ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS ON RURAL ECONOMIES: TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN MARKET PRODUCTION AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1003326
• Project No.: WYO-537-14
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2014
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2019

Project Director
Foulke, TH, K..

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
1000 E UNIVERSITY AVE DEPARTMENT 3434
LARAMIE,WY 82071-2000

Performing Department
Agricultural And Applied Economics

Non Technical Summary
Natural resource development takes many forms and can bring both positive and negative change to rural economies in Wyoming. In the western United States and especially Wyoming, natural resource development is primarily energy related (oil, gas, and mining), timber and rural residential construction (conversion of agricultural lands to rural residential land).Positive outcomes of these changes include jobs and income for local residents that allow them to continue their rural lifestyles and supplemental income for agricultural producers. Additionally, energy development and rural construction can provide local businesses with the opportunity to form or expand to meet development needs in rural locations. All of these development types bring income to the tax rolls that benefit citizens. Positive changes from development are often easy to see and value by local citizens and the researchers who study them.Negative outcomes of these changes are often less easy to see and value. Many are environmental in nature and do not have easily quantifiable values. Ecosystems services, such as clean air and water, open space, and diverse and thriving communities of wildlife are difficult to value, but have value none-the-less. The lack of easily observed values creates challenges for decision-makers who need quality un-biased information to design policies that balance the needs of the economy with environmental sustainability.This project will focus on energy development and rural residential construction impacts on agricultural and natural ecosystems and how the trade-offs of development impact local economies. This represents a suite of related projects that the researchers collaborate on jointly.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

90%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
601	3399	3010	30%
605	0330	3010	30%
608	6050	3010	40%

Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management; 605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics; 608 - Community Resource Planning and Development;

Subject Of Investigation
0330 - Wetland and riparian systems; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions; 3399 - Beef cattle, general/other;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;

Keywords

energy development

rural economies

ecosystem services

economic impact

trade-offs

Goals / Objectives
The major goal of this project is to develop and disseminate models and analytical tools to help decision-makers, researchers and the general public better understand the trade-offs encountered with theenergy development issues that they face.Specific objectives to achieve this goal include:1. Conduct economic analyses to understand the trade-offs between specific development projects and the ecosystems services provided by alternative land uses, such as agriculture and/or conservation initiatives.2. Investigate the economic impact of changes in land use (such as energy development or the conversion of agricultural lands) on endangered species and how development might have broader implications (both geographic and temporal).3. Analyze the role of expanding predation by large predators on the existing ranching system in the state and try to understand and anticipate how changes will impact agricultural producers and offer alternative production possibilities.4. Develop methods to estimate conservation easement values on agricultural lands, and use the values to analyze the economic and ecological efficiency of alternative targeting strategies for mitigating energy development impacts on wildlife.5. Develop an information tool (e.g., GIS map suite) to help federal land managers understand the economic and ecological tradeoffs (e.g., costs and ecological return) of alternative management activities for protecting sage-grouse.

