Lower Fryingpan River
and Ruedi Reservoir
Economic Impact Study

July, 2015
Martin Shields, Colorado State University
Martin.Shields@colostate.edu
John Loomis, Colorado State University
Rebecca Hill, Colorado State University
Heather Tattersall Lewin, Roaring Fork Conservancy
heather@roaringfork.org

 Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 1
Lower Fryingpan River - Summary of Survey Results ........................................................................... 1
Ruedi Reservoir- Summary of Survey Results ....................................................................................... 2
Purpose of the Study..................................................................................................................................... 3
Background ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Economic Overview of the Area. .......................................................................................................... 4
Data ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
Visitor Survey Data ................................................................................................................................ 5
Visitor Counts Data ............................................................................................................................... 6
Streamflow Data ................................................................................................................................... 6
Methodology................................................................................................................................................. 8
Economic Impact Assessment Methodology ........................................................................................ 8
Expenditure Calculation/Aggregation from Survey Data.................................................................... 10
Survey Results ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Lower Fryingpan River Survey................................................................................................................. 12
Ruedi Survey ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Economic Impact Results ............................................................................................................................ 17
Lower Fryingpan River Results ............................................................................................................ 18
Ruedi Reservoir Results....................................................................................................................... 21
A Note on Local Visitors ...................................................................................................................... 23
Conclusions and Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 23
Glossary ....................................................................................................................................................... 25
References .................................................................................................................................................. 26
Appendix A: Fryingpan River Survey .......................................................................................................... AA
Appendix B: Ruedi Reservoir Survey .......................................................................................................... AH
Appendix C: Region Map Handout .............................................................................................................. AP
Appendix D: Technical Methodology and Definitions ............................................................................... AQ

i

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Fishing in Colorado provides unique recreational opportunities and generates economic activity through
the purchase of gear and clothing, guide services and other recreation-related expenditures such as
travel, food and lodging. Fishing generates economic activity beyond these direct expenditures by
anglers because the direct expenditures create spin-off activity in the economy. This report analyzes the
direct and spin-off economic activity created from recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and
Ruedi Reservoir. This research was conducted by Colorado State University in partnership with Roaring
Fork Conservancy.
This study looked at the economic impact of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi
Reservoir for Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties. To evaluate the regional economic impact, we
developed and conducted two visitor surveys which gathered demographic information along with
information on angler expenditures, frequency of trips and opinions about stream flows. One survey
was conducted with anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River, and the other was conducted with anglers on
Ruedi Reservoir. We surveyed the Lower Fryingpan River from March 2014 through August 2014 and
Ruedi Reservoir from May 2014 through July 2014. In order to aggregate our sample population (the
actual survey respondents) to the entire population of anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi
Reservoir, we conducted car counts on the Lower Fryingpan River and utilized visitor data from the U.S.
Forest Service for Ruedi Reservoir.
Economic impact assessment determined the effects of recreational fishing on the three-county study
region. This type of analysis looks at linkages in the economy, and takes into account the fact that the
economic impact of recreational fishing is not just limited to the ‘direct effect,’ defined as the activity
itself. Recreational fishing expenditures are also linked to other related sectors, in this case, ‘indirect
effects’ such as input suppliers (e.g., accountants for fly shops) and ‘induced effects’ such as employee
spending in other industries (e.g., fly shop employees’ restaurant purchases). Together, the direct,
indirect and induced effects create the ‘multiplier effect’ of visitor spending on the local economy.
Because local economic development depends on bringing outside money into the economy – and
preventing local money from leaking out – economic impact calculations distinguish between spending
by local visitors and visitors from outside the defined three-county region. We used non-local visitors’
expenditure estimates and the IMPLAN economic modeling software to generate annual estimates of
employment, labor income, value added and output supported by recreational fishing in the region.
Survey data was used to estimate annual angler spending by category (e.g., food service and drinking
places), as well as the total number of annual anglers.

LOWER FRYINGPAN RIVER - SUMMARY OF SURVEY RESULTS
The vast majority (92%) of anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River were male. On average, respondents
travelled in groups of 3.1 people and the average trip length was 4.3 days. 96% of respondents stated
that the primary activity they participated in on the Lower Fryingpan River was fishing. For non-local
respondents the average per person, per day expenditure for a fishing trip on the Lower Fryingpan River
was $100.88, with higher average values in the summer months of June, July and August. This translates
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 to total expenditures for the year of $3.3 million. This spending translates to almost $3.8 million in
output, 38 jobs, and $2.4 million in value added to the three-county region.
In the survey, we also asked two questions to help us understand the potential economic impacts of
governmental policies to manage stream flows. First, we looked at the management of winter stream
flows to reduce the occurrence of anchor ice and second, we looked at the management of summer
stream flows for angler wadeability. In both cases management practices to achieve stream flows more
suited to fish survival in the winter and wadeability in the summer resulted in a stated increase in the
number of trips taken by respondents. In the case of winter flows, this translated to a potential increase
in economic activity in the region of $1.5 million in output, 15 jobs and $944,401 in value added. In the
case of summer flows, the economic impact was estimated at $1.1 million in output, 11 jobs and
$706,300 in value added. The added economic output from increased trips due to increased winter river
flow management translated to a 40% increase in the regional economic impacts from angler recreation
on the Lower Fryingpan River, while the added output from increased trips due to wadeable summer
flows management translated to a 30% increase.

