Value of Instream Recreation in the Sonoran Desert
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 132, Issue 1
Abstract
This study investigates recreation use value for access to a Sonoran Desert canyon, and associated instream flow, through a case study of Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. The Wilderness is one of the last perennial streams in Southern Arizona, tributary to the famed and imperiled San Pedro River. Available permit information is combined with zip-code level census data to estimate a zonal travel cost model of recreation trip demand. Estimated consumer surplus per visitor day values are $25.06 and $17.31 (in 2003 dollars), for two separate access sites. Results indicate a significant recreation value of surface water sites in the Sonoran Desert region, while the value discrepancy may imply a premium for remote recreation.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by SAHRA (Sustainability of SemiArid Hydrology and Riparian Areas) under the Science and Technology Center Program of the National Science Foundation, Agreement No. NSFEAR-9876800, with additional support from Sandia National Laboratories.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 132 • Issue 1 • January 2006
Pages: 53 - 60
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 23, 2004
Accepted: Jun 15, 2005
Published online: Jan 1, 2006
Published in print: Jan 2006
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