$3.4 Million Loss for Towns Near Olympic National Park
During last October's Republican shutdown of the federal government, Olympic National Park had 42,000 fewer visits than during October of 2010 through 2012. This led to a loss of $3.4 million in tourist spending in communities near the park.
posted by Tom Harper at 9:47 AM
30 Comments:
You know, these huge figures come up every so often about the good and bad impacts of the ONP.
For all the millions that supposedly comes to "local communities", how come Port Angeles has been shutting down steadily over the last 10 years or so?
If it is all tourism, how come Port Angeles doesn't have much to show for all these millions of people that supposedly come here?
How come we haven't heard anything about the "sawblade slogan" lately? Grown men and women actually help create it. I got quite a few laughs reading about it. Wait. Did I just answer my own question? :)
Most of the money brought in by tourists goes right back out to corporations instead of staying local.
Tourism-related jobs are primarily in the service industry. Have a look at the report, there's a nice big pie-chart of spending on page 10 (pdf page 17). Half the spending is restaurants and hotels. Cooks, waitresses and housekeepers don't get paid enough to live on without shopping at Walmart. The other big chunks are gas, groceries and souvenirs. None of which are produced here so the money to buy them goes right back out of the community.
Tourism isn't the answer to our problems but neither is selling off all our natural resources like the timber industry would like to do, nor is polluting the environment with heavy industrial manufacturing.
What is the answer? Nothing simple, I'm sure. We do need to keep money in our community. Trying to attract businesses to relocate here is foolish.
I think we need to focus on producing the things we need here, locally, as much as possible. What do people absolutely need? Air, food, water and shelter. The air is relatively clean. We can grow food here. We have abundant clean water. We have plenty of trees that can be managed properly to provide construction materials.
What else? Energy for heat and light? Again, there's plenty of wood for wood stoves or pellet stoves. Maybe we even dabble in fringe stuff like Rocket Mass Heaters and become pioneers in a new industry.
Any excess from those activities can be exported to get the things we need but can't produce here like fabric for clothing, medicine and larger machines and tools.
The more we can provide for our own basic needs the better off we will be in the long run. The more we depend on outside funding from tourism and social security the more our fates are tied to the whims of the global economic system.
I know it sounds like a utopian dream, but is what we're doing now really working that well for the average person? It sure is working well for the good old boys. The biggest obstacle is convincing the average person that it can work when they are so easily manipulated by fear and turned against each other by our so-called leaders, assuming you can get them to stop watching American Idol and eating fast food long enough to listen.
PS - The original article title referenced ONP bringing in $220m to the community. Now it's all about the $3.4m loss? I guess we do like to focus on the negative around here, carry on PDN.
Could that last post have an economic self-interest in biomass burning Rocket Mas Heaters?
Would that be a bad thing? Ideas are only good if no one benefits from them financially? Or are you just attacking the person rather than the argument? At least you didn't resort to name calling, that's progress.
RMHs are a bad fit for Port Angeles anyways. They require intelligence to operate safely.
Yeah, I know. This isn't a new topic for Port Angeles.
Obviously, after all these years, and with storefronts still closing up, waiting around for heavy industry isn't getting us anywhere. As has been said so many times before, there are thousands of small communities all over North America, trying to attract outside salvation. Why Port Angeles, over any of those others?
Anon 2:39 is right. The days of some wealthy mega company coming to Port Angeles to save the day are long gone. Yeah, the local leadership is wetting their panties thinking Boeing is going to relocate to the former Pen Ply site.
Even if they did, which is not likely, how would that get us anywhere? Good for a contract, until it runs out. Then what?
And, with what for a workforce? Oh, yeah. Peninsula College is going to train locals to do the jobs. Okay.
Point is, when are we going to wake up, and take an honest look at ourselves, and our community? Clearly, all the community boosting rhetoric we've heard for the last ?? years hasn't produced too much. Are we just going to sit back, pay the same people to do the same things, and bitch and moan when we get the same results.?
Anon 10:23 - So, once we "wake up", what then? Just give up? We ARE too far out of the way for most big businesses to come here, yet (according to OFM DATA from 2012) we have 22,000 workers in the county. 43% of those are in government jobs (Federal, State, Local, Schools, etc.) while less than 3% of all jobs are in Forest, Fish, Agriculture and Mining. Another 11% in Manufacturing and Construction, 17% in Retail/Wholesale and 10% in Accomodation and Food Services. If not for the government jobs you seem to find no use for, who would be here to shop at Safeway, and Swains, who would be living in the houses that were built, who would pay taxes to support the Schools and keep the roads passable? Yes, community boosting rhetoric is often over the top, but what other choice do we really have? "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!"