Project Methods
To accomplish our goals we will approach the issues from several different avenues. These include:Energy infrastructure development impactsWe will develop Power distribution models for energy efficiency using CGE (Computer Generated Equilibrium) models. These models will be used to evaluate more efficient policies and methods that better serve the needs of the people of the state and still provide economic incentives for power developers.Valuing conservation easements on agricultural landDevelop methods to estimate conservation easement values (e.g., the value of foregoing residential development) using publicly available assessed land values. Estimated easement values will allow land managers and conservation organizations to better target easements for mitigating the impacts of energy development on wildlife.Economic and ecological tradeoffs of alternative land management activitiesIn collaboration with BLM and USGS,develop a GIS mapping tool to assess the economic and ecological characteristics of alternative management activities to protect sage grouse from energy development impacts. We will collect data on the costs of activities, including opportunity costs (e.g., altering grazing practices), and on the expected ecological production from activities. Combining the two elements will result in a map depicting the most cost-effective locations to implement alternative activities.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is Wyoming stakeholders--including local, state and federal decision-makers, researchers and the general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided opportunities for post-M.S. professionals to work on projects in their chosen field to gain experience that would help them in the job market. They provided modeling and media support as well which gave them valuable experience in the world of public relations in the today's social media world. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We disseminated our work through journals, websites, press releases, presentations, workshops and one-on-one stakeholder meetings. We used both electronic and print media vehicles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We provided analyses and publications that were valuable to decision-makers facing complex energy and environmental issues which may result in significant impacts to the local and regional economy. An example of this the "Economic impact of Sage Grouse management on livestock grazing in the Western United States" (David T. Taylor et al. Western Economic Forum, Spring 2019, Vol 17, Issue 1) which used quantitative methodology to estimate the potential economic impacts on the local and regional ranching economy of a range of Sage Grouse mitigation strategies. With these models and scenarios, state and local decision-makers could clearly see the dollar value impact of their decisons on constituents.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rashford, B.S., *A.M. Scott, L.S. Smutko and A. Nagler. 2019. Assessing Economic and Ecological Tradeoffs to Target Conservation Easements in Western Rangelands. Western Economics Forum 17(1): 9-23.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sandler, A., and B.S. Rashford. 2018. Misclassification Error in Satellite Imagery Date: Implications for Empirical Land-Use Models. Land Use Policy 75: 530-537.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Godby, R., and R. Coupal. "Potential Impacts to Wyoming of the Coal Transition Wyoming Infrastructure Authority Spring Meeting, Jackson Wyoming, March 28, 2019
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Coupal, R.  Transitions and Legacies from Coal-based Electricity Generation: Economic and Environmental Impact Issues presented at the International Association of Impact Assessment, Brisbane, Queesnland, Australia
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Godby, R., M. Haggerty, R. Coupal, "The Overlooked Importance of Federal Public Land Fiscal Policy Presented at the The Economics of Public Lands and Waters: Essays and a Forum. June 16, 2019
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Coupal, R. and K. Lamb"Geomorphic Reclamation: Economic and Risk analysis at American Association of Mining Reclamation Annual Conference, Big Sky, Montana, June 2, 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Coupal, R. "Geomorphic Reclamation: Cost Effectiveness and Risk Analysis Presentation at the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs, Pittsburgh, PA. September 6, 2019
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Stoy, P.C., S. Ahmed, M. Jarchow, B.S. Rashford, D. Swanson, S. Albeke, G. Bromley, E.N.J. Brookshire, M.D. Dixon, J. Haggerty, P. Miller, B. Peyton, T. Sohl, L. Spangler, C. Straub, A. Royem, and B. Poulter. 2018. Opportunities and tradeoffs between BECCS and food, water, energy, biodiversity and social systems at regional scales. Bioscience 68(2): 100-111.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Korfanta, N., B.S. Rashford, A. Pocewicz, E. Schacht, B. Alley, and J. Luchsinger. Wyoming Conservation Easements: Lands, Services, and Economic Benefits. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1317, January 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: B.S. Rashford. Economics and Conservation Easements. Meeting of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Lander, WY, October 17, 2019.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Taylor, David T., Niel R. Rimby, and John Tanaka. Economic Impact of Sage Grouse Management on Livestock grazing in the Western United States. Western Economic Forum. Vol. 17 Spring 2019, Issue 1.