ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GRASSLAND-BASED NATURE TOURISM

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0226454
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
KANSAS STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MANHATTAN,KS 66506

Performing Department
Horticulture & Forestry

Non Technical Summary
Tourism is the worlds largest and fastest growing industry. Within that industry, ecotourism is the fastest growing sector. Governor Brownback and Robin Jennison, Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Parks both shortly after taking office expressed their commitment to develop nature-based tourism opportunities and an associated rural tourism industry in Kansas with the goal being rural economic development. In fact, in recognition of the key role that nature-based recreation can play in rural economic development, Governor Brownback recently moved the Kansas Division of Tourism from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Wildlife and Parks. For many years the US Forest Service and various state agencies specifically have attempted to promote outdoor recreation and tourism in southwest Kansas. This study will describe the current use of the Cimarron National Grassland for recreation and tourism, the economic impact of that use, and strategies to enhance the use and associated economic impacts of grassland-based recreation and tourism. This will not only have significance for grassland managers and local economic development officials, but it might also have implications for agritourism in Kansas as agricultural producers near these grasslands provide lodging and other services to these visitors. Implications for the closely-related and sometimes overlapping agritourism sector also will be assessed. The researchers have been contacted by other counties in western Kansas asking that our work be expanded to include them as well in future studies.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
605	0780	3010	50%
121	0780	3020	50%

Knowledge Area
605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics; 121 - Management of Range Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0780 - Grasslands, other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 3010 - Economics;

Keywords

ecotourism, economic development, outdoor recreation, grassland

management

Goals / Objectives
The primary goals of this project are to 1) describe the amount and type of recreational use of the Cimarron National Grasslands and 2) determine the economic impact of nature-based tourism on the Cimarron National Grasslands on the local economy of Morton County, KS. After achieving these two goals our objective is to design interpretive strategies to enhance the marketing, use, conservation and appreciation of the National Grasslands and hence increase the positive local economic impact of grassland ecosystems. Furthermore, our objectives include expanding and applying these findings to other areas of western Kansas. For example, we have already been approached applying the results and outputs of this study in the Logan and Wallace counties area of Northwest Kansas. This study will influence how recreation is managed on grassland ecosystems. It will also help federal, state and local policymakers allocate resources to promote and market nature-based recreational opportunities. This ultimately will contribute to the rural economic development of western Kansas and other grassland regions on the High Plains. To that end the following outputs will be generated. 1. Analyzed survey results describing the recreational use of grasslands and ecotourism associated with the grasslands. 2. Reports and presentations detailing the economic impacts of grassland-based recreation and tourism on local economies. This will include economic impacts of specific outdoor recreation activities on the grasslands. (e.g., birding, gamebird hunting, big game hunting, prairie dog hunting, interpretation services, camping, fishing, nature photography, horseback riding and general nature study). 3. Scholarly journal articles presenting the above information. 4. An interpretive plan to enhance ecotourism experiences and local economic impacts will be developed. Each of these outputs will be shared with community and county economic development officials, USDA Forest Service grassland managers, Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks decision-makers and the Kansas Division of Tourism officials.

Project Methods
I will assist the US Forest Services National Visitor Use Monitoring Program (NVUM) as they collect data on the Cimarron National Grasslands. NVUM is conducted every five years and provides reliable information about recreational use of Forest Service lands. It is required for national forest plans, and for compliance with Executive Order 12862 (Setting Customer Service standards) and implementation of the National Recreation Agenda. Based upon the results of the NVUM, which is a rather general survey, a second more specific follow-up survey will be developed and administered on the Cimarron Grasslands to provide more activity-specific information. Faculty from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University will participate in this phase of the study. Data collection will use an expenditures diary approach which has been used at the county in level in Kansas for to measure the economic impact of fairs and other events. The design of the diary and the analyses will use the widely accepted approaches Dillman Total Design method. Collection of these data will involve this expenditures diary being distributed at local lodging establishments and the Forest Service offices. Note: This survey will undergo review by the University Human Subjects Committee after the principal investigator and Ag Econ faculty determine the specific scope and nature of the survey (dependent upon results from the NVUM), but prior to being administered. Finally the results of these surveys will inform the creation of an interpretive plan that will speak to marketing and enhancing visitor experiences to increase the economic impact of grassland-based tourism and recreation. Standard interpretive planning texts will inform that process.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences included community and county economic development officials, USDA Forest Service grassland managers, Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks land managers, and the Kansas Division of Tourism officials. 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?A poster presentation was made at the Kansas Natural Resources Conference in Wichita, KS and an oral presentation was made at the American Ornithologists Union Congress. Articles were published in The Horned Lark, The Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Sciences, and the journal Restoration Ecology. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Extreme drought and a large wildlife fire diminished the recreational use of the Grasslands to near zero, making it impossible to gather enough data for the economic analyses. Data was collected from participants of the Kansas Ornithological Society meeting held on the Grasslands. A short note on the economic impact of birders attending that meeting of birders was prepared and published. Regarding the second goal of determining the impacts associated with the spread and treatments of Tamarix, a poster presentation and two journal articles were published to disseminate the results of that part of the study.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Cable, T. and J. Leatherman. 2012. The economic impact of the Spring 2011 KOS meeting. The Horned Lark: 39 (1):6
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2011 Citation: Cable, T. and S. Seltman. 2011. Birds of the Cimarron National Grassland, Second Edition. USDA Forest Service. Gov. Printing Office. Boulder, CO 152p.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Cable, T. Fick, W. and E.J. Raynor. 2015. The potential impacts of saltcedar eradication on the birds of the Cimarron National Grassland. Transactions of Kansas Academy of Sciences 118: (1-2): 41-47.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Raynor, E. J., Cable, T. T. and Sandercock, B. K. 2017. Effects of Tamarix removal on the community dynamics of riparian birds in a semiarid grassland. Restoration Ecology: The Journal of the Society for Ecological Restoration. doi:10.1111/rec.12497
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Cable, T. and L. Stork. 2012. The potential impact of saltcedar eradication on the birds of the Cimarron National Grassland. Poster presentation. Kansas Natural Resources Conference, Wichita, KS
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Raynor, E.J., T. T. Cable, and B. Sandercock. 2014. The effect of Tamarix removal on community dynamics of riparian birds. American Ornithological Union Congress, Estes Park, CO