Where are all the ideas? Nothing but complaining about the people who are actually trying to do something around here. And don't get me started about the "new" blog by Krypt Kicker, otherwise known as "All Hate, All The Time." Our local leaders are members of Service Clubs, the Chamber(s), the School Boards, the City Council(s), the Charitable Foundation Boards, and they are AT LEAST trying. There are no end of volunteer advisory boards and committees that would LOVE to have some new members, to share new ideas. But no, that sounds like work...It is a whole lot easier to just bitch. SHAME on the lot of you! :(
Hey Anonymous 1:48 PM, March 05, 2014:
If a great many people think the "local leaders" you're so high on are, at best, clueless fools, and at worst, outright crooks, that's not hate. That's people having an opinion, just like you do.
And, from the masses of evidence gathered from living here in Clallam County, it's an opinion that I think is entirely justified. Even if some of those people are, jeepers, members of the Chamber of Commerce.
Rocket Mass Heaters, like Rumford Stoves, are a bad fit because they are not tested and certified for low emmisions and therefore illegal to install at this point.
RMHs aren't ILLEGAL to install, they just don't fit into the existing building codes. The city wouldn't have you arrested, they'd just tell you to rip it out.
Portland has done a good job of reviewing them and developed a process that allows people to build them in compliance with local codes.
@Anon 12:37
Really? The choice is, as you see it, accept the way things are, or "wake up", and "give up"?
Wow. That is REALLY sad.
So the lodge ran by a national chain lost some money, but Granny's Cafe and Indian Vally Motel, owned by local folks, was swamped with business.
The only down side to me was not being able to use the boat launch at the lake for a while.
Just an observation....
Non-compliant is a better word than illegal on the Rocket heaters. A civil penalty could be issued by the local air agency for the installation. However, I don't know whether the building inspectors issue civil penalties. The manufacturer of the units could do the legwork to get them certified and keep their customers out of trouble if they are such a great product.
"If not for the government jobs you seem to find no use for, who would be here to shop.."
Where was it said that I think there is no use for government employment, or that it currently is the biggest regional employer?
I DO think that what is going on, is NOT working.
It IS obvious that a lot of folks are waiting around for somebody else to come up with solutions.
From Climate Change on down, most folks are not making any efforts to contribute to fixing these problems. They do tomorrow, what they did today. Even if it is only making things worse.
Anon 1:48 says it right up front: "Where are all the ideas?" I'll turn around, and ask them that very same question: "Where are all YOUR ideas? You're a member of this community, too".
Odd to think the REPUBLICAN shut down, which we all know was the Democrats, for one month created a loss of millions of dollars.
Maybe the Park needs a proper accounting system in order to balance their budget and meet the needs of the people, employees, and nature in a more cost effective manner.
"...Cost effective manner..? You mean like all those government subsidies and tax breaks that the big companies get?
I'm off to Albertsons and if they don't have what I'm looking for then I'll stop by Albertsons. Sure hope they have it as I don't want to have to trudge out to Albertsons. Maybe I'll head out to Sequim and check out Albertsons. Hey, I hear PT now has an Albertsons!
http://tinyurl.com/mka5n93
@ 8:48
RMHs aren't manufactured, they are custom-built on site. Certain components could be manufactured though.
Some of the folks who build a lot of them are trying to raise funds to get them tested too. The problem is it has to be built at the lab.
Since they aren't "manufactured" it's harder to profit from them. That means no companies with capital to invest in testing are willing to do it.
Albertson's buying Safeway surprised me, I thunk Safeway was the stronger chain, guess I don't know shit.
Well, if they change the stores too much, I guess it will force me to look for alternatives. Never liked Albertsons much. More expensive, if nothing else.
Anon 5:36 says it right: Monopoly.
Corporate rights are obviously more important than a community and it's future. No choices but the monopoly of Albertsons? Who cares.
Just stay home, watch TV, and accept what the corporate masters decide for you.
Oh no? What do you see in town, now? What are YOU doing about it.
Suckers.
I was out on the spit for a bit, coming back a dingy broad flipped her SUV in front of me, smack on its top. I'ze gots pictures to post tomorrow.
Well, you know how difficult and challenging that flat road is. Somebody otta do sumpthin' about it.
Can't blame a flat road on a chicks loose wiring.
FLIP ONE..
FLIP TWO..
I wonder why it wasn't in the fish wrap this morning....
GREAT PICS and commando reporting BBC.
Why is big "teen" just standing there looking stupid instead of helping the little girl out of the wreck?
Maybe he got bumped on the noggin. Yeah, that's it.
Mom dropped him on his head when he was born because he was so fat and greasy she couldn't get a grip.
Yeah, that's it.
Great pictures Commander Cook.
The teen had kicked out a back window and came out first, may have been dazed and didn't know what else to do?
Next came two little girls, then two young adult women. My truck is equipped with a fire extinguisher and first aid kit but they were not required.
FLIP THREE..
Oh, about the park, a federal judge let the lady with a ticket off, I'm okay with that, it was bullshit for them to close the parks anyway.
I don't like our government holding us hostage over bullshit. Utah paid to reopen their parks and made money at it, or so they say.
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