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Spotlight- Studies Show PA Wilds Initiative Resulted In Investments, Increases In Tourism
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In 2003, Gov. Rendell established the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative to conserve natural resources and energize local economies in the state’s 12-county, north-central region by drawing visitors to the vast and largely rural area that is home to some of the best outdoor recreation opportunities and wilderness adventure experiences in the eastern U.S. He charged DCNR with spearheading the effort and coordinating state agencies, as well as local jurisdictions, tourism promotion agencies, economic development leaders, and the private sector.
Now, two new reports have found that the initiative is helping to rejuvenate the area by bringing in new visitors and new investments, and have developed a case study on how state governments can build similar successful initiatives while working with local officials and citizens.
The first report, completed in 2009 by the Econsult Corporation and Wharton GeoSpatial Initiative, shows that, while young, the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative has had a successful first few years, building from the Commonwealth’s rich legacy of conservation and commerce in the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds region. The Pennsylvania Wilds is one of the states’ seven Conservation Landscape Initiatives, or CLIs.
“This evaluation shows us that CLIs do work—that strong partnerships, strategic grant-making, and more meaningful engagement with citizens does pay off, with the results being more vibrant communities and increased opportunities for people to connect with the outdoors,” DCNR Secretary John Quigley said.
Econsult’s economic analysis found that the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative helped to grow the region’s economy, and helped increase the number of tourism-related jobs and number of visitors to state parks at a higher rate than the state as a whole. In particular, the study found that during this timeframe, the region attracted 1.8 million more visitors and grew its estimated gross domestic product by $130 million. Econsult also reported that earnings for those in the tourism industry increased $75 million from 2002-2006, driven by a 6.3 percent increase in tourism spending.
“At a time and place in which demographics and economics would seem to suggest stagnation, tourism-driven economic growth in the Pennsylvania Wilds region has been a bright spot,” the report noted. “Nature and commerce can be mutually reinforcing: nature can support robust activity in such industries as sustainable timber harvesting and recreation, while tourism can provide the financial and organizational resources to help enhance the experience of nature by current generations and safeguard that opportunity for future generations.”
The second report, by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, found that the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative is changing the relationship between the communities and citizens of the region with state government. The study notes that the initiative is focusing state resources as never before on this remote part of Pennsylvania, which has lead local communities to follow by making their own large monetary investments. It also includes feedback and personal stories from businesses and residents around the region.
One striking observation the report noted was that locals have noticed high-level officials making frequent trips to the region, developing first-name acquaintanceships with area residents and business owners, and demonstrating their personal commitment to the region. These officials, the study notes, have created work teams that cut across bureaucratic lines and have encouraged their staff to go beyond traditional roles and engage in new and deeper ways with members of the community.
The report tells the story that local governments in the region were at first largely resistant to the initiative, but have become champions for the work, particularly around land use planning. The 12-county Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team was formalized in 2005 through an intergovernmental cooperative agreement, the largest such agreement in Pennsylvania in terms of geographic extent and the most significant example of regional cooperation in this area’s history.
A summary of the two reports, entitled “Making an Impact: 2010 Update on the Pennsylvania Wilds Inactivate,” was prepared by the Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team.
Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team Chairman Matt Quesenberry praised the work the initiative has done to date, saying, “It shows that these programs and these ideas can work, and that they have worked. It’s crucial for us as planners, elected officials and community leaders to communicate our success to the public and to funders at all levels. At the same time, it is equally important for us to continue taking ownership of these programs and supporting them at the local level.”
Click here to read the Econsult Corporation’s “Pennsylvania Wilds Initiative Program Evaluation,” dated Feb. 19, 2010. Note: this is a large file.
Click here to see a copy of the December 2009 "Pennsylvania Wilds Case Study," by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning.
Reprinted from DCNR's online newsletter Resource.
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For more information on the services they offer, contact Sandra K. Basehore, Vice President, Environmental Services by calling 800-892-6532 or by sending email to: sbasehore@skellyloy.com.
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6/14/2010 |
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