RUEDI RESERVOIR- SUMMARY OF SURVEY RESULTS
Gender was more balanced for Ruedi Reservoir visitors, but still predominantly male (73%). On average,
respondents travelled in groups of 5.2 people. 22% reported fishing from a boat and 24% reported
fishing from shore (there was overlap, with some respondents reporting fishing both from a boat and
from shore). Average per person, per day expenditures for local respondents was $18.41, and total
expenditures were $144,237. Under our model, this spending translates to $145,326 in output, 1.2 jobs
and $91,009 in value added. The relatively small numbers for economic impacts is due to the fact that
the majority of Ruedi Reservoir users are local, living in the study area, as well as the smaller
expenditures per day, as compared to anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River

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 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Each year hundreds of thousands of anglers visit Colorado’s rivers and streams. In addition to providing
recreational opportunities for participants, fishing generates a substantial amount of economic activity
in the state through the purchase of gear and clothing, guide services and other recreation-related
expenditures on items such as travel, food and lodging.
Fishing’s contribution to the regional and state economies is more extensive than the economic activity
generated by direct angler spending. Direct expenditures’ effects are transmitted throughout Colorado’s
economy through spin-off jobs from fishing-related businesses, as well as the purchases their employees
make with their own incomes. These spin-off jobs are known as the ‘spillover’-or ‘multiplier’-effects.
Some areas of Colorado are more dependent on tourism than others. The Roaring Fork Valley, ranging
from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, is heavily reliant on tourism for income and employment. During the
spring, summer and early fall, recreational fishing on the area’s rivers and streams generates a
tremendous amount of economic activity by anglers visiting from across the state, as well as the rest of
the U.S. and abroad. The Lower Fryingpan River is of particular importance because it is designated a
‘Gold Medal’ trout stream by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. In 1979, a 2-mile reach of the Lower
Fryingpan became the first state-recognized ‘Gold Medal’ trout stream. This endorsement was later
extended to a 43 mile stretch including the length of the Lower Fryingpan River and past its confluence,
including the Roaring Fork River from Basalt to Glenwood Springs. These waters are able to produce 60
pounds of trout per acre, and at least twelve 14" or larger trout per acre. Only 322 miles of Colorado's
9,000 miles of trout streams, and three lakes, carry the ‘Gold Medal’ signature (Gold Medal Streams,
2015). Water released from Ruedi Reservoir influences not only the quality of the fish habitat but also
the ‘fishability’ of the Fryingpan River. Both high and low water levels can impact anglers. Low flows
(especially in the winter) can compromise the quality of trout habitat, while high flows in the summer
can make it difficult for anglers to wade into the river to fish.
The purpose of this study is to provide an estimate of both the direct and spin-off effects on the regional
and local economies of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir, and how
that economic situation might change with different seasonal river flows.

BACKGROUND
This study was conducted by Colorado State University researchers in partnership with Roaring Fork
Conservancy, and focuses on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. The Lower Fryingpan River
is a 14-mile stretch that begins below the dam at Ruedi Reservoir. It is one of the longest reaches of
‘Gold Medal’ fishing opportunities in the state. Approximately 8 miles of this stretch of the Fryingpan
River are available for public fishing access, with the remaining access privately-held.
Ruedi Reservoir is on the Fryingpan River, about 15 miles east of the Town of Basalt. With a capacity of
102,000 acre-feet, Ruedi Reservoir is a federally-owned facility operated by the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation (BOR). Ruedi has many beneficial uses, including municipal and industrial, agricultural
irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, recreation, and fish and wildlife conservation. Recreation
3

 facilities on the reservoir include 81 campsites and 2 boat-launching ramps. This report focuses on
recreational fishing.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW OF THE AREA
The economic impact evaluation considered the broader Roaring Fork Valley region, including Pitkin,
Eagle and Garfield counties. Communities in the region include Aspen, Basalt, Glenwood Springs,
Carbondale, Eagle, Snowmass Village and Rifle. The 3-county region was hard hit by the Great Recession
(December 2007-July 2009) and the recovery, although steady, has been slow. Figure 1 shows recent
employment trends for Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties. Combined employment totaled 78,196 in
2008; in 2014, the region was home to 71,207 jobs, a 9% reduction. By comparison, the state of
Colorado’s 2014 employment total was nearly 5% higher than in 2008. These employment figures
include both full- and part-time positions of wage and salaried workers and proprietors.
Figure 1: County Employment Totals for Select Years: 2008, 2010 and 2014

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages/Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Tourism is an important part of the regional economy. According to a report prepared for the Colorado
Tourism Office (CTO) (Dean Runyan Associates, 2014), overnight tourism in the three counties in 2013
accounted for $1.6 billion in travel spending, supporting more than 13,110 jobs, and nearly $500 million
in local earnings. In 2008, overnight tourism supported 12,830 jobs, meaning that the overnight tourism
sector, unlike the rest of the economy, actually added jobs since the recession. Further, tourism-related
spending makes important contributions to county and municipal tax revenues. In 2013, the CTO
estimated $67.2 million in local tax revenue was generated from tourism in the 3-county region.

4

 Table 1: Travel Spending, Earnings, Employment and Local Taxes in the Three-County Region
Eagle

Garfield

Pitkin

3-County Total

Travel Spending ($M)

897.8

144.2

619.0

1,661.0

Earnings ($M)

216.4

40.9

239.1

496.4

Employment (Jobs)

6,870

1,580

4,660

13,110

34.7

6.1

26.4

67.2

Local Taxes ($M)

Source: Dean Runyan Associates, 2014. Colorado Travel Impacts: 1996-2013. Colorado Tourism Office.
www.deanrunyan.com/doc_library/COImp.pdf.

DATA
To evaluate the regional economic impact of anglers fishing the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi
Reservoir, we developed and conducted two visitor surveys. These surveys gathered a variety of data,
including basic demographic information, angler expenditures, frequency of angling trips, and opinions
about stream flow. These surveys were supplemented with stream flow/reservoir level and visitor count
data.

