Protected Lands and Outdoor Recreation
Local, state, and national protected lands hold crucial ecological and recreational wealth. RFF experts are assessing the value of public and private lands to help policymakers craft effective funding models and account for trade-offs when considering changes to existing landscapes.
Resources Radio Episode on the National Parks
Listen to Margaret Walls discuss the economics of the National Parks.
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The Outdoor Recreation Economy
Find out how the growing outdoor recreation economy affects public lands.
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Media Highlight — Jan 29, 2021
National Monument Designation Leads To Job Creation
The Mountain West News Bureau reports on RFF analysis regarding national monuments and their effects on local economies.
Working Paper — Dec 23, 2020
Efficiency and Equity of an Outdoor Recreation Equipment Tax to Fund Public Lands
An analysis of the efficiency and equity implications of a federal excise tax on outdoor recreation equipment to improve funding for public land maintenance finds that such a tax would cause a sizable welfare loss and cost low-income households more as a share of income than higher-income households. However, the study also shows that raising the same amount of revenue through national park entrance fees would require large, and likely unacceptable, increases in fees.
Media Highlight — Nov 6, 2020
State Parks Are in Danger of Becoming Victims of 2020
Backpacker Magazine includes insight from RFF Senior Fellow Margaret Walls on funding for state parks during the pandemic.
Working Paper — Dec 23, 2020
Efficiency and Equity of an Outdoor Recreation Equipment Tax to Fund Public Lands
An analysis of the efficiency and equity implications of a federal excise tax on outdoor recreation equipment to improve funding for public land maintenance finds that such a tax would cause a sizable welfare loss and cost low-income households more as a share of income than higher-income households. However, the study also shows that raising the same amount of revenue through national park entrance fees would require large, and likely unacceptable, increases in fees.
Journal Article — Aug 19, 2020
Public Land Conflicts and Controversies: The Designation of National Monuments in the Western United States
New research describes the history and purpose of Western public lands, with an emphasis on the relationship—and controversies—between rural communities and the federal government in an economic context.
Explainer — Jul 22, 2020
The Land and Water Conservation Fund 101
An overview of the history, funding, and future of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a major source of funding for federal land acquisition and state conservation projects.
Conferences & Panels — Sep 8, 2017
“Conservation Reconsidered” at 50
On September 8, 2017, Resources for the Future held a conference to honor the 50th anniversary of this article, discuss new developments in the field since it was written, and lay out some current research and policy issues related to the article.
Policy Leadership Series — Oct 5, 2009
Senator Lamar Alexander: The Perils of Energy Sprawl
An RFF Policy Leadership discussion on how the current push for renewable energy could consume greater expanses of land and pose a threat to some of America’s iconic landscapes and habitats
Media Highlight — Jan 29, 2021
National Monument Designation Leads To Job Creation
The Mountain West News Bureau reports on RFF analysis regarding national monuments and their effects on local economies.
Media Highlight — Nov 6, 2020
State Parks Are in Danger of Becoming Victims of 2020
Backpacker Magazine includes insight from RFF Senior Fellow Margaret Walls on funding for state parks during the pandemic.
Media Highlight — Mar 27, 2020
New RFF Study on National Monuments' Benefits for American West Economic Growth Gaining Traction in the Media
A groundbreaking study by Resources for the Future (RFF) researchers, published today in Science Advances, has been receiving attention in the media.
Common Resources — May 22, 2020
National Park Gateway Communities, the Outdoor Recreation Economy, and COVID-19
A bill before Congress could provide financial support for underfunded public lands, while offering local economies a much-needed boost.
Resources Radio — Mar 24, 2020
Do National Monuments Help or Hinder Local Economies?, with Margaret Walls
Margaret Walls discusses how designating historic sites as national monuments can benefit local economies without impairing nearby industries.
Common Resources — Mar 18, 2020
Local Economic Impacts of Federal Protected Lands: National Monuments in the Mountain West
The prospect of lost livelihoods can produce conflict over the limits that national monuments place on land use, but creating monuments can also create value by growing new industries related to recreation and tourism.