A contingent valuation assessment of Montana waterfowl hunting : hunter attitudes and economic benefits

Duffield, John W.; Neher, Christopher J.

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.30917

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Across western North America, large herbivores play a key role in ecosystem function (Frank and Evans , Frank et al ), contribute to local and regional economies (Duffield and Holliman ), and underpin a strong culture of hunting in many rural areas. Ungulates increase nitrogen cycling and positively affect primary productivity through the increase of plant nitrate assimilation (Frank and Evans , Frank et al ), serve as prey for a variety of predators, and provide food for a multitude of scavengers through natural and predator‐induced mortalities (Wilmers et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi‐scale habitat selection of elk in response to beetle‐killed forest

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forests of the Rocky Mountains (USA and Canada) have experienced a large‐scale bark‐beetle (Dendoctronus ponderosae) epidemic that has led to widespread mortality of pine trees, followed by structural and compositional changes to the forest. The millions of dead trees resulting from this event likely have an effect on ecosystem processes, but currently those effects are mostly unclear. Changes to forest canopy and understory structure are likely to affect behavior and space use of large ungulates as forage abundance, thermal cover, and locomotive costs are presumably altered. We developed and tested hypotheses for how resource selection in summer of female elk (Cervus canadensis; n = 47; 2012–2016), the primary large mammal in our study area, was influenced by changes in canopy, understory vegetation, and downed logs in bark‐beetle affected forest in south‐central Wyoming, USA. We employed global positioning system (GPS) technology, an imagery‐derived land cover classification specifically depicting beetle‐affected forest, and on‐the‐ground forest measurements to develop resource and step selection functions. At the study area scale, elk avoided beetle‐killed forest during nearly all parts of the day and selected for intact conifer forest during the day. At the micro‐habitat scale, as canopy cover decreased in beetle‐killed areas, there was a concomitant increase in grass biomass and downed logs. Nevertheless, while in the forest, elk did not alter resource selection relative to changes in understory vegetation or downed logs. The boost in forage abundance within beetle‐killed areas was insufficient to overcome the presumed increases in energy expenditures associated with locomotion and thermoregulation in beetle‐killed forests. The bark‐beetle epidemic has altered how elk use the landscape and has resulted in a potential loss of forest habitat that elk use during the day. Our results indicate that habitat treatments (i.e., fire or harvest) that remove standing dead trees and downed logs in beetle‐killed forest would further facilitate understory growth while reducing the locomotion costs associated with foraging in beetle‐killed forest. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi‐scale habitat selection of elk in response to beetle‐killed forest

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Elk ( Cervus canadensis ) have a broad distribution across western North America and can influence vegetation and plant communities (Frank and Evans , Hobbs ) and provide economic benefits to regional communities through tourism and hunting (Duffield and Holliman ). Elk management on public lands has traditionally focused on providing adequate cover and forage while minimizing motorized routes as the dominate attributes of habitat quality (Hillis et al , Lyon and Canfield ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hiding Without Cover? Defining Elk Security in a Beetle‐Killed Forest

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; pine beetle) outbreaks in the western United States have affected nearly 18 million ha of pine (Pinus spp.) forest and are unprecedented in spatial extent, severity, and duration, yet little is known about wildlife responses to large‐scale insect outbreaks. Elk (Cervus canadensis) are important wildlife whose dominant management paradigm on public lands has focused on providing security habitat to increase survival during hunting seasons and to maintain elk presence on public lands to promote hunter opportunity. To assess the effect of pine beetles and associated changes in forest structure on elk security, we used a time series to characterize canopy cover pre‐ and post‐pine beetle outbreak, characterized relative canopy cover among the dominant forest types in the study area post‐pine beetle outbreak, and used global positioning system location data from male and female elk to define habitat relationships and security during the archery and rifle hunting seasons. Our study area was within the Elkhorn Mountains of southwest Montana, USA, 2015–2017, which experienced 80% mortality of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests during a pine beetle outbreak that peaked in 2008. We observed an 8.5% reduction in canopy cover within pine beetle‐infested lodgepole pine forests, yet canopy cover remained relatively high among other forest types post‐outbreak. The top‐ranked habitat security models contained positive relationships with canopy cover, distance to motorized routes, terrain ruggedness, and slope with few notable differences among sexes and seasons. Across sexes and seasons, 75% and 50% of elk use was within areas with average canopy cover values ≥31 ± 6.65 (SD)% and ≥53 ± 5.7% that were an average of ≥2,072 ± 187.93 m and ≥3,496 ± 157.32 m from a motorized route, respectively. Therefore, we recommend fall elk security be defined as areas that meet these criteria for minimum canopy cover and distance from motorized routes in the Elkhorn Mountains and in other landscapes with similar forest characteristics and hunting pressures. Although we observed expected reductions in canopy cover within pine beetle‐infested forests, defoliation alone did not appear to negatively affect elk security or reduce canopy cover below our management recommendations. Nonetheless, because of the prevalence of standing dead trees in our study area, we recommend future work that investigates the relationships with pine beetle‐infested areas post‐blowdown because changes in ground structure and costs of locomotion may affect elk habitat and security. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

“…The potential revenues from a sales and/or lodging tax increase are substantial. Based on the past 5 years of visitation to YNP, assuming the average visitor spends $270 in gateway communities (Duffield, Patterson, & Neher, 2006), we estimate that a 1–2% tax increase could yield $18 to $22 million annually (Table 2). We used demand elasticity estimates from Sage et al (2017) to include a reduction in visits due to the tax.…”

Section: Alternative Approaches To Generating Revenue From Park Visitorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also estimated potential revenues from a small lodging fee assessed on concessionaires, ranging from $1 to $5 per bed, per night. Again, because the average visitor spends nearly $900 per trip (Duffield et al, 2006), this increase would likely have a miniscule effect on total visits. After accounting for this effect, based on the past 5 years of visitation, we estimate that a lodging fee levied on concessionaires within the park could generate $2.7 to $3 million annually (Table 3).…”

Section: Alternative Approaches To Generating Revenue From Park Visitorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing visitors' enthusiasm for national parks to fund cooperative large‐landscape conservation

Middleton

Stoellinger

Karandikar

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spillover impacts pose challenges for the management of protected areas (PAs). The issue of external threats encroaching on PAs has long been recognized, but a corollary—that PA conservation can increase costs borne by neighboring governments or landowners—is less well appreciated. In some contexts, basic principles of fairness and cooperation suggest that PA users should help pay these costs. Several countries have developed mechanisms for distributing the costs of spillover impacts to PA users, but not the United States. Here, we investigate whether and how US park visitors could help address one type of spillover, the need for wildlife conservation efforts beyond park boundaries, using a case study of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). We examine a “conservation fee” recently proposed in the Wyoming legislature, along with tax‐based alternatives. After exploring some costs of wildlife conservation in GYE, we estimate that a fee of up to $10 per vehicle could generate up to $13 million annually, and tax‐based approaches considerably more. We consider legal, political, and governance challenges, and ways to mitigate them. The GYE could serve as a demonstration site for visitor funding of cooperative, large‐landscape conservation, for potential future expansion in the US and beyond.

show abstract

A contingent valuation assessment of Montana waterfowl hunting : hunter attitudes and economic benefits

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Multi‐scale habitat selection of elk in response to beetle‐killed forest

Multi‐scale habitat selection of elk in response to beetle‐killed forest

Hiding Without Cover? Defining Elk Security in a Beetle‐Killed Forest

Harnessing visitors' enthusiasm for national parks to fund cooperative large‐landscape conservation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About