Natural Resources Conservation Service

United States Department of Agriculture

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Contingent Valuation/Recreational Values

This web site contains a collection of information for NRCS to use for contingent valuation of recreational activities for watershed planning and other NRCS economic purposes. The Unit Day Method is the most common method used for calculating recreational benefits for NRCS usage, but it is based on 1962 data which provided an average value of $1.00 per day, +/- some quality differences. That 1962 value was indexed to the 1982 values used in P&G by CPI, and these values should be in-turn be indexed to current values by current CPI. This method can be used for insignificant recreational calculations for watershed analysis, but economists should note that the values obtained are highly conservative, averaging perhaps 20% of the current values from actual Recreational Economics studies using other methods. If the recreational benefits have any potential for affecting the selection of the NED or Recommended Plans, economists are highly advised to adopt applicable contingent valuation or travel costs methods. While the cost and time requirements of obtaining actual survey data on specific proposed NRCS projects is often prohibitive, NRCS economists are encouraged to use the benefit" the="" transfer="" us="">. This Benefit Transfer method was updated in October 2005, and the database was updated to 1,200 values. The Roenberger study is updated to 2010 values.

The 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has surveyed usage and expenditures for these activities. This is the most common basis for computing RED regional sales based on recreation.
The Recreation Use Values Database for North America, developed by Dr. Randall Rosenberger with 352 documents of economic valuation studies that estimated the use value of recreation activities in the U.S. and Canada from 1958 to 2006, totaling 2,703 estimates in per person per activity day, adjusted to 2010 USD.
Wildlife Watching in the U.S.: The Economic Impacts on National and State Economies in 2006
Addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Report 2006-1 (PDF, 750kb)
The Economic Value of Iowa Natural Resources
West Tarkio Creek Watershed Plan | Iowa NRCS
Recreation Evaluation of the Multiple Purpose Reservoir for East Locus Creek Watershed, MO completed by Lauren Cartwright, MO. (DOC, 177kb)
The 2007 New York Statewide Angler Survey provides the results of a random survey of approximately 20,000 anglers that fished the freshwaters of New York State during the 2007 calendar year. The survey was conducted by the Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Bureau of Fisheries.
New Comparison Study of 1200 Recreational Studies by the Forest Service that has US and Regional Average User Day Values by type of activity ((XLS, 1.47 MB). These values can be used for computing NED Regional Economic Benefits. It was used as the database for the 2005 study, Updated Outdoor Recreation Use Values on National Forests and Other Public Lands. (PDF, 500kb
CECW-CP USACE Economics Guidance Memorandum, 06-03, Unit Day Values for Recreation, FY2006 (PDF, 440kb)
USACE NED Procedures Manual, Volume I, Recreation Use and Benefit Estimation Techniques, March, 1986 (PDF, 10mb)
A spreadsheet for calculating the updated points for the unit day values. (XLS, 18kb)
Benefits Transfer and Valuation Databases: Are We Heading in the Right Direction? a workshop jointly sponsored by the U.S. EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics and Environment Canada.
Water Quality Economic and Trout Fishing Evaluation for Braddock Run, Maryland. A study by John, Long, NRCS, using Willingness to Pay and Travel Cost Estimates to estimate benefits for a PL-566 project. (PDF, 64kb)
Older Comparison Study of 700 Recreational Studies by the Forest Service that has US and Regional Average User Day Values by type of activity (0.99 MB). These values can be used for computing NED Regional Economic Benefits. It was used as the database for the 2001 study, Benefit Transfer of Outdoor Recreation Use Values: a Technical Document Supporting the Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000 Revision). General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-72. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 59p.
Social and Economic Values in Natural Resource Planning, USFS
A Bibliography Related to Recreation Fees on Public Land compiled by Daniel W. McCollum and Annette Puttkammer, USFS
Southwick Associates have made information on the economic contributions of hunting on a state-by-state basis available free. The research is based on expenditure data from USFWS National Survey (see above). Go to the "Free Reports" section and select the 2001 report titled "U.S. - 2001 Economic Impacts of Hunting". They continually have additional tables and reports coming out.
http://www.ecosystemvaluation.org/, Essentials of Ecosystem Valuation
Economic Valuation of Natural Resources: A Guidebook for Coastal Resources Policymakers

Lakeshore Property Values and Water Quality:

Evidence from property sales in the Mississippi Headwaters Region (PDF, 1.68 MB)
A spreadsheet for calculating the updated points for the unit day values. (XLS, 18.5 KB)
These calculations are based on Principles and Guidelines for Water Resource Projects, Appendix 3 to Section Vlll, Pages 83-85. (PDF, 1.18 MB)
For reference usage, also note the NRCS National Watershed Manual, and the NRCS National Economic Handbooks:
Part 611 NRCS National Water Resources Handbook for Economics (PDF, 855 KB)
Part 612 NRCS National Resource Economics Handbook, Water Quality (PDF, 4.48 MB)

The US Army Corps of Engineers has a number of survey studies of actual camper, boater, hunter, and visitor expenditures at and around parks, campgrounds, and lakes.