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

Outputs
Target Audience:Natural resource managers, Kansas tourism officials, and rural community development professionals could all be interested in and benefit from the knowledge gained from this study. 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? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will work on the revision of one journal article and continue to work with the USDA Forest Service personnel in implementing the results and recommendations of this study.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A book titled "The Birds of Cimarron National Grassland, Second Edition" was published by the USDA Forest Service. The data were analyzed and two journal articles were prepared and submitted. One was published, whereas the other is being revised. Also a poster presentation was given at professional meetings. Data collection has been hampered by severe drought which has greatly reduced wildlife populations. This reduction in wildlife and in particular Lesser Prairie-chicken numbers has in turn reduced the number of wildlife-based recreationists coming to the Cimarron National Grasslands. Although we have collected data from some of the few recreationists who have visited the area, our sample to date is much smaller than we had hoped it would be.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: The potential impacts of saltcedar eradication (Tamarix sp.) on the birds of the Cimarron National Grasslands. Poster presentation. Kansas Natural Resources Conference, Wichita, KS
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: The potential impacts of saltcedar eradication (Tamarix sp.) on the birds of the Cimarron National Grasslands. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 118(1-2):41-47.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Natural resource managers, Kansa tourisim officials, and rural community development professionals could all be interested in and benefit from the change of knowledge resulting from this study. Changes/Problems: Data collection has been hampered by severe drought which has greatly reduced wildlife populations. This reduction in wildlife and in particular Lesser Prairie-chicken numbers has in turn reduced the number of wildlife-based recreationists coming to the Cimarron National Grasslands. Although we have collected data from some of the few recreationists who have visited the area, our sample to date is much smaller than we had hoped it would be. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will work on anticipated revisions to the submitted manuscripts and see the submitted publications and poster presentations through to publication.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The data were analyzed and two journal articles were prepared and submitted. Also a poster presentation was prepared and submitted. Data collection has been hampered by severe drought which has greatly reduced wildlife populations. This reduction in wildlife and in particular Lesser Prairie-chicken numbers has in turn reduced the number of wildlife-based recreationists coming to the Cimarron National Grasslands. Although we have collected data from some of the few recreationists who have visited the area, our sample to date is much smaller than we had hoped it would be.

Publications

Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Natural resource managers, Kansas tourism officials, and rural community development professionals could all be interested in and benefit from the change of knowledge resulting from this study. Changes/Problems: Data collection has been hampered by severe drought which has greatly reduced wildlife populations. This reduction in wildlife and in particular Lesser Prairie-chicken numbers has in turn reduced the number of wildlife-based recreationists coming to the Cimarron National Grasslands. Although we have collected data from some of the few recreationists who have visited the area, our sample to date is much smaller than we had hoped it would be. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period the data collection will cease and data analyses and publication will begin.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Data collection continued in Elkhart, KS and on the Cimarron National Grasslands.

Publications

Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During this the first year of the project, a survey instrument was developed and tested to measure local economic impacts of wildlife-based recreation on the Cimarron National Grasslands. These instruments took the form of an expense diary which collected expenditures data related to lodging, fuel, food and equipment. Demographic information and data about participation in specific wildlife-based activities also were collected. These expenditure diaries were distributed to motels and Bed and Breakfast establishments throughout Morton County, KS. They also were distributed to individuals attending the Kansas Ornithological Society (KOS) Spring Meeting held in Elkhart, KS the gateway to the National Grasslands. Participation in wildlife-based recreation on the Grasslands has been at an unprecedented low this year due to the extreme drought affecting both game species and non-game wildlife. This severely limited data collection from our target populations of hunters and birdwatchers. However, data was collected from 70 birdwatchers attending the KOS meetings. PARTICIPANTS: The US Forest Service is cooperating in this study. TARGET AUDIENCES: Natural resource managers, Kansas tourism officials, and rural community development professionals could all be interested in and benefit from the change of knowledge resulting from this study. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
With birdwatching recognized as one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the United States, it is important to understand the economic impact it can have on a community. From data collected on these diaries, we estimated that the 70 participants at the KOS meeting spent a total of $8,745 over the duration of four days. The KOS meeting participants were responsible for generating $2,365 in wages, $4,022 in all types of income, and $7,876 in total economic activity. In addition, the group generated $569 in state and local taxes and $382 in federal taxes. This one extended weekend of activity supported 0.1 jobs in Morton County. This portion of the study demonstrated the impact of ecotourism, and birdwatching in particular, can have on a small rural community.

Publications

• Cable, T. and Leatherman, J. 2012. The economic impact of the Spring 2011 KOS meeting. The Horned Lark: 39 (1):6