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Natural resource development brings both positive and negative change to rural economies in Wyoming. Natural resource development can take many forms, but in the Western United States and especially Wyoming, natural resource development is primarily energy (oil and gas, and mining), timber and rural residential construction (conversion of agricultural lands to rural residential land). Positive outcomes of these changes include jobs and income for local residents that allow them to continue their rural lifestyles and supplemental income for agricultural producers. Additionally, energy development/rural construction can provide local businesses with the opportunity to form or expand to meet development needs in rural locations. All of these development types bring benefits to the tax rolls that benefit all citizens. Positive changes from development are often easy to see and value by local citizens and the researchers who study them. Negative outcomes of these changes are often less easy to see and value. Many are environmental in nature and do not have easily quantifiable values. Ecosystems services, such as clean air and water, open space, and diverse and thriving communities of wildlife are difficult to value, but have value none-the-less. The lack of easily observed values creates challenges for decision-makers who need quality unbiased information to design policies that balance the needs of the economy with environmental sustainability. This project will focus on energy development and rural residential construction impacts on agricultural and natural ecosystems and how the trade-offs of development impact local economies. This represents a suite of related projects that the researchers collaborate on jointly. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have three M.S. professionals working in various parts of this project They provide modeling support and publications for posters and media outreach. These positions provide good first post-M.S. employment opportunities where graduates can hone their skills before moving on to further professional employment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Products have been disseminated through professional conferences and publications, poster sessions and workshops, to both professionals and the general public. We also have provided provided electronic publications for dissemintation via the web and and in print media to our constituents. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have several publications that will be submitted in the next year and have several more workshops scheduled. More stakeholder workshops and socio-economic analyses are forthcoming. Our modeling effort that includes graduate student work continues.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Energy prices continue to challenge the finances of Wyoming's state and local governments as well as its employment base. But we have seen a little improvement in 2018. Our tools and models help local governments understand what is happening in their jurisdictions. This year we provided socio-economic profiles to two counties in Wyoming. One of our team also published two papers on conservation easements and a third continues to work with modeling climate change scenario impact on ranching operations in the West. While another team member did outreach poster sessions on the nexus of agriculture, food and energy production.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sandler, A., and B.S. Rashford. 2018. Misclassification Error in Satellite Imagery Date: Implications for Empirical Land-Use Models. Land Use Policy 75: 530-537.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Stoy, P.C., S. Ahmed, M. Jarchow, B.S. Rashford, D. Swanson, S. Albeke, G. Bromley, E.N.J. Brookshire, M.D. Dixon, J. Haggerty, P. Miller, B. Peyton, T. Sohl, L. Spangler, C. Straub, A. Royem, and B. Poulter. 2018. Opportunities and tradeoffs between BECCS and food, water, energy, biodiversity and social systems at regional scales. Bioscience 68(2): 100-111.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Korfanta, N., B.S. Rashford, A. Pocewicz, E. Schacht, B. Alley, and J. Luchsinger. Wyoming Conservation Easements: Lands, Services, and Economic Benefits. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1317, January 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Korfanta, N., B.S. Rashford, A. Pocewicz, E. Schacht, B. Alley, and J. Luchsinger. Wyoming Conservation Easements: Lands, Services, and Economic Benefits. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, Video (available at: http://www.uwyo.edu/haub/ruckelshaus-institute/initiatives/open-spaces/index.html), November 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gerace, S., A. Nagler, and B.S. Rashford. The Water, Agriculture, Food, Energy Nexus. Poster Presentation  Connecting Extension & Research Conference, Laramie, WY, December 13, 2017.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gerace, S., and B.S. Rashford. The Water, Agriculture, Food, Energy Nexus. Poster Presentation  Wyoming Weed & Pest Conference, Sheridan, WY, November 13, 2017.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Haggerty, J. H., K. K. Smith, J. Weigle, T. J. Kelsey, R. Coupal, D. Kay, K. B. Walsh, P. Lachapelle. 2019 exp. Tradeoffs, balancing, and adaptation in the agriculture-oil and gas nexus: Insights from farmers and ranchers in the United States. Energy Research and Social Science 47 (Jan.): 84-92.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Godby, R., D. Taylor, R. Coupal, 2018. Wind development, tax policy and economic development tradeoffs. Electricity Journal 31(5).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: R. Coupal. (April 2018). Economic impacts of the Jackson Creek Resort, Bondaurant, Wy. 2018 Gribb, W., G. Paige, R. Coupal. (Final Report June 2018) Agricultural and Water Resource Planning on the Wind River Indian Reservation 2014-2018
