Nearly 80 percent of the land area of Utah is managed for public use by federal and state agencies for the use of current and future generations. From windy deserts and dry lake beds to mountain ranges and scenic rivers, Utah’s diverse landscapes are some of its greatest assets.  But how does the management of these public lands affect the way we live?

A team of Utah State University researchers–composed of economists, sociologists, natural resource specialists, and engineers—have combined their efforts to provide answers to this question.

“While it has a variety of focal points, this study’s main concentration is on the ways in which public land management in Utah influences social and economic conditions throughout the state,” said John Keith, professor of economics at USU.

The concept for the study first emerged when several rural Utah counties asked USU faculty to review the socioeconomic impact portions of management plans of the Bureau of Land Management. In 2005 the BLM, which manages over 40 percent of Utah’s lands, was completing several resource management plans to guide future use of the lands and resources administered by that agency.  While that USU review effort was still underway, local officials from across Utah asked the state government if USU could expand the scope of the review to consider the linkages between social and economic conditions and the uses of public lands and resources for the entire state. In response, the Governor’s Public Land Policy Coordinating Office and USU developed a research plan. The study officially began in April 2006 with an approximate two-year timeframe. 

“Lynn Stephens, former director of the PLPCO, and John Harja, the current director, have worked with USU researchers to develop a relatively broad socioeconomic baseline study,” said Keith.  “The study aims to establish a statewide perspective on how public land management is linked to conditions in local communities.”

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that a research plan of this scope has  been undertaken in Utah,” said Richard Krannich, head of USU’s sociology, social work and anthropology department.  “This project will not only document the economic activities that are linked to Utah’s public lands, it will also document the attitudes and preferences people have about the variety of ways in which Utah’s public lands and resources are used and managed.” 

The two-year timeframe is also a rare precedent for this study.  “This is quite a large and ambitious project, and it is being completed on a very accelerated schedule. It’s like getting a three-year project done in one and a half years,” said Krannich.        

“This study is of great interest to the general public,” said Keith.  “What the federal government decides to do with the land areas that are managed by the BLM, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, and other federal agencies will affect us all in one way or another.”

Both Keith and Krannich explained that while many rural communities still depend heavily on public land uses for their economic stability and job security, most of Utah’s residents–as well as out-of-state visitors–depend on public lands for recreational purposes. Hunters, ranchers, tourists, recreational vehicle users, backpackers, and myriad other users all want the opportunity to access public land for different purposes.  As a result, there is considerable competition among various user groups, and substantial disagreement about management priorities. The completion of this study will provide state and federal officials with a better understanding of the nature and extent of these competing demands, and help them to negotiate how Utah’s public lands should be managed into the future.     

Once this study is complete, it will provide baseline information on socioeconomic connections with public lands throughout Utah.  It will also serve as a benchmark for future studies and provide information to the State PLPCO for commenting on various resource management plans that are being developed by the BLM, Forest Service, and National Park Service.  The information will not only help the federal government understand the impacts of land use decisions, but it will also provide state and local governments with a better understanding of local and regional needs and problems as they relate to public lands.

“Local governments haven’t had much information to give federal agencies about public land use. But now they’ll have an up-to-date and informative database to draw from,” said Keith. 

More than just providing a database, members of the research team also hope that this study will serve as a springboard for creating a research center that could provide long-term future capabilities for conducting this type of research on behalf of local, state and federal agencies.