Western Summit on
Tourism & Public Lands

Tourism is a $430 billion industry that is a thriving economic force throughout the country but throughout the West in particular. It’s an industry that has a huge stake in the health of public lands. It’s an industry that is supporting many rural communities…so they are not only timber and mining towns.
The Honorable Dan Glickman, Secretary, Department of Agriculture

This agreement is an extraordinary first step toward the development of a partnership that will allow us to work together to improve awareness of travel and tourism opportunities on America’s public lands. Our collaborative efforts will lead to a better understanding of our western archaeological and cultural treasures and the many recreational opportunities our public lands offer. (Referring to the Memorandum Of Understanding between the WSTPC and federal resource and land management agencies.)
The Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary, Department of the Interior

Washington’s role in the tourism/public lands partnership is to improve working relationships with tourism leaders at the national level, to be more responsive and collaborative in our decision making, demonstrating a continuing commitment to the health of the tourism economy, and encourage public lands managers to seize the opportunities represented in our partnership with tourism.
The Honorable John Garamendi, Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior

The dialogue has begun, the friendships are started and now we are moving into a new direction on behalf of tourism and public lands. We are sure it is going to be productive.
Thomas G. Tait, Chair, Western States Tourism Policy Council and Executive Director, Nevada Commission on Tourism

The Summit brought together the tourism industry and Federal resource management officials in hopes of reaching common ground to improve tourism and the management of Federal lands. It was exciting to see that the environment was one of the primary topics for discussion…each of the top level tourism and government officials…emphasized that a vibrant tourism industry depends upon a healthy environment.
Maryann Froehlich, Director, Office of Policy Development, US Environmental Protection Agency

The balance between tourism and the environment is so critical to the future of national parks and to the future of the tourism industry. If we don’t get our collective act together that balance will crumble.
W. James Host, Executive Vice President, National Tour Association

Working together I believe we can do a better job to protect clean water for fishing, boating, swimming, and drinking, and clean air for outdoor recreation and beautiful vistas…Many businesses now know that pollution is often a sign of economic inefficiency and that businesses frequently improve profits by preventing it.
Carol Browner, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

The National Park Service estimates that it needs $175 million annually to arrest deterioration of its road system, to handle needed construction projects and to accommodate some system of public transit within crowded parks. Presently, the NPS receives only $84 million. The USDA Forest Service estimates that 20% of its roads are in good condition, 60% Fair, AND 20% Poor. At current levels of funding, it will take 300 years to properly Maintain the 50,000 miles of road on Indian reservations; only 22% of the roads are considered up to standard. Any funds the BLM, Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation or Fish and Wildlife Service receive currently from the federal Lands Highway Office (FLHO) are taken from a discretionary fund, presently at $58 million. The public lands agencies want to be able to use Federal Lands Highway Program funding for maintenance, but are prohibited from doing so.
White Paper on Access, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

The Western Summit suggests some steps toward a future that sees tourism in partnership with natural resource mangers, working together to take care of the environment - while improving visitor experiences and increasing opportunities for tourism related businesses.
White Paper on the Environment, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

Tourism and resource management have the opportunity to stand together on these issues - increasing our ability to prevail and using the process to build relationships that will enable us to work on tougher issues.
White Paper on the Environment, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

Tourism and resource management need to work together to identify ways to measure critical impacts. We need to use collaborative processes and sophisticated management tools like the "limits of acceptable change" model to define desired resource conditions and suggest management actions that go into effect before resources are in jeopardy.
White Paper on Environment, Western Summit on Tourism and Public Lands.

As capacity issues affect management strategies, these communities (and many businesses) will need to switch from a focus on volume to a focus on quality. This will be a hard transition. In the long run, it will result in more sustainable economies, as well as resource management.
White Paper on the Environment, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

It is important for local communities to understand that nearby public lands belong to all the people of the United States. Tourism and resource managers should work together to help communities become stewards of these lands.
White Paper on the Environment, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

The tourism enterprises which are adjacent to or impact public lands in the West are dominated by small operations, usually run by individuals with little or no formal training in tourism or resource management. Many of these organizations so not have environmental officers or even staff designated to learn about or deal with environment-related issues. Many do not dedicate an employee to even attend state level tourism association meetings or training. These businesses and the patrons they influence must be woven into the partnerships that are developing.
White Paper on the Environment, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

The newly formed committee on Use, Recreation and Tourism was established to discuss and provide input on fee structure, visitor usage and research. The committee is made up of park superintendents and tourism industry officials. This is a good example of how we can work together.
Federal Interagency Team on Tourism, White Paper on Fees, Western Summit on Tourism and Public Lands

When fees are a logical and fiscally viable means of offsetting cost, they should be implemented at a rate greater than the cost of collecting the fee. When private enterprise can provide a needed service and is willing to share its profits with the citizen owners of the land, they should be provided the opportunity to be part of the solution and to make a reasonable profit.
White Paper on Fees, Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands

The time to work together is now. The time to be innovative is now. The old adage of not being "a penny wise and a pound foolish" would seem to serve us well as we attempt to provide for the preservation of the nation’s and tribal lands and retain the privileges of accessing these national treasures.
White Paper on Fees, Western Summit on Tourism and Public Lands

Ultimately, the long-term sustainability of our nation’s public lands and the continued viability of tourism in the U.S. will depend on the ability of government, private business and the community to walk in each others’ shoes to gain an appreciation for different perspectives and work together in search of common ground.
Larry Friedman, Nevada Commission on Tourism at the Western Summit on Tourism & Public Lands