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ghosh, R., R. Godby, R. Coupal. (Sept 2018) Valuing Expanded Wind Generation and Geographic Diversity of Wind in the Rocky Mountain West: Market and Non-market Outcomes. Presented at the Energy Policy Research Conference, Boise, Idaho.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Taylor, D.T., T. Foulke, and R. Coupal. 2017. The Economic Importance of Wyoming Agricultural Production. University of Wyoming, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. UW Extension, B-1314, November 2017.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Larson, C.A., D.T. Taylor, and B. Fuez. 2018. Uinta County, Wyoming: Social and Economic Assessment High Uinta Wilderness Domestic Sheep Analysis. Prepared for Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashely National Forests. March 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T. and T. Foulke. 2018. A Converse County Profile: Socioeconomics. In cooperation with Converse County Board of County Commissioners and Wyoming County Commissioners Association, June 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T. and T. Foulke. 2018. A Johnson County Profile: Socioeconomics. In cooperation with Johnson County Board of County Commissioners and Wyoming County Commissioners Association, June 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T., N. Korfanta. 2018. Population Growth in Wyoming; 2010-2015. Wyoming Open Space Initiative. UW Extension, B-1236R, August 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T. 2018. Economic Importance of Big Game Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching to the Wyoming Economy in 2017. For Wyoming Game and Fish Department. University of Wyoming, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, November 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T., N.R. Rimbey, and J.A. Tanaka. 2018. Economic Impact of Sage Grouse Management on Livestock Grazing in the Western United States. Western Economic Forum, Forthcoming.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bentley Brymer, D.T. Taylor, J.D. Wulfhorst, L.A. Torell, N.R. Rimbey, and J.A. Tanaka. 2018. Economic and Social Impact Assessment of Ranching on Public Lands: A Guide to Concepts, Methods, and Applications. Journal of Rangeland Applications, Forthcoming.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T. 2018. Wyoming County Commissioners Socioeconomic Profile Initiative. Presented to the Western Governors Association, Denver, Colorado.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Taylor, D.T. and N.Q. Ashwell. 2018. Ecosystem Services Values Generated on U.S. Grazing Lands. National Cattlemen Beef Associations Sustainable Beef Media Workshop, Denver, Colorado
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ritten, John, Maria Fernandez-Gimenez, James Pritchett, *Emily Kachergis, and *Willow Bish. 2018. A State and Transition Approach to determine Opportunity Costs of Providing Various Ecosystem Services. Rangeland Ecology and Management, 71: 737-752. In Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.06.010
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bastian, Christopher T., John P. Ritten and Justin D. Derner. 2018. Ranch Profitability Given Increased Precipitation Variability and Flexible Stocking. Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 122-139.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ritten, John, Christopher Bastian, Steven Paisley. 2018. Economic Models Show Drought Effects Cattle Producers Over 35-Year Horizon; Suggest Herd Diversification Helps Minimize Impact. Pages 9-11 in Navigating Drought in Wyoming. B-1325, University of Wyoming Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hanson, Eilish*, John Ritten, Ben Rashford, Andrew Kniss, and Amy Nagler. What are the Farm-Level Implications from Adopting Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage in the Upper Missouri River Basin? Poster presented at the Western Society of Crops Science Annual Meeting, June 19, 2018, Laramie, WY. Poster presented by Hanson.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is agricultural producers and landowners in the State of Wyoming, as well as state and local decision-makers. We also disseminate information to our peers in the research community through publications and presentations. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have three post-M.S. professionals working on various parts of this project. They provide modeling support and publication and media support. These are good transition and training for post-grads looking to enter the workforce. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Products from the project have been disseminated through professional conferences to researchers, through workshops with producers and to local and state governments via electronic and print media formats. Our desk guide for the BLM is in review for use by federal land managers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?More stakeholder publications and socio-economic analyses are forthcoming along with continued climate change impact modeling. There are also some workshops for producers that are in the planning stage.