The Local Impact of Wilderness : An Overtime Analysis of Wilderness Designation on Local Economies

Since the enactment of the Wilderness Act of 1964, millions of acres of federal land in the Western United States have been designated as wilderness. This change in land status has altered in perpetuity land usage opportunities for the designated areas. Many local political elites cry economic foul at the creation of wilderness areas, while others praise such designations as economic boons. This study uses over time analysis of county level census data to ferret out the economic impact of wilderness on local economies