VISITOR SURVEY DATA
Two visitor surveys were developed, one for visitors to the Lower Fryingpan River and one for visitors to
Ruedi Reservoir. These surveys asked questions about the use of the recreational sites as well as seeking
general information on what was important to visitors. They also gathered expenditure information by
various categories, which was used in performing an economic impact analysis.
Starting March 21st 2014, anglers on the Lower Fryingpan were surveyed an average of two days per
week through April 2014, surveyed four to five days a week through July 2014, and surveyed one to two
days a week in August of 2014. All surveys were conducted by two interviewers trained in car count and
survey methods by Colorado State University researchers. A total of 76 survey days were spent on
location. These days were strategically spread out to give a good sampling of each day of the week, as
well as different times of day. Each interviewer would drive along the river and stop to conduct
interviews with one member from each group of anglers that they encountered along the river. They
would also record the number of cars as they drove along the river. Starting on May 26th, the
interviewers also began interviewing respondents on Ruedi Reservoir. Interviews were conducted
through July 12th, with the interviewers spending a total of ten days on the reservoir. The interviewers
intercepted respondents at the main boat ramp on Ruedi and the campground.
In addition to recording total expenditures in Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties, respondents were
asked to list the percentage of their expenditures made in Pitkin County and downtown Basalt to better
understand specific economic impacts to each area. In addition, the Lower Fryingpan River visitor survey
included questions exploring how changes in river flows (one question related to summer flows and one
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 question related to winter flows) would affect the number of recreational trips the respondent would
take. Copies of the surveys are provided in Appendices A and B.
Surveys were collected with online survey software Qualtrics, and conducted on iPads. The on-site
survey approach was adopted because response rates for such surveys tend to be very good;
respondents are able to ask clarification questions, and Qualtrics automatically enters the data, avoiding
human error that can occur when manually entering responses. For the Lower Fryingpan River, 369
surveys were collected and 159 surveys were collected for Ruedi Reservoir.

VISITOR COUNTS DATA
In order to aggregate the sample (survey) population to the entire population of visitors to the Lower
Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir, we conducted car counts on the Lower Fryingpan River and utilized
visitor use data from the U.S. Forest Service for Ruedi Reservoir. Surveyors counted cars each time they
drove up the Frying Pan Road. All vehicles along the road, including both parking lots and road pull-offs,
were recorded. Visiting the river at different times of day helped clarify both turnover rates on the river
and the number of total cars on the road per day. The U.S. Forest Service collects data on the number of
cars that enter the Ruedi Reservoir parking lot each day that the reservoir is open and shared this data
with us for our economic impact analysis.

STREAMFLOW DATA
River flow releases from Ruedi Reservoir can influence both the productivity of the river for trout and
the fishability of the river during the summer for anglers. The flows out of Ruedi Reservoir are controlled
by the U.S. BOR to meet the project’s purposes, including a variety of downstream needs. The BOR has
some latitude in determining how much water to release and when to release water from Ruedi
Reservoir into the Lower Fryingpan River. Part of the purpose of this study is to provide feedback to the
BOR on the economic consequences of different flow release patterns on angler use of the river.
Different levels of angler use translate into different levels of angler spending in the area, and hence
income and employment generated by fishing. Flows that are too high can “push” wading anglers off the
river, as it becomes unsafe or extremely difficult to wade in the river - which is the preferred fly fishing
method on the Lower Fryingpan. The streamflow data presented below in Figure 2 is for the U.S.
Geological Survey Fryingpan River stream flow gauge near Ruedi Reservoir. The 2014 water year
represents preferred flows for optimal river health and fishery management. Winter flows remained
above the recommended flow of 70 cfs (Miller Ecological Consultants, 2006). Spring flushing flows lasted
over a week, and late summer flows were optimal for angling and maintained cold temperatures.
Ruedi Reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of 102,000 acre-feet. The U.S. Department of the
Interior reports daily values of the reservoir storage content of Ruedi Reservoir (station RUERESCO).
Reservoir storage content is reported in Figure 3.

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 Figure 2: Daily Streamflow for the Lower Fryingpan River in Cubic Feet per Second (cfs)

Source: U.S. Geological Survey.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv/?site_no=09080400&agency_cd=USGS&referred_module=sw.
* Note that due to scaling the axis labels are through January but the streamflows represented are
through March.
Figure 3: Ruedi Reservoir Storage Content (Acre-Feet)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. http://www.usbr.gov/gp-bin/arc050_form.pl?RUERESCO
7

 METHODOLOGY
Using the angler expenditure data collected from our surveys, we were able to model the regional,
annual economic impacts of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. The
analysis followed a standard approach, as outlined in “Approaches to Estimating the Economic Impacts
of Tourism; Some Examples” (Stynes, 1999). Because local economic development depends on bringing
outside money into the economy – and preventing local money from leaking out – we distinguished
between spending by local visitors and visitors from outside our defined region. We then used the
information on non-local visitor spending in a model to generate annual estimates of employment, labor
income, value added and output supported by recreational fishing. (For definitions of employment,
labor income, value added and output please see the Survey Results section or Glossary below.)
While this conceptual approach is simple, the study was fairly involved. This is due to the fact that there
are no available estimates of total annual angler spending (or even the number of anglers) on the Lower
Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. We used our two surveys to estimate the total annual angler
spending as well as the total number of anglers. The survey enabled us to determine how much a
“typical” visitor spends per day in the region due to their recreational fishing activities. We combined
this spending profile with an annual visitor count (determined by car counts and U.S. Forest Service
data) to generate estimates of total spending, by category. This information was entered into our model
to create economic impact information for the region.

ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY
Economic impact assessment is commonly used to determine the effects of an activity (in this case recreational fishing) on the broader economy (in this case - our study region of Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield
counties). Typically, any recreation-related industry’s economic impact on a local economy originates
from participants spending money in the region. Generally we report this effect in terms of ‘output’
(total sales), employment, and ‘value added’ (net revenues, the difference between what someone sells
a good for and what one pays for all of the components used in producing the good. For reference, this
is the same measure as Gross Domestic Product).
The economic impact of recreational fishing in the region is not limited to just fishing activities (the
‘direct effect’). Direct expenditures affect related sectors of the economy, such as input suppliers (e.g.,
accountants for fly shops) and employee spending in other industries (e.g., a fly shop employees’
restaurant purchases). To account for the full economic impact of recreational fishing we must analyze
these two separate effects.
The direct effects of recreational fishing are the economic effects created by angling-related
expenditures. For the most part, these are purchases at related businesses, such as expenditures for
lodging, food, transportation, gear and bait. However, the total economic impact of recreational fishing
is larger than just this direct spending; there are spin-off effects from that spending. These spin-off
effects arise from additional economic activity generated by direct angler spending (commonly referred
to as the ‘economic multiplier’ effect), which measures how the value of a dollar of initial sales may be