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? With continued low energy prices, local communities in Wyoming and the West continue to struggle with the resulting low revenue provided by state government. Our tools and models help local government understand what is happening in their communities. We provided four socio-economic profiles to counties in Wyoming last year as 12 hunting and fishing spending analyses. We also continue to work with State government on Sage Grouse issues. Other work covered under this project has provided stakeholders with insight into how changing climatic conditions may affect livestock producers in the region. Models related to this work have been built to show how ranching profitability may change and how stocking rates may be affected by climate change.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Stoy, P.C., S. Ahmed, M. Jarchow, B.S. Rashford, D. Swanson, S. Albeke, G. Bromley, E.N.J. Brookshire, M.D. Dixon, J. Haggerty, P. Miller, B. Peyton, T. Sohl, L. Spangler, C. Straub, A. Royem, and B. Poulter. 2018. Opportunities and tradeoffs between BECCS and food, water, energy, biodiversity and social systems at regional scales. Bioscience (Forthcoming).
• Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Korfanta, N., B.S. Rashford, A. Pocewicz, E. Schacht, B. Alley, and J. Luchsinger. Wyoming Conservation Easements: Lands, Services, and Economic Benefits. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (Forthcoming)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ahmed, S. et al. Track II: Sustainable socio-economic, ecological and technical scenarios for achieving global climate stabilization through negative CO2 emission policies. Institute on Ecosystems Summit, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, April 6, 2017
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rashford, B.S. Spatial data in applied economics: from wildlife conservation to wildfire costs. Spatial Sciences Discussion Group, Office of research and Economic Development, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, March 29, 2017.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Poulter, B, and B.S. Rashford. Future Land Use Scenarios for the Upper Missouri River Basin. WAFERx Stakeholder Workshop, Bozeman, MT, October 11, 2017.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hamilton, Tucker, John Ritten, Christopher Bastian, Justin Derner, and John Tanaka. 2016. Economic Impacts of Increasing Seasonal Precipitation Variation on Cow-Calf Enterprises. Rangeland Ecology and Management, 69(6): 465-473.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Derner, Justin, Judith Capper, Guodong Han, Leigh Hunt, Kepler Euclides Filjo, John Ritten. 2017. Livestock Production Systems. For Rangeland Systems: Processes, Management and Challenges. Edited by David Briske.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ritten, John, Christopher Bastian, Justin Derner, John Tanaka. Flexible Stocking as a Strategy for Enhancing Ranch Profitability in the Face of a Changing and Variable Climate. Presented at the Western Agricultural Economics Association Meetings, July 10, 2017, Lake Tahoe, CA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: *Dyer, Holly, John Ritten, John Tanaka, David Taylor, Kristie Maczko, and Jennifer Moore Kucera. Wyoming Ranchers Profitability from Improved Forage Production on Private Rangeland: An Approach to Measure Soil Health Benefits. Presented at the Western Agricultural Economics Association Meetings, July 10, 2017, Lake Tahoe, CA. (Presented by Ritten)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John, John Tanaka, Kristie Maczko, David Taylor, Jennifer Moore Kucera and *Holly Dyer. Methods and Challenges for Valuation of Soil Health Properties. Presented at ACES (A Community on Ecosystem Services) 2016 Meeting. Jacksonville, FL. December 7, 2016. Invited. Presented by Dyer.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John, Justin Derner, Christopher Bastian, John Tanaka, David Agustine, Lauren Porensky, Mark Eisele, Kendall Roberts. Flexible Stocking Strategies In A Variable Climate: From Research To Reality. Presented at the INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) 2016 Annual Meeting, Multi-Criteria Decisions Making in Agriculture Symposium, Nashville, TN. November 15, 2016. Invited
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bender, H., L. McDonald, J. Sidon, C. Dixon, and D. Taylor. 2017. BLM Oil and Gas Economic Impact Analysis: Methods, Desk Guide, and Tool to Facilitate IMPLAN Analysis for Oil and Gas Activities on the Federal Mineral Estate, 35th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference, November 12-15, 2017, Houston, Texas.
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Campbell Board of County Commissioners. 2017. A Campbell County Profile: Socioeconomics, Wyoming County Commissioners Association (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Big Horn Board of County Commissioners. 2017. A Big Horn County Profile: Socioeconomics, Wyoming County Commissioners Association (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Washakie Board of County Commissioners. 2017. A Washakie County Profile: Socioeconomic, Wyoming County Commissioners Associations (in review).
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Niobrara Board of County Commissioners. 2017. A Niobrara County Profile: Socioeconomic, Wyoming County Commissioners Associations (in review).