Corps recreation expenditures studies (survey results):

Upper Mississippi River System Visitors Spending, List of Tables
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Economic Impacts of Recreation on the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS)
Economic Impact Analysis as a Tool in Recreation Program Evaluation

Other recreation expenditure related websites

The 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
Nature-Oriented Visitors and Their Expenditures: Upper San Pedro River Basin
Estimating National Park Visitor Spending and Economic Impacts; The MGM2 Model

Reports and Journal Articles

Hussain, A., I. Munn, D. Holland, J. Armstrong, and S. Spurlock. 2012. Economic Impact of Wildlife-Associated Recreation Expenditures in the Southeast United States: A General Equilibrium Analysis. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 44.
Johnston, R.J., M.H. Ranson, E.Y. Besedin and E.C. Helm. 2006. ‘What Determines Willingness to Pay per Fish? A Meta-Analysis of Recreational Fishing Values,’ Marine Resource Economics, 21, 1-32<
Kelch, D., F. Lichtkoppler, B. Sohngen, and A. Daigneault. 2006. The value of steelhead (Onchorhynchus mykiss) angling in Lake Erie tributaries. Journal of Great Lakes Research 32:424-433.
Kim, H. N., W. D. Shaw, and R. T. Woodward. 2007. The distributional impacts of recreational fees: A discrete choice model with incomplete data. Land Economics 83:561-574.
Mahasuweerachai, P., T. A. Boyer, D. M. Balsman, and D. E. Shoup. 2010. Estimating Demand for Urban Fisheries Management: an Illustration of Conjoint Analysis as a Tool for Fisheries Managers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:1339-1351.
McKean, J. R., D. Johnson, and R. G. Taylor. 2010. Willingness-to-pay for steelhead trout fishing: Implications of two-step consumer decisions with short-run endowments. Water Resources Research 46:W09523.
Munn, I. A., A. Hussain, S. Spurlock, and J. E. Henderson. 2010. Economic Impact of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Expenditures on the Southeast US Regional Economy: An Input–Output Analysis. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 15:433-449. Keefe, D. M. and S. R. Miller. 2011. 2009 Michigan Charter Fishing Study.
Prado, B. E. 2006. Economic valuation of the Lower Illinois trout fishery in Oklahoma under current and hypothetical management plans. Oklahoma State University.
Robbins, J. L. and L. Y. Lewis. 2008. Demolish it and They Will Come: Estimating the Economic Impacts of Restoring a Recreational Fishery. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association 44:1488-1499.
Taylor, R. G., J. R. McKean, and D. Johnson. 2010. Measuring the location value of a recreation site. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 35:87.
Timmins, C. and J. Murdock. 2007. A revealed preference approach to the measurement of congestion in travel cost models. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 53:230-249.
World Bank 2012. Hidden Harvest: The global contribution of capture fisheries. World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTARD/Resources/336681-1224775570533/TheHiddenHarvestsConferenceEdition.pdf

Other Studies

Number	Subject	Agency	Date
FHW/01-NAT	All FS Research Publications In This Database	USDA/FS	2002
FHW/01-NAT	2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation	Census USF&W	05-02
paperid=3797	The Value of Sport Fishing in the Snake River Basin of Central Idaho	U. Idaho Quinnipiac University	01-02
	IEc's Sportfishing Database on the Web	IEc/FWS	07-01
Rev.of AgEcon 32, pgs. 120-132	Nonpoint Source Pollution and Present Values: A contingent Valuation Study of Lake Mendota	UWisc	05-01
BUV	Beneficial Use Values Database Economic Values for Beneficial Uses of Water	UC Davis	07-01-01
RMRS-GTR-72	Benefit transfer of outdoor recreation use values: A technical document supporting the Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000)	FS	06-13-01
EPA	EPA Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses	EPA	01-19-01
FWS	1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation	FWS	12-10-99
1706r99	Project Planning for Water Quality Concerns (252 KB)	S	06-21-99
1801r99	Guide for Estimating Participation In Conservation Operations and Watershed Protection Projects (36.7 KB)	S	06-21-99
614r99	The Economics of Nutrient and Pest Management (23.5 KB)	S	06-21-99
611	NRCS National Water Resources Handbook for Economics Part 611 (855 KB)	NRCS	07-02-98
300-V-NWSMr98	NRCS National Watersheds Manual	NRCS	04-02-98
W2	Appraisal and Valuation for Conservation Efforts (182 KB)	W	01-01-98
612	NRCS National Resource Economics Handbook, Water Quality Part 612	NRCS NHQ	12-15-96
6	Using Economics to Promote Water Quality, A Simplified Example Approach (1.40 MB)	MW	09-01-92
MW200L3	Conservation Options Procedure (COP) (3.81 MB)	MW	10-01-88
MW200L2	PL566 Land Treatment Evaluation Conservation Options Procedure (COP) (666 KB)	MW	05-01-88
W5	PL566 Land Treatment Evaluation Conservation Options Procedure	W	04-01-88
NEH	National Economic Handbook, entire 1986 draft	E	08-12-86
WRC	Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies (1.18 MB)	WRC	03-10-83

Updated : July 11, 2012