8

 multiplied throughout the economy. We calculated the total economic impact to be the combination of
the following direct and spillover effects:
●

●

●

Direct effects: These effects are a result of actual recreational fishing expenditures which were
estimated using the survey data. For example, a purchase of $20 for flies would be a $20 direct
effect of recreational fishing.
Indirect effects: These effects arise due to linkages in the supply chain, such as local industries
buying goods and services from other local industries. The cycle of spending works its way
backward through the supply chain. For example, the store from which an angler buys flies will
use part of that money elsewhere in the economy, such as for buying more inventory, paying
rent or hiring an accountant.
Induced effects: These effects are a result of employee household spending. For example, when
an angler buys flies, some small portion of that dollar amount goes toward paying the wages of
the sales attendant, who then re-circulates those wages in the form of household purchases of
things such as clothing or groceries.

Because of the spin-off effects (indirect and induced effects), we see that an initial dollar of purchases
by an angler at one fishery-related business can generate more than a dollar of total activity in the
regional economy as it ripples through the other businesses and households buying goods and services.
The multiplier process continues with each additional round of income/spending, but typically becomes
smaller as money “leaks” out of the region to purchase goods and services from outside the region.
The most common approach to estimating the economic impacts of recreation-related activities is the
use of the IMPLAN software model to examine how much economic activity is generated by visitor
activity, in our case, anglers. The IMPLAN software (www.implan.com), originally developed by the U.S.
Forest Service, establishes the characteristics of economic activity in terms of 528 economic sectors.
Drawing on data collected by federal and state government agencies, the IMPLAN model uses regional
industry purchasing patterns to examine how changes in one industry will affect others. The IMPLAN
model has been used as the basis for thousands of economic analyses throughout the United States. The
most recent version of IMPLAN data (2013) was used to determine the economic impacts of recreational
fishing. For more details on the IMPLAN model and the analysis please reference Appendix D.
The modelling approach consists of a two-step process. First, the total unique angler local expenditures
are estimated, by expenditure category. These expenditures are then applied to the IMPLAN model in
order to estimate the total economic activity generated, including multiplier effects.
The first step, approximating total expenditures by category, was accomplished using information
generated from our surveys. Based on the responses to our surveys we considered spending in the
following categories related directly to the recreational fishing trip:

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 Fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Fishing tackle and other fishing gear
Equipment rental
Guide fees
Fishing license (specifically for this trip)
Food and drink from grocery stores
Food and drink from restaurants
Other (non-fishing related) retail
Gasoline
Rental car
Camping
Hotel/Motel

Fishing on Ruedi Reservoir:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Equipment/boat rental
Boat repairs
Fishing tackle and gear
Fishing license (specifically for this trip)
Food and drink from grocery stores
Food and drink from restaurants
Other (non-fishing related) retail
Gasoline
Rental car
Camping
Hotel/Motel

Once expenditures by category were determined, we used the IMPLAN input-output model to examine
the economy-wide effects of these total expenditures. This involved matching the expenditure data with
the IMPLAN industry sectors, and entering the appropriate expenditure amounts into the model. In
doing so, we were able to estimate both the direct and indirect economic effects to the region.
Note that not all recreation-related spending calculated from survey responses accrues to the region as
final demand. The reason for this is related to the nature of the retail purchase of goods. For goods that
are manufactured outside the region, only the retail margin appears in the final demand calculated for
the region. The cost (the producer’s price) to the retailer or wholesaler of the good itself leaks
immediately out of the region’s economy, and cannot be considered a local impact. Recognizing this
fact, we applied IMPLAN’s default household margins for all retail sectors.

EXPENDITURE CALCULATION/AGGREGATION FROM SURVEY DATA
The economic impact analysis began with estimates of total expenditures by anglers collected in our two
surveys. We used this expenditure data to create a spending profile for several categories of anglers
10

 (based on the respondent’s reported home zip code): the local, the in-state nonlocal and the out-ofstate nonlocal. Distinguishing between locals and non-locals allowed us to only examine new dollars
brought to the region due to recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. The
income and spending of anglers that reside locally is already present in the local economy. If fishing on
the Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir was not available, the assumption is that local anglers would
choose instead to spend their money on other local activities, such as fishing on another river in the
study area (e.g., the Crystal River), or engaging in some other local activity (e.g., hiking, golfing, or
rafting). In this case, the economic impacts generated by fishing on the Fryingpan River or Ruedi
Reservoir are simply substituting for other local economic activity. To measure the true economic
impact of fishing on the Fryingpan River or Ruedi Reservoir on the local/regional economy we must
consider only economic activity in the region relating to recreational fishing on the Fryingpan or Ruedi
Reservoir that would not have occurred otherwise. In order to only capture spending unique to
recreational fishing, we only included expenditures of non-locals (both in the State of Colorado—but
outside of Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties, and out-of-state non-locals).1 This is not to say that local
anglers do not benefit from fishing in the Fryingpan River or Ruedi Reservoir, only that an economic
impact analysis is not designed to measure the benefits to the anglers themselves. (See Loomis and
Walsh, 1997 for more discussion of economic impacts versus economic benefits to visitors).
Using reported expenditures of non-local anglers, we calculated the average per person, per day
expenditures by category. We then used car count, average party size and U.S. Forest Service data to
estimate the total number of visitors. Recreational activities are likely to be different based on the
month of recreation; for example, early months in the season tend to have a larger proportion of local
recreationalists, so we categorized respondents by the month they were surveyed. We performed
unique calculations for each month before aggregating up to total expenditures for the Lower Fryingpan
River. Due to limited data, we were not able to break out monthly Ruedi Reservoir expenditures, and
instead were only able to estimate total annual expenditures for fishing-related activities on Ruedi
Reservoir. Further, we only surveyed from March to August 2014 on the Lower Fryingpan, leaving us
with no survey data for September, October, November, December, January and February. To estimate
expenditures in these months, we used a question on the survey that asked “during which months do
you fish on the Lower Fryingpan River in a typical year?” This question allowed us to estimate the
number of visitors in the months that we did not survey relative to the months that we did survey.
Summary results for this question are reported in Figure 5 in the Survey Results section below.

