Viewing entries tagged
Angela Fletcher

South Platte Watershed Natural Capital Resource Assessment

South Platte Watershed Natural Capital Resource Assessment

The South Platte Natural Capital Assessment is a collaborative natural capital assessment involving over 50 public and private stakeholders. The goal of the partnership is to engage stakeholders in protecting and restoring the watershed's lands and waters. For this report the team catalogued existing data sources, identified the most important natural assets, mapped natural capital, and valued the ecosystem services produced throughout the watershed. A decision-support tool was produced to assist stakeholders with prioritizing future investments, whether for preservation or conservation.

This report suggests that the Watershed provides extensive value, approximately $7.4 billion per year in ecosystem services, to the economy and residents.

The Economic Benefits of the Proposed St. George Unangan Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

The Economic Benefits of the Proposed St. George Unangan Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

This study presents an economic assessment of the impacts and benefits of implementing a national marine sanctuary around St. George Island, Alaska. Both market and non-market impacts were assessed using the benefit transfer method and data on local markets. This study finds that implementing a national marine sanctuary around St. George Island may have substantial benefits, including: at least four full-time jobs, $200,000 in annual government spending to support a sanctuary office, $140,000 to $1 million in expenditures due to research grants, $55,000 to $240,000 in annual recreation expenditures, $22,000 to $44,000 in estimated subsistence harvest annually, and $2.8 billion to $3.3 billion in annual non-market ecosystem service benefits.

The Value of Nature’s Benefits in the St. Louis River Watershed

The Value of Nature’s Benefits in the St. Louis River Watershed

 The St. Louis River in northeastern Minnesota provides tremendous economic benefits to the stakeholders within its watershed. Its water and land are natural capital assets that produce ecosystem service benefits that include clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and natural food sources. Every year, the watershed's ecosystem services provide $5 billion to $14 billion in economic benefits. Despite mining activity in the river's headwaters and the Area of Concern at the river's mouth, the St. Louis River still provides significant economic inputs for the regional economy.

Open Space Valuation for Central Puget Sound

Open Space Valuation for Central Puget Sound

This report presents the results of the first ever open space valuation of Western Washington’s Central Puget Sound region, including King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Ten open space services, comparable with ecosystem services, are valued for each of 15 land cover types. These services represent a substantial and critical component of the regional economy, contributing $11.4 to $25.2 billion per year.

The Trillion Dollar Asset the Economic Value of the Long Island Sound Basin

The Trillion Dollar Asset the Economic Value of the Long Island Sound Basin

This report highlights the Long Island Sound Basin’s natural capital and provides an update to the 1992 Altobello valuation study. Fourteen ecosystem services across nine land cover types were valued, and total ecosystem services flows within the Basin were found to reach at least $17 billion to $37 billion every year.  This report also includes recommendations to fill key gaps in primary valuation studies for Long Island Sound and to conduct assessments on the return on investment.

 The Economic and Environmental Impact of the William A. Grant Water & Environmental Center at Walla Walla Community College

The Economic and Environmental Impact of the William A. Grant Water & Environmental Center at Walla Walla Community College

This analysis quantified the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the William A. Grant Water & Environmental Center (WEC) at Walla Walla Community College. Since opening in 2007, the WEC has had an $88 million economic and environmental impact, and shows a $3 return for every $1 invested. This study helped secure continued government funding for the Center.