BibTeX
@MISC{For23williamc.,
author = {Pacific Institute For and William C. Stewart},
title = {William C. Stewart},
year = {23}
}
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Abstract
The Sierra Nevada region has supported a wide range of economic activities for more than 150 years. Timber harvesting, grazing, irrigated agriculture, and mineral extraction have occurred continuously since the Gold Rush of 1849. And even more significant from an economic viewpoint than these, is the extensive development of the streams and rivers of the Sierra Nevada-for hydropower, large irrigation project, and municipal water uses. Every human activity in the Sierra Nevada entails some degree of environmental alteration in the course of utilizing resources for individuals and business enterprises. The following economic assessment uses two complementary approaches to assess the human utilization of the Sierra Nevada ecosystem The first assesses the status of the regional economy based on employment and business enterprises. The second assesses the major resource-based sectors that directly impact the ecosystem. The distribution of Sierran jobs between commodity-producing jobs and service- producing jobs) is the same now as it was in 1970. Diversification has occurred within each sector, the number of jobs has more than doubled, but the relative proportion of commodity and service jobs stayed constant. Recreation, timber, and agriculture are the three largest types of employment sectors directly dependent on the ecosystem From the perspective of gross revenues generated from natural resources, water is the most valuable commodity, followed by timber, livestock, and other agricultural products. Based on estimates of direct resource values as one input (not the total revenue produced by resource dependent activities), the Sierra Nevada ecosystem produces approximately $2.2 billion worth of commodities and services annually. Water accounts for more than 60% of that total...
Keyphrases
sierra nevada business enterprise employment sector human utilization total revenue human activity gross revenue municipal water us following economic assessment wide range sierran job economic activity environmental alteration major resource-based sector gold rush sierra nevada region complementary approach service job large irrigation project direct resource value sierra nevada-for hydropower timber harvesting commodity-producing job utilizing resource mineral extraction regional economy irrigated agriculture extensive development agricultural product valuable commodity relative proportion resource dependent activity economic viewpoint sierra nevada ecosystem natural resource