SURVEY RESULTS
This section sets the stage for the results of the economic analysis by highlighting some general results
from the surveys. In addition to the expenditure data needed for the impact analysis, questions about
demographics and trip information were asked. The following sections summarize the results from these
1 For example, during a Federal government shutdown, U.S. Forest Service recreation facilities at Ruedi Reservoir
might be closed down and unavailable to the public for boat launching, etc. The spending that would have taken
place at Ruedi Reservoir by locals living in the three-county study area would probably occur in connection with
recreation somewhere else in the three-county area.

11

 questions. Because the profiles of recreationalists on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir are
very different, the two survey results are reported separately.

LOWER FRYINGPAN RIVER SURVEY
DEMOGRAPHICS
The majority of anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River were male (92%). The predominance of male
anglers is unsurprising, as a 2011 National Trout Fishing Survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service found that 76% of freshwater anglers who fished for trout were male (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 2011). The average age of the survey respondents was 48, with ages ranging from 17 to 83
years. The average household size of respondents was 2.5 people, while the average size of the group
they were travelling with was 3.1. We also asked survey respondents to report their employment status:
66% were employed full time, 11% part time, 3% unemployed, 17% retired and 3% reported “other”
(the majority of “other” responses were students; self-employment was also an acceptable “other”
response). Survey respondents tended to self-identify as expert (49%) or intermediate (40%) skill level as
anglers; only 9% stated that they were beginners, while 1% reported that it was their first time fishing.
Figure 4 displays the area of origin of the respondents. Area of origin was determined using an
individual’s self-reported home zip code. Local respondents had a zip code within the region (Pitkin,
Eagle or Garfield counties), non-local, in-state visitors had a Colorado zip code that was not in the region
and non-local, out-of-state visitors had a non-Colorado zip code.
Figure 4: Area of Origin of Lower Fryingpan River Survey Respondents

TRIP INFORMATION
The average length of trip for survey respondents was 4.3 days. The average number of trips
respondents took to the river was 10.7 trips per year. The median number of annual reported trips was
2 per year, with local visitors often taking much longer trips. 96% of survey respondents stated that the
12

 primary activity they participated in during their trip on the Fryingpan was fishing (other answers
included: sightseeing, hiking, Trout Unlimited meeting, biking, golfing, camping, and visiting family).
When asked about their trip to the Fryingpan, 61% of respondents stated that it was the sole or primary
reason for their trip, 32% stated that it was one of many equally important reasons and only 7% stated
that it was an incidental stop on a trip for other purposes. 77% of the Fryingpan survey respondents
stated that they did NOT recreate on Ruedi Reservoir. 11% of the survey respondents reported taking an
airplane on this trip, 98% reported driving to the Fryingpan (they sum to greater than 100% because
some respondents selected taking both a car and an airplane). Figure 5 illustrates the months which
respondents stated they engaged in fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River in a typical year (respondents
selected all months that applied so percentages add up to greater than 100%).
Figure 5: Months Survey Respondents Stated They Engaged in Fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River in a
Typical Year

We asked survey respondents to identify how important a list of items were to their choice to visit the
Lower Fryingpan River. Available responses were: not important (given a value of 1), somewhat
important (given a value of 2), important (given a value of 3) and very important (given a value of 4).
Therefore, the higher the mean score the more important the characteristic was to respondents, on
average. The characteristics are listed below in descending order of importance with the survey mean in
parenthesis:
●
●
●
●
●
●

Insect hatches (3.14)
Wadeable flows on the river (3.13)
Stream clarity (3.12)
River crowding (3.05)
Gold Medal designation (2.97)
Number of fish caught (2.69)
13

 ●
●
●
●

Size of fish caught (2.60)
Parking availability (2.43)
Weather (2.18)
Being close to where I live (2.03)

The majority of respondents reported that they were targeting rainbow trout (73%), cutthroat trout
(50%) and brown trout (68%). Another 26% of the respondents stated that they were targeting ‘other,’
which they described as whatever they could catch, or that they were not targeting a particular species
(percentages sum to greater than 100% because respondents were instructed to select all that applied).
WATER LEVELS
Both high- and low-water levels in the river can impact anglers. To gain a better understanding of how
survey respondents felt about the level of the river we asked them to state their opinion of the water
level during their current fishing trip. 74% said that the level was just right, while 20% said it was too
high and 4% said it was too low. We also asked two questions regarding how water level management
would affect their annual fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River, as described in the following
sections.
WINTER WATER LEVELS
One survey question focused on how low flows during the winter months impact the quality of fishing
throughout the season. The question was as follows:
“Fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River occurs year round, but flows during the winter months impact the
quality of fishing throughout the season. Currently the minimum flows in the winter are about 40 cubic
feet per second (cfs). At 40 cfs anchor ice is more common. Anchor ice in the winter can adversely affect
fishing quality in the summer. When winter flows are 70 cfs anchor ice is less common, contributing to
improved fishing quality in the following summer. If water managers maintained winter flows to at least
70 cfs throughout the winter (making anchor ice less common), how would it affect your annual fishing
trips to the Lower Fryingpan River?”
Survey respondents could state that enhanced winter flows would increase, decrease, or not change the
number of fishing trips they took to the Lower Fryingpan River. 48% of respondents stated that they
would increase their fishing trips, 51% said they would not change their fishing trips, and only 1% said
they would decrease their fishing trips. If the respondent stated that they would increase their trips,
they were given a follow up question asking how many more trips to the Lower Fryingpan River they
would take in a typical year. For those who stated that they would increase their number of trips, the
average increase in number of days was 4.6, with a range of 1 to 50 days and a median of 2 days. For
non-locals (the only individuals used for economic impact calculations), 46% stated that they would
increase their fishing trips and the average increase in trips was 3.1 trips.
SUMMER WATER LEVELS
Another survey question focused on high river flows. The question was as follows:
“Flows above 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) result in currents that make it difficult to wade into the river
to fish and most anglers find it safer to fish from the banks. Currently on average 77 days a year the
14