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this reporting period was Wyoming stakeholders, federal, state and local decision-makers, as well as researchers and the general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Products from this project were disseminated to federal, stake and local decision-makers, as well as NGO's, industry groups, professionals and the general public. The materials were distributed via print and electronic format as well as presented at conferences and via a webinar. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Low energy commodity prices continue to exert pressure on energy and agricultural producers in our area and thus the entire economy is stressed. Our products contribute valuable information to decision-makers trying to understand the impacts of low [energy commodity] prices on their local economies. We contribute information and analysis to federal, state and local governments who then disseminate this information to their constituencies and use it in their decision-making process.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Derner, Justin, David Augustine, Lauren Porensky, Mark Eisele, Kendall Roberts, and John Ritten. Flexible Stocking Strategies for Adapting to Climatic Variability. Cow Country (Wyoming Stock Growers), Spring 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John, Justin Derner, Christopher Bastian, John Tanaka, David Agustine, Lauren Porensky, Mark Eisele, Kendall Roberts. Flexible Stocking Strategies In A Variable Climate: From Research To Reality. Presented at the INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) 2016 Annual Meeting, Multi-Criteria Decisions Making in Agriculture Symposium, Nashville, TN. November 15, 2016. Invited
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Derner, Justin, David Augustine, Lauren Porensky, Mark Eisele, Kendall Roberts and John Ritten. Flexible Stocking Strategies for Adapting to Climatic Variability. Presented at the 10th International Rangeland Congress, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. July 21, 2016. Presented by Derner.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John, Tucker Hamilton, Christopher Bastian, Justin Derner, John Tanaka. Management Implications of Increasing Seasonal Precipitation and Source of Supplemental Funds on SE Wyoming Cattle Producers. Presented at the Western Regional Science Association 55th Annual Meeting, February 17, 2016, Waikoloa, HI.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hamilton, Tucker, John Ritten, Christopher Bastian, Justin Derner, John Tanaka. Economic Impact of Increasing Seasonal Precipitation Variation on Cow-Calf Enterprises. Presented at the Society for Range Management Annul Meeting, February 1, 2016, Corpus Christi, TX. Part of the Responding Rationally to Uncertainty Organized Symposium. Invited. (Presented by Ritten)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John, Tucker Hamilton, Christopher Bastian, John Tanaka. Economic Impacts of Increased Seasonal Precipitation Variation on Cow/Calf Producers. Poster presented at the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SAREC) Field Day, Lingle, WY, August 25, 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ritten, John. Preparing the Next Generation of Wyoming Ranchers. Wyoming Stock Growers Association Summer Meeting, Laramie, WY. June 2, 2016. Opening General Session, Invited.
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. BLM Colorado River District Baseline Socio-economic Report. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (under review).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Nelson. A., J. Bousman, J.Latta. 2015. A Sublette County Profile: Socioeconomics. . Collaborative support from University of Wyoming Extension, Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, and Wyoming County Commissioners Association. http://wyo-wcca.org/~wcca/files/9414/3924/3115/Sublette20152BB.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Thompson, D., T. Becker, L. Allen, R. Price, and A. Clifford. 2015. A Fremont County Profile: Socioeconomics. Collaborative support from University of Wyoming Extension, Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, and Wyoming County Commissioners Association. http://wyo-wcca.org/~wcca/files/4414/4441/8462/Fremont2015_final.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: French, T., L. Livingston, B. Hall, L. Grosskopf, and J. Tilden. 2016. A Park County Profile: Socioeconomics. Collaborative support from University of Wyoming Extension, Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, and Wyoming County Commissioners Association. http://wyo-wcca.org/files/2014/6481/9603/Park2016_20Apr16.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Louis Berger. 2015. Technical Memorandum: Economic Impact Analysis of Oil and Operations Literature Review  Final. Submitted to U.S. Bureau of Land Management, National Operations Center, Denver Colorado.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. 2016. Park County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending, 2015. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Fremont County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending,2015. 2016. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Sublette County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending,2015. 2016. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (accepted).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Derner, Justin, David Augustine, Lauren Porensky, Mark Eisele, John Ritten. Adapting to Climatic Variability for Livestock Operations: Flexible Stocking Strategies. Presented at the Society for Range Management Annul Meeting, February 1, 2016, Corpus Christi, TX. Part of the Responding Rationally to Uncertainty Organized Symposium. Invited. (Presented by Derner)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Derner, Justin, Leigh Hunt, Kelper Euclides Filho, John Ritten, Judith Capper, Guodong Han. Livestock Production Systems. Presented at the Society for Range Management Annul Meeting, February 2, 2016, Corpus Christi, TX. (Presented by Derner)
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Johnson County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending,2015. 2016. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Sweetwater County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending, 2015. 2016. For Sweetwater County Commissioners. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming .
