Challenging the notion that protecting public land locks it up,
more than 100 economists, including three Nobel laureates, are
calling on the president and Congress to create more parks and
other protected preserves in the West as a way to bolster state
economies. The economists also urge the creation of something
similar to the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which
built trails and maintained infrastructure in national parks.
“We urge you to create jobs and support business by investing in
our public lands infrastructure and establishing new protected
areas such as parks, wilderness and monuments,” they wrote in a
letter. Such areas “attract innovative companies and workers,
and are an essential component of the region’s competitive
advantage,” they added. The drafting of the letter was organized
by Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit organization that studies
the economics of natural resources, with a tilt toward
preservation. Ray Rasker, an economist with Headwaters, cited a
study by his organiza