 Lower Fryingpan River flows are above 250 cfs. If the number of days on average each year that the river
was non-wadeable decreased from 77 to 29 days (a gain of 48 wadeable days), how would it affect your
annual fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River?”
Survey respondents could state that an increase in wadeable days would increase, decrease, or not
change the number of fishing trips they took to the Lower Fryingpan River. 37% said they would increase
their trips, 60% indicated they would not change their number of trips and 3% said they would decrease
their trips. If the respondent stated that they would increase their trips they were given a follow up
question asking how many more trips to the Lower Fryingpan River they would take in a typical year. For
those who stated that they would increase their number of trips the average increase in number of days
was 4.0 with a range of 1 to 30 days and a median of 2 days. For non-locals (the only individuals used for
economic impact calculations), 37% stated they would increase their trips and this was by an average of
2.9 trips.

RUEDI RESERVOIR SURVEY
DEMOGRAPHICS
A separate survey was conducted on Ruedi Reservoir. Angler gender on Ruedi was more balanced than
on the Lower Fryingpan River, but still predominantly male, at 73%. The average age of respondents was
46, with a range from 22 to 83. The average household size of survey respondents was 2.8, while the
average size of the group they were traveling with was 5.2. 79% of the respondents reported being
employed full time, 6% employed part time, 1% unemployed, 9% retired and 5% reported “other” (the
majority of “other” responses were self-employed, student was also an acceptable response under
“other”). Figure 6 displays the area of origin of the Ruedi respondents. Area of origin was determined by
using the individual’s self-reported zip code. Local respondents had a zip code within the region (Pitkin,
Eagle or Garfield counties), non-local, in-state visitors had a Colorado zip code that was not in the region
and non-local, out-of-state visitors had a non-Colorado zip code.

15

 Figure 6: Area of Origin of Ruedi Reservoir Survey Respondents

TRIP INFORMATION
While the vast majority of individuals on the Lower Fryingpan were fishing, the activities of those
surveyed at Ruedi were much more diverse. Individuals surveyed at the Ruedi marina reported the
following activities: motorized boating (57%), non-motorized boating (23%), water sports - such as water
and jet skiing (22%), fishing from shore (24%), fishing from a boat (22%), picnicking (28%), swimming
(26%), and camping (50%). In our economic analysis we focused only on individuals that were involved in
fishing from shore or a boat. 89% of respondents reported that Ruedi Reservoir was the primary
destination of their current trip, 10% said it was one of many equally important reasons for their trip,
and only 1% said it was an incidental stop. Only 1% of those surveyed took a plane as their primary
method of travel to the reservoir; all others reported taking a car, truck or RV. During a typical year the
majority of those surveyed only visited the reservoir between the months of May and September
(Figure 7 provides details by month). When asked if they also recreated on the Lower Fryingpan River,
26% stated that they did.

16

 Figure 7: Months Survey Respondents Stated They Visit Ruedi Reservoir in a Typical Year.

We asked survey respondents to identify how important a list of items was to their choice to visit Ruedi
Reservoir. Responses were: not important (given a value of 1), somewhat important (given a value of 2),
important (given a value of 3) and very important (given a value of 4). Therefore, the higher the mean
score the more important the characteristic. The characteristics are listed below in descending order of
importance with the survey mean in parenthesis:
●
●
●
●
●
●

Reservoir water levels (3.03)
Weather (3.03)
Being close to where I live (2.95)
Main marina boat ramp open (2.73)
Number of fish caught (1.63)
Size of fish caught (1.54)

ECONOMIC IMPACT RESULTS
Visitor surveys asked detailed questions on angler spending patterns in the region. This expenditure
data was used to estimate new economic activity that could be attributed to fishing on the Lower
Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. Only dollars brought into the economy from visitors that live
outside the region are considered new economic activity; thus, our economic impact analysis only
included expenditures from non-local fishing tourists (non-local, in-state and non-local, out-of-state) to
the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir. Total direct spending in the region was calculated by
multiplying the average per person daily expenditures by the estimated tourist visitation. For the Lower

17

 Fryingpan River this was done separately for each month and then aggregated up to annual
expenditures. For Ruedi Reservoir this was done only at the annual level.

LOWER FRYINGPAN RIVER RESULTS
We calculated the average expenditures per person, per day for each month and then multiplied that
number by our estimated total number of visitors per month. Table 2 below outlines each month’s
average per person, per day expenditure, as well as total monthly expenditures. The table shows that
the annual average per person, per day expenditure is $100.88, with higher values in the summer
months of June, July and August. Total angling expenditures for the year on the Lower Fryingpan River
were $3.3 million, with almost half of the expenditures coming in the three summer months of June,
July and August. To give a better idea of the makeup of this $3.3 million in expenditures, Figure 8 shows,
on average, what categories the expenditures fell into: 34% of all expenditures were on lodging,
followed by 19% of expenditures on restaurants.
Table 2: Lower Fryingpan River - Average Per Person, Per Day Expenditures and Total Expenditures by
Month
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Average Per Person, Per Day Expenditure
Used March Average
Used March Average
$ 77.15
$ 99.30
$ 84.64
$ 110.25
$ 145.56
$ 106.70
Used August Average
Used March Average
Used March Average
Used March Average

$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Total Expenditures
102,788
102,861
257,079
235,043
222,761
410,106
739,291
506,375
371,291
179,933
102,861
102,788