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Albany County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending, 2015. 2016. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2016. Campbell County Related Hunting and Fishing Spending, 2015. 2016. For Wyoming Wildlife Federation. Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming (in review).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stoellinger, T. and D. Taylor. 2016. A Report on the Economic Impact to Wyomings Economy From a Potential Listing of the Sage Grouse. For the Office of Governor Matthew Mead. University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Law, and Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
• Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stoellinger, T. and D. Taylor. 2016. A Report on the Economic Impact to Wyomings Economy From a Potential Listing of the Sage Grouse. Wyoming Law Review (accepted).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Godby, R., D. Taylor, and R. Coupal. 2016. An Assessment of Wyomings Competitiveness to Attract New Wind Development and the Potential Impact Such Development May Bring the State-Summary Report. Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Godby, R., D. Taylor, and R. Coupal. 2016. An Assessment of Wyomings Competitiveness to Attract New Wind Development and the Potential Impact Such Development May Bring the State. Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Taylor, D. and B. Feuz. 2016. Economic Importance of Sheep Production in Uinta County, WY. For Uinta County Commissioners. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: David T. Taylor and Thomas Foulke. Economic Impacts of Sage Grouse Management in Wyoming: The 9-Plan. Western Regional Science Association, 55th Annual Meeting, Kona, Hawaii, 17 February, 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Foulke, Thomas. Webinar: Wyomings Economy, 101: Where are we now? For the Extension Professionals Improvement Conference (EPIC). 08 November, 2016.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Clark, A., B.S. Rashford, D.M. McLeod, R.H. Coupal, S. Lieske and S. Albeke. 2016. The Impact of Residential Development Pattern on Wildfire Suppression Expenditures. Land Economics 92(4): 656-678.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Sofaer, H.R., S.K. Skagen, J.J. Barsugli, B.S. Rashford, G.C. Reese , J.A. Hoeting, A.W. Wood, and B.R. Noon. 2016. Projected Wetland Densities under Climate Change: Habitat Loss but Little Shift in Conservation Strategy. Ecological Applications, 26(6): 1677-1692.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Rashford, B.S., R.M. Adams, J. Wu, R.A. Voldseth, G.R. Guntenspergen, B. Werner and W.C. Johnson. 2016. Impacts of Climate Change on Land Use and Wetland Productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Regional Environmental Change, 16: 515-526.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 1  Estimating System Production. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.1, August 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 2  Assessing System Costs. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.2, August 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 3  Forecasting the Value of Electricity. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.3, August 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 4  Understanding Incentives. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.4, August 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 6  PV Solar Example. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.6, August 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Scofield, A., B.S. Rashford, D.M. McLeod, R. Coupal and S. Lieske. 2015. Wildfire Suppression Costs  The Role of Residential Development Pattern. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1268, October 2015. [Profiled in Wyoming Livestock Roundup, 27 (42), February 20, 2016]
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rashford, B.S., A.M. Scott, M. Hayes and H. Sawyer. 2015. Targeting Conservation Easements to Benefit Wildlife. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative Bulletin, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1266, September 2015.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Scofield, A., B.S. Rashford, D.M. McLeod, and R.H. Coupal. 2015. Managing Residential Development Spatial Pattern Could Reduce the Cost of Fighting Wildlfires. University of Wyoming, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Reflections Magazine. [Winner of Top Student Contribution]
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Clark, A.M., B.S. Rashford, D.M. Mcleod, R.H. Coupal, S.N. Lieske, and S.E. Albeke. The Impact of Residential Development Pattern on Wildland Fire Suppression Expenditures. 87th Meeting of the Northwest Scientific Association and Central Oregon Fire Science Symposium, Bend, OR, March 25, 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Smutko, L.S., *A. Mellinger-Scott, and B.S. Rashford. University of Wyoming Research Update: Tradeoffs of Conservation Easements for Habitat. Meeting of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Laramie, WY, October 9, 2015
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Romich, E., M. Geiger, and B.S. Rashford. 2016. Solar Electric Investment Analysis: Part 5  Conducting a Financial Analysis. UW and Ohio State University Extension Service Bulletin, B-1291.5, August 2016.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: B.S. Rashford, *A. Scofield, D.M. McLeod, R. Coupal, S.E. Albeke, and S. Lieske. University of Wyoming Research Update: Impact of Residential Development on Wildfire Suppression. Meeting of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Laramie, WY, October 9, 2015.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Derner, Justin, Judith Capper, Guodong Han, Leigh Hunt, Kepler Euclides Filjo, John Ritten. Livestock Production Systems. For Rangeland Systems: Processes, Management and Challenges. Edited by David Briske. In Press.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes Wyoming stakeholders, federal, state and local decision-makers, and other researchers in our field. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Products from this report have been desseminated to stakeholders in local communities in Wyoming. The materials been desseminated in electronic and print format. Additionally, public presentations have been made by the researcher to stakeholders and professionals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to expand current efforts to a broader set of issues important to the project and stakeholders.This includes analyses for additional counties in Wyoming andthe region as defined by the needs of stakeholders.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The products from this project enable decision-makers to have better information at their disposal. This year, the products from the project were used to improve decision-making by federal, state and local decision-makers. With the decrease in commodity prices this year, these products have fulfilled an important niche in decision-makers information portfolio.

