Monument Review: Recreation a Larger Economic Benefit Than Ranching and Timber Combined

"Recreation in an untamed part of Southern Oregon generated far more economic benefit than grazing and logging put together," writes Tony Schick. "Yet it’s difficult to say how changing the boundaries of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument might alter that mix."

Schick writes in reaction to documents released, heavily redacted, from the Interior Department's review of National Monuments. The documents to make it clear that recreation produces tremendous economic benefit—more so than the industries fighting to shrink the footprint of public lands in the West:

Among the newly public documents is an economic assessment from the Bureau of Land Management that estimates recreation generated $16.6 million in economic output and supported 200 jobs in 2016. Estimates for ranching and timber were $1.1 million and $600,000 respectively.

Beyond that information, a lot of key information about the review is still unknown to the public, such as who reviewed the draft memo and what input they gave.