Annual

$ 100.88

$

3,333,176

18

 Figure 8: Annual Expenditure Breakdown for the Lower Fryingpan River

The expenditure information from the survey provides valuable information on the magnitude and
composition of gross spending generated by recreational fishing activities on the Lower Fryingpan River.
However, 1) not all of these expenditures stay within the community, and 2) there are additional
spillover impacts (indirect and induced effects, as described above) from this spending. The total annual
expenditures reported in Table 2 were broken down into IMPLAN sectors and the IMPLAN software was
used to incorporate this into our economic impact analysis of recreational fishing on the Lower
Fryingpan River. Direct, indirect and induced impacts generated from the economic impact analysis are
found in Table 3. Table 3 reports the three effects for the following variables:
●

Employment (Jobs) – The total number of wage and salaried employee and self-employed jobs
in a region. The figure includes both full-time and part-time workers.
● Labor Income – All forms of employment income, including wages, benefits and proprietor
income.
● Value Added – The difference between total output and the cost of intermediate inputs.
● Output – The sales revenue or value of industry production.
Notice that direct output is $2,420,179, which is less than the total expenditures calculated from the
survey. This difference is due to “margining,” an important (and misunderstood) economic impact
modeling concept that reflects the fact that not all initial expenditures stay in the region in some
industries, such as retail. Instead, only a portion of the receipts stay local, with the rest leaking out to
the region where the goods were produced. For example, think of the purchase of waders at a sporting
goods store. If those waders were not produced in the region then some share of the money spent on
the waders goes to the outside region that produced the waders. To correctly model this phenomenon,
the retail margin only includes the amount of expenditures that stay in the region.
Once the direct, indirect and induced effects are combined, the total economic impact to the region
(Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties) of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River is $3.8 million.
Recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River also contributes 38.3 jobs to the region and almost 2.4
million in value added.
19

 Table 3: Annual Direct, Indirect and Induced Economic Impacts from Non-Local Recreational Fishing
Expenditures in the Study Area
Direct Effect
Indirect Effect
Induced Effect
Total Effect

Employment
27.7
4.6
6.0
38.3

Labor Income
$ 1,152,169
$ 191,478
$ 264,279
$ 1,607,925

Value Added
$ 1,555,493
$ 345,806
$ 465,452
$ 2,366,751

Output
$ 2,420,179
$ 610,293
$ 768,771
$ 3,799,242

We also wanted to understand the distribution of expenditures within the immediate region.
Specifically, respondents were asked to report what percentages of their expenditures were made in
Pitkin County and downtown Basalt. The response rate to these two questions was lower than for other
questions, so results need to be considered cautiously. 71% of those surveyed reported the proportion
of their expenditures that were made in Pitkin County and 35% reported the proportion of their
expenditures that were made in downtown Basalt (note that these percentages represent the response
rate to the question, not the percent of individuals who had expenditures in the given area; many
people responded that they spent $0 in the given area). Using this survey information we were able to
get an estimate of what proportion of the $3.8 million dollars in economic impact is attributable to
Pitkin County and what proportion occurs in downtown Basalt.
Based on the survey results we found that, on average, 21% of the expenditures occur in Pitkin County,
corresponding to $813,887 in economic impact, 8 jobs, and $497,017 in value added in Pitkin County
due to recreational fishing expenditures of anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River. The survey results also
indicated that, on average, 44% of expenditures associated with recreational fishing on the Lower
Fryingpan occur in downtown Basalt, corresponding to $1,692,454 in economic impact, 17 jobs and
$1,041,370 in value added in downtown Basalt.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF FLOW CHANGES
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation manages water flows in the Lower Fryingpan River through releases
from Ruedi Reservoir. In order to get an idea of the recreational impact of policy decisions designed to
manage river streamflows, we asked survey respondents how different management decisions would
change the number of fishing trips they would take in a season to the Lower Fryingpan River. One of
these questions looked at managing streamflow in the winter months and the other addressed
streamflow in the summer months. (For the actual language of the questions, see the Winter and
Summer Water Levels sections above).
46% of non-local anglers stated that they would take more trips to the Lower Fryingpan with managed
winter flows (no non-locals reported that they would take fewer trips). Of the 46% of respondents that
stated they would take more trips, the average number of increased trips was 3.1. Increased trips by
non-locals to the region translates into economic activity in the region that would not occur otherwise.
Using our survey information on the percent of non-locals who would take more trips and the increase
in the number of trips they would take, we were able to estimate the economic impact of policies
designed to manage winter flows on the Lower Fryingpan River to create optimal conditions for anglers.
20

 The additional economic impact to the regional economy of a policy managing winter flows for angler
recreation is estimated to be $1.5 million dollars in additional output, 15 jobs and $944,401 in value
added.
Table 4: Potential Annual Direct, Indirect and Induced Economic Impacts from Increased Trips Due to
Increased Winter River Flow Management
Direct Effect
Indirect Effect
Induced Effect
Total Effect

Employment
11.1
1.8
2.3
15.2

Labor Income
$ 459,947
$ 76,192
$ 105,452
$ 641,592

$
$
$
$

Value Added
620,985
137,692
185,724
944,401

Output
$ 967, 609
$ 243,709
$ 307,376
$ 1,518,694

37% of non-local anglers stated that they would take more trips to the Lower Fryingpan River with
managed summer flows (1% of non-local residents indicated that they would take fewer trips). Of the
37% of respondents that stated that they would take more trips, the average number of increased trips
was 2.9. The estimated additional economic impact from spending in the region from the increased trips
is displayed in Table 5 below. The economic impact is estimated at $1.1 million dollars, 11 jobs and
$708,300 in value added.
Table 5: Potential Annual Direct, Indirect and Induced Economic Impacts from Increased Trips Due to
More Wadeable Summer Flow Management
Direct Effect
Indirect Effect
Induced Effect
Total Effect

Employment
8.3
2.4
1.8
11.4

Labor Income
$ 344,960
$ 57,144
$ 79,089
$ 481,194

$
$
$
$

Value Added
465,739
103,269
139,293
708,300

Output
$ 725,706
$ 182,782
$ 230,532
$ 1,139,020

The added economic output from increased trips due to increased winter river flow management
translates to a 40% increase in the regional economic impacts from angler recreation on the Lower
Fryingpan River, while the added output from increased trips due to wadeable summer flows
management translates to a 30% increase.

