Doug Hempken, our previous Conservation Chair and the CMC’s primary liaison with the Devil’s Lake community, has reached out to the CMC to ask for volunteers to participate in the WI Dept of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Devil’s Lake Economic Impact Study (EIS). His message to the board is below:
The Wisconsin Climbers Association will be collecting data for an Economic Impact Study this year, April through October at Devil’s Lake. The goal is to quantify the number of climbers who visit the Lake in that time period, and to estimate how much they spend.
The WCA has hired a pair of economists to do the analysis (who have done a number of studies for other LCOs and other outdoor recreation organizations). The Access Fund and the Mountaineering Foundation of Chicago are helping out with the cost.
To come up with their estimate they will use the US Forest Service IMPLAN model. From us they need three kinds of data:
1) Counts of cars in the parking lots that climbers use (i.e. all the lots, plus places like Burma Road). Ideally we would get these as often as possible. We’ll mostly ask for people to volunteer to count the cars where they park when they visit the Lake. The researchers have a web form where people can enter these counts.
2) Some estimate of how many of those cars belong to climbers (and even how many climbers). We’ll need volunteers to spend a few hours at each lot to observe. Ideally we’ll have a few observations at each lot during the season.
3) Survey responses from climbers cataloging what they spent on their most recent trip. These can be filled out on a web form at home. Climbers are encouraged to fill this out each time they visit the Lake. The more data, the better!
These data and the IMPLAN model will enable the researchers to estimate how many climbers visit DLSP this year, and convert that estimate into economic impact $$$.
Doug Hemken
Wisconsin Climbers Association
If you are willing to help, please contact Doug at his email address just above to volunteer! If you climb at Devil’s Lake, it should be very important to you that the WI DNR recognizes the positive impact the climbing community has on the Devil’s Lake area economy!
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