Report: Public Lands Support 15,000 Jobs In Idaho
Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact
Public lands, recreation, tourism and energy development contributed $1.54 billion to Idaho’s economy last year.
That’s according to a report out this week from the U.S. Interior Department. The department manages 12 million acres of public land in Idaho, or nearly a quarter of the state. The agency also manages energy and mineral development on that public land, administers grants and payments to rural timber producing counties, and oversees mine reclamation.
Idaho by the numbers:
- 7,780,345 total recreation visits in 2011
- 15,122 total supported jobs (6,823 recreation, 3,412 energy and mineral) in 2011
- BLM forage contributed $275 million in economic activity in 2011
- Grants and payments contributed $70 million in economic activity in 2011
Source: The Department of the Interior’s Economic Contributions Report
The Interior Department’s report finds agency activity contributed $385 billion to the U.S. economy last year. That included more than 2 million jobs in 2011.