RUEDI RESERVOIR RESULTS
Just as with the Lower Fryingpan River, Ruedi Reservoir were calculated the average expenditures per
person, per day and then multiplied that number by our estimated total number of visitors. Unlike the
Lower Fryingpan River survey, however, there was not enough data to calculate average expenditures
by month; instead, only annual average expenditures were calculated for Ruedi Reservoir. Average per
person, per day expenditures in our survey for non-local recreational anglers on Ruedi Reservoir was
$18.41, and total expenditures were $144,237. To give a better idea of the makeup of this $144,237 in
expenditures Figure 9 shows, on average, what categories the expenditures fell into: 29% of all
21

 expenditures were in retail, which includes expenditures on tackle and other retail. This is closely
followed by expenditures on gas, which accounts for 24% of expenditures.
Figure 9: Annual Expenditure Breakdown for Ruedi Reservoir
Restaurant Rental (car/boat)
10%
1%
Retail
29%

License/fees
14%

Lodging
6%

Grocery
16%

Gas
24%

The expenditure information from the survey provides valuable insight on the magnitude and
composition of gross spending generated by recreational fishing activities on Ruedi Reservoir. Just as
with the Lower Fryingpan River, expenditures on Ruedi Reservoir have spillover effects. The IMPLAN
software model incorporated these spillover effects, as well as to margin the retail expenditures. Results
of the economic impact analysis for Ruedi Reservoir are shown in Table 6 (refer to the Lower Fryingpan
River Results section above for definitions of table variables).
Notice that direct output is $87,429, which is less than the total expenditures calculated from the
survey. This difference is once again due to margining. Once the direct, indirect and induced effects are
combined, the total economic impact to the region (Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties) of recreational
fishing on Ruedi Reservoir is $145,326. Recreational fishing on Ruedi Reservoir also contributes 1.2 jobs
to the region and $91,009 in value added. The relatively small numbers for economic impacts are due to
the fact that the majority of Ruedi Reservoir users are local, living in the study area, as well as the
smaller expenditures per day, as compared to anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River.
Table 6: Annual Direct, Indirect and Induced Economic Impacts of Non-Local Recreational Fishing
Expenditures in the Study Area
Direct Effect
Indirect Effect
Induced Effect
Total Effect

Employment
0.8
0.2
0.3
1.2

$
$
$
$

Labor Income
49,309
7,955
11,253
68,518

22

$
$
$
$

Value Added
57,622
13,591
19,797
91,009

$
$
$
$

Output
87,429
25,183
32,714
145,326

 The Ruedi Reservoir survey also asked respondents to state the proportion of their expenditures that
were made in Pitkin County and downtown Basalt. Due to the smaller sample size, as well as a low
response rate to this question, expenditures are not broken out by sub-regions.

A NOTE ON LOCAL VISITORS
While only the expenditures of non-local visitors are included in the economic impact calculations, local
visitors also spend money in the economy and benefit from the river and the reservoir. (For a discussion
on why local expenditures are not included in the economic impact calculations, please see the
Expenditure Calculation/Aggregation from Survey Data section above.) . On the Lower Fryingpan River
our survey indicated that 20% of visitor days were by locals, and on Ruedi Reservoir the survey indicated
that 66% of visitor days were by locals. Survey data shows an additional $649,296 is spent annually in
the region by local anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River. Local anglers on Ruedi Reservoir spend an
additional $872,655 in the region on an annual basis.

CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION
The implementation of two surveys allowed not only the calculation of economic impacts of fishing on
the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir, but also the ability to uncover important demographic
and preference characteristics of recreational anglers at the two areas. Table 7 shows some of the key
results. The economic impact of fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River ($3.8 million dollars annually) was
over 22 times greater than the economic impact of fishing on Ruedi Reservoir ($145,326 annually). The
combined impact of recreational fishing on both the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi Reservoir in our
three-county study region (Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle counties) was just under $4 million dollars.
Recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan supports 38.2 jobs and fishing on Ruedi Reservoir supports
1.2 jobs.
There are key differences between anglers on the Lower Fryingpan River and anglers on Ruedi Reservoir.
First, as one would expect, a much greater proportion of visitors to the Lower Fryingpan fish than do
visitors to Ruedi, 96% compared to only 41%. Those fishing on the Lower Fryingpan are more likely to be
from outside the region than those on Ruedi, with only 20% of the survey respondents on the Lower
Fryingpan listing home zip codes within the region, compared to 66% for Ruedi Reservoir. In addition,
the average expenditures of non-locals surveyed on the Lower Fryingpan were much greater than those
on Ruedi, $101.88 as compared to $18.41.

23

 Table 7: Comparison of the Lower Fryingpan and Ruedi Reservoir Results
Lower Fryingpan River

Ruedi Reservoir

Visitor Area of Origin
Local
Non-Local, In-State
Non-Local, Out-of-State
Percent Participation in Fishing
Average Per Person, Per Day Expenditure (NonLocals)
Output
Employment

20%
62%
18%
96%

66%
32%
2%
41%

$100.88
$3,799,242
38.2

$18.41
$145,326
1.2

Survey results indicated that stream flow levels in the Lower Fryingpan River impact the number of trips
anglers take to the river. In the case of winter flows, these increased trips could translate into $1.5
million in output, 15 jobs and $944,401 in value added. For summer flows, the increased trips could
translate into $1.1 million in output, 11 jobs and $706,300 in value added.
Colorado continues to face difficult decisions about water allocations, and more detailed research into
this angler behavior could be helpful to policy makers. In addition, further analysis could be conducted
on the detailed data collected in these surveys. Such an analysis for local anglers could provide a
monetary indicator of the contribution of fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River to the quality of life of
local residents. In addition, more detailed profiles of visitors could be