Environmental Consequences

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METHODOLOGY FOR ANALYZING IMPACTS

SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Crater Lake National Park is a part of the socioeconomic environment of Douglas, Jackson, and Klamath Counties. Socioeconomic impacts for the threecounty area were determined based on applied logic, professional expertise, and professional judgment. Economic data, historic visitor use data, expected future visitor use, and future developments within the park were all considered in identifying and discussing potential impacts. A mostly qualitative analysis is sufficient to compare the effects of alternatives for decision- making purposes. However, the estimated costs of various projects do provide basic quantitative measures of the direct economic impacts of each of the alternatives on the region.

Changes in the three- county regional economy would include impacts on the regional socioeconomic base due to changes in park operations and other management or development actions. The socioeconomic base includes such factors as population, income, employment, earnings, etc. Park development and removal projects during the life of the general management plan would benefit the regional construction industry. Programmatic initiatives may require additional funding and/or personnel.

Changes at the park may also affect the socioeconomic conditions of any of the local gateway communities. The size, configuration, and relative isolation of the park has led to only three separate and dispersed entrances being developed to provide automobile access to the park. Several small local communities are associated with each of the travel corridors to these access points. These communities provide some resort opportunities as well as limited range of goods and services for the visiting public. Impacts on concession operations within the park could occur and would probably be considered local impacts.

Each alternative would have different staffing and budget needs, which could affect the adjacent communities and/or the region as a whole. For example, adding new staff positions at a particular location may lead to new hires seeking goods and services including housing in an associated community, these new expenditures provide limited benefits for the local economy.

A recent study of the tourism spending by visitors to Crater Lake National Park provides some measure of the impact such spending has had on the three- county region. In 2001, visitors were found to have spent some $30.7 million within- in 100 miles of the park. 2 The multiplier effects resulted in $34.3 million in direct sales; $11.5 million in personal income, $18.3 in value added and supported 863 jobs. 3 To put these figures in perspective, visitor spending ($30.7 million) related to the park visits accounted for about 6% of total tourism spending in the three- county region in 2001.4 During the same year, total personal income for the region amounted to over $8.4 billion, and the three- county work force consisted of 164,225 persons of which 12,387 were unemployed. The economic impacts related to park visitors vary from year to year and are dependent upon the numbers of visitors coming to the park, their participation in various activities, their expenditure patterns, prices of goods and services, and changes in the park and surrounding communities that may affect visitor use of the park.

Context, Intensity, and Duration

Context, intensity, and duration of impacts compare the action alternatives to the no- action alternative. Context refers to the relative area within which impacts would occur. For the most part, impacts would affect the regional area (Douglas, Jackson, and Klamath Counties) or the local area (e.g., the Fort Klamath gateway community).

2 Stynes, Daniel and Ya- Yen Sun. November 2002. Impacts of Visitor Spending on Local Economy: Crater Lake National Park, 2001. Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824- 1222.

3 Stynes, Daniel and Ya- Yen Sun. Multiplier effects are the result of money spent by tourists being recirculated within the local economy multiplying the effect of the direct expenditures.

4 Stynes, Daniel and Ya- Yen Sun. November 2002.

Impact intensity is the degree to which a topic is positively or negatively affected (see impact thresholds below). Impacts on the socioeconomic environment were qualitatively evaluated and described for this analysis. However, cost estimates for additional development and increased staffing levels do provide a measure of the direct fiscal impact of each alternative.

The duration of an impact is described as either short- term or long- term. Shortterm impacts would last less than three years. Long- term impacts last more than three years (and some result in a permanent change in conditions).

Socioeconomic Impact Thresholds

The following four levels of description are used to evaluate and describe impacts on the socioeconomic environment.

Negligible — No effects occur or the effects on socioeconomic conditions are below or at the level of detection.

Minor — The effects on socioeconomic conditions are small but detectable, and only affect a small number of firms and/or a small portion of the population. The impact is slight and not detectable outside the affected area.

Moderate — The effects on socioeconomic conditions are readily apparent. Any effects result in changes to socioeconomic conditions on a local scale (e.g., a gateway community or a single county) within the affected area.

Major — The effects on socioeconomic conditions are readily apparent. Measurable changes in social or economic conditions at the county or three- county regional level would occur. The impact is severely adverse or exceptionally beneficial within the affected area.