The demand for local access to coastal recreation in southern New England |
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Authors: | Jeffrey D Kline Stephen K Swallow |
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Institution: | 1. Pacific Northwest Research Station , USDA Forest Service , Corvallis, Oregon, USA;2. Pacific Northwest Research Station , Forestry Sciences Laboratory , 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331 E-mail: klinej@ccmail.orst.edu;3. Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics , University of Rhode Island , Kingston, Rhode Island, USA |
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Abstract: | Coastal lands provide popular outdoor recreation opportunities including beach recreation, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing. Published studies measuring the demand for access to coastal lands generally have focused on the recreational value of intensively used beaches, which comprise only a portion of the New England coastline. This article examines the recreational demand for coastal access to a local, free‐access site in southern New England. The study uses data obtained from on‐site interviews conducted during the summer of 1995 at Gooseberry Island, Massachusetts. The estimated average value of a visitor‐day during the summer season is $3.06 for weekdays and $4.18 for weekends and holidays. While these values are at the low end of the range of values published in existing literature addressing beach recreation, the aggregate value of recreation benefits derived from public access to undeveloped coastal areas likely are significant. |
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Keywords: | coastal access contingent valuation beach recreation |
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