Many rural leaders are turning to a familiar source as the next billion dollar industry to revitalize rural America: nature. But rather than relying on nature to play host to traditional enterprises such as agriculture and mining, rural America may find tomorrow’s opportunity in wildlife-related recreation – already a $108 billion industry nationwide. Jason Henderson, economist at the Center for the Study of Rural America, explores the issue in the latest edition of The Main Street Economist. The Main Street is the monthly publication of the Center, which is based at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 82 million people participated in wildlife-related recreation activity in 2001, spending money on a variety of goods and services from equipment purchases to food, lodging and transportation. In addition to the spending, wildlife-related recreation is also influencing farmland values with nonfarmers purchasing land for recreational purposes. Wildlife recreationers spent more than $12 billion on land leasing and ownership in 2001. Although wildlife recreation creates some challenges for rural communities by creating higher land costs for farmers and potentially reducing the customer base for agricultural service providers, wildlife recreation appears to be a growing way to attract wealthy recreationers to rural places. Rural communities with existing entertainment amenities may be in the best position to turn wildlife recreation into economic growth. This article, including the top ten list, and past issues of The Main Street Economist are available on the Bank’s Web site at www.kc.frb.org. # # # Return to www.kansascityfed.org
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