S. economy every year, according to a report from the Outdoor Industry Foundation.

That's a lot - nearly 6 percent of America's annual gross domestic product. It's more than total sales of motor vehicles and parts from Alaska to Florida. More than total household maintenance costs for every family in America. More than twice as much as clothing and footwear purchases from Hawaii to Maine.

Who is spending all this money? According to the report, 1 in 5 Americans goes bicycling. One in five enjoys watching birds and other wildlife. One in 10 go fishing. One in 25 go hunting. Millions of people ski, paddle, and hike their way across America's landscapes.

Narrow the focus to national parks. The National Park Service recently released a report showing that parks returned $12 billion to nearby communities, from lodging, food, and souvenirs purchased by visitors, and spending by salaried park employees.

It is critically important to bring such facts and figures to prominence. Public lands ride steerage in the federal budget, and information about the economic benefits of public lands powerfully bolsters the case of conservationists seeking healthier budgets for taking care of our parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas. Their work is never ending -- 188 out of 546 national wildlife refuges have no staff whatsoever -- no biologists, no interpretive staff, not even janitors to pick up litter discarded by the careless.

Still, there is something unseemly about boiling the value of public lands down to dollars and cents. Parks and other natural preserves were not set aside to be milked for jobs and cash, but to conserve our nation's natural and cultural heritage, inspire present and future generations of American citizens, and imbue them with pride in the great commons that symbolizes America. Yes, tourist dollars are beneficial to gateway communities outside the popular parks, such as Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, or Yosemite.

It's important to show budget hawks that public lands are a good return on investment. But parks off the beaten path -- Gates of the Arctic, Great Basin, or Isle Royale -- embody America's heritage as well. They won't generate many jobs or produce much tax revenue, but what they lack in cash generating potential, they more than make up with beauty, quiet, and silent witness to our history.

As Congressman John Saylor, the great Republican conservationist from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, said: "To permit the despoilment of our natural resources would be to desecrate a divine inheritance. It is thus incumbent upon us to make provisions ... to safeguard for succeeding generations the natural endowments that are our trust."