actually increased. Interestingly, the comby granting permanent protection to those Johansen 1991).A recent statistical analymunities in states with the largest average landscapes that are most unique in a resis of new residential construction and decreases in mill employment have actugion, can be an integral part of such an real estate transactions in western Monally experienced the largest population economic development strategy. tana showed that the closer a tract of growth (Harris 1995). People care where they live.They put land was to designated wilderness, the considerable effort and expense into the greater the intensity of new residential pursuit of preferred living environments. settlement (Jackson and Wall 1995). An Economic As people make these choices, economic None of this economic growth adDevelopment Strategy activity shifts with them because when jacent to wilderness is likely to be good The assertion that the quality of the livthey move they bring both labor supply for the natural areas we seek to protect. ing environment is important in the and markets for goods and services. ReThis underscores the fact that the ecoeconomic development of a local area, is tirees are the most obvious example of nomic problem that wilder ness neither new nor should it be controverthis. The current “resettlement of the protection creates is the opposite of the sial. Clearly, the climate and desert West” is the most recent example of how one usually suggested. The economic environment of Arizona has been imporpeoples’ pursuit of higher quality living problem we need to be focusing upon tant in attracting and holding human environments also stimulates economic is how to keep attractive natural envipopulations. In fact, the use of the term activity Thus, protected landscapes have ronments from being destroyed by the “amenity” to capture the role played by economic impacts far beyond their borgrowth they stimulate, not how to fight local environmental qualities in economic ders because they provide the high quality economic depression caused by protectdevelopment was first coined by an environmental backdrop that makes an ing natural areas and wilderness. economist seeking to explain the rapid area an attractive place to live, work, and This, of course, is not to say that the growth of Florida and southern Califordo business. In that sense, the protected mere presence of classified wilderness will nia in the 1950s (Ullmann 1955).As with landscapes become an important part of guarantee stability and growth in surArizona, people were moving to where an area’s economic base and rounding communities. But economic vitality.This is the clearly the general pattern In the competition to attract both new reason that wilderness counis the opposite of claims that residents and new businesses, the quality ties tend to show such wilderness designation imdramatic economic vitality. pover ishes local of the natural and social environment is To put this in somewhat communities. In areas going to be important. more technical terms, wilwhere a mining boom has derness protects core natural areas that gone bust or a major local employer has there was no obvious “industry” in order provide flows of valuable goods and sershut down, the local economy is obvito pursue particular environmental qualivices to surrounding areas, thus enhancing ously going to suffer. The existence of ties, and then industry followed the the livability and quality of life in those high quality living environments may not population.The shift of our urban popuwilderness adjacent locations.Wilderness be able to immediately off-set such dralations from city centers to suburbs also designation provides a long-run guaranmatic impacts. But even more reliance can only be explained in terms of the tee that those core natural areas and the on the industry that has gone bust is not pursuit of higher quality living environenvironmental quality they support will a solution. Damaging the environmental ments than urban centers were capable be protected. Both the natural services resources that support a diversification of providing. In fact, the distribution of provided by those protected areas and the away from the unstable and declining attractive natural qualities across the landguarantee of continued environmental extractive industries only compounds the scape is a major determinant of the protection are valuable to people. Their depression that over-reliance on extracdistribution of residential development response through residential location detive industry has created. Protecting the across that landscape (Mueller-Wille cisions documents this aspect and quality of the living environment at least 1990) .The point is that people care supports local economic vitality lays the base for future, diversified ecowhere they live, and they decide where nomic development. The resiliency of to live based on then-preferences for livnonmetropolitan economies with high ing environments. Conclusion quality natural environments is shown in This is important to the future develThe commercial extractive uses of wildthe Pacific Northwest where over the past opment of our nonmetropolitan areas. In lands being considered for wilderness 15 years lumber mills have regularly shut the competition to attract both new resiprotection are usually marginal at best, down either because of weak markets or dents and new businesses, the quality of being tied primarily to the uncertain deinadequate timber supply. In almost 60% the natural and social environment is govelopment of speculative mineral of the towns that lost mills, population ing to be important.Wilderness protection, resources or the harvesting of timber from
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDERNESS / Volume 2, Number 1, May 1996