Publications

• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Attanavich, W., B.S. Rashford, R.M. Adams and Bruce A. McCarl. 2014. Land Use, Climate Change and Ecosystem Services. Chapter 10 in J.M. Duke and J. Wu eds. Oxford Handbook of Land Economics, Oxford University Press.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rashford, B.S. and G.C. Reese. 2015. Methods for Modeling and Projecting Agricultural Land-Use Change in the Northern Plains using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Data. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming, Working Paper #AGEC 2015-1, Laramie, WY, 18 pp.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Scofield, A., B.S. Rashford, D.M. McLeod, R. Coupal and S. Lieske. 2015 Wildfire Suppression Costs  The Role of Residential Development Pattern. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1268, October 2015.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rashford, B.S., A.M. Scott, M. Hayes and H. Sawyer. 2015. Targeting Conservation Easements to Benefit Wildlife. Wyoming Open Spaces Initiative Bulletin, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources & UW Extension Bulletin, B-1266, September 2015.
• Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Scofield, A., B.S. Rashford, D.M. McLeod, and R.H. Coupal. 2015. Managing Residential Development Spatial Pattern Could Reduce the Cost of Fighting Wildfires. University of Wyoming, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Reflections Magazine.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: McLeod, D.M., A. Scofield, B.S. Rashford, R. Coupal, S. Lieske, and S.E. Albeke. The Impact of Residential Development Pattern on Wildland Fire Supression Expenditures. W3133: Benefits and Costs of Natural Resource Policies Affecting Ecosystem Services and Private Lands. Pensacola, FL, February 26, 2015.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Varelas, L.A., J.A. Tanaka, B.S. Rashford and J. Ritten. Using Multi-Criteria Analysis to Microsite Wind Turbines. Society for Range Management Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA, February 6, 2015.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rashford, B.S., A. Mellinger Scott and S. Lieske. Estimating the Residential Development Value of Agricultural Land  A Propensity Score Approach for Limited Data. Western Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO, June 22-24, 2014.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Godby, R., R. Coupal, D. Taylor, and T. Considine. 2015. The Impact of the Coal Economy on Wyoming. Prepared for Wyoming Infrastructure Authority. Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rashford, Benjamin S., Thomas Foulke, David T. Taylor, and Jordan Steele. Collaboration Across Continents: Predator Compensation Policies in the U.S. and France. (Winner best article) in Reflections. University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, June, 2015.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wyoming Mining Association, Foulke, Thomas and David T. Taylor (UW contributing authors). A Concise guide to Wyoming Coal: 2015. The Wyoming Coal Information Committee of the Wyoming Mining Association. Cheyenne, Wyoming. September, 2015.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Godby, R., R. Coupal, D. Taylor, and T. Considine. 2015. Potential Impacts of Wyoming Coal Production of EPAs Greenhouse Gas Proposal. Electricity Journal, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2015.004.
• Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2015. BLM Kingman Field Office Baseline Socio-economic Report. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2015. Socioeconomic Baseline Evaluation: Sublette County, Wyoming. Wyoming County Commissioners Association in cooperation with the University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Taylor, D. and T. Foulke. 2015. Socioeconomic Baseline Evaluation: Fremont County, Wyoming. Wyoming County Commissioners Association in cooperation with the University of Wyoming.