She’s smiling because she’s on federally protected land, friends!
A Montana-based think tank, Headwaters Economics, recently released a study showing a strong correlation between economic prosperity and greater proportions of federally protected lands–making a strong case that wilderness and natural recreation opportunities drive growth, rather than hinder it. The study found that non-metro counties with more than 30 percent of their land protected by some federal designation saw 345-percent growth in jobs since 1970, while counties with no protected land offered just 83 percent growth.
You can read a nice piece in the Denver Post by the ever-insightful Jason Blevins, HERE. Blevins talks to several small-to-medium-sized business owners and CEO’s, getting their takes on why Colorado makes a great place to live and work, and what drew their companies to our state. Hint–it’s not small government or private property rights!
