CHAPTIJl 2: AFKKCTCO ENVIRONMI-Nl 



Table 1 1. Outfitter-reported total number of clients served on hunts for all big game species in 



northwestern Montana (Flathead and Lincoln counties) and southwestern Montana (Gallatin, 

 Beaverhead, Sweet Grass, and Madison counties), 1995-2001 . The totals include big game 

 hunting clients served per year for both those clients buying licenses through the outfitter- 

 sponsored license quota and those buying licenses on their own (non-sponsored). Source: 

 Montana Board of Outfitters. Hunting Statistics. 



^ Non-sponsored is the total of non-residents and residents who buy licenses on their own but who utilize 

 the services of an outfitter during the big game hunting season. Non-sponsored totals may be slightly 

 over-estimated because single clients could have hunted more than one species and may be tallied for 

 each species hunted. 



Regional Economics 



Human Population. In 2000, Montana's population was 902,000 people. The population grew at a rate 

 of about 1 2.9% between 1990 and 2000. Montana is sparsely populated compared to the entire country. 

 There were an average of 6.2 people per square mile in 2000 - compared to 79.6 people per square mile in 

 the United States as a whole. About 1 3 percent of the population in Montana is age 65 or older, slightly 

 higher than in the United States as a whole (U.S. Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts: 

 http://quickfacts.census.gov). 



Montana is rich in outdoor recreation opportunities. The state boasts national and international, 

 recognition for its nafional parks, extensive wilderness areas, and high quality hunting, fishing, and 

 wildlife viewing opportunities. Not surprisingly, residents of the state (and the three state region of 

 Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming) value outdoor recreation highly. In a 1992 study, Duffield et al. (1993a) 

 found that 79% of the people who live in the 20 counties immediately surrounding YNP (including the 

 contiguous states of Idaho and Wyoming) participated occasionally or frequently in outdoor recreation 

 activities, compared to 69% of people nationwide. GYA residents had higher rates of participation in 

 fishing (73%, compared to 48% nationwide), viewing wildlife (90%, compared to 67%), and hunting 

 (60%, compared to 25%). Not surprisingly, GYA residents were more likely to have hunted deer, elk, or 

 moose, and were much more likely to have hunted these species in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming than 

 were residents of the U.S. as a whole. 



The Montana Economy. In 1997, Montana per capita personal income was $19,660, having grown 5.5% 

 since 1987 (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis 2002). Total personal income 

 in the state was $17.3 billion in 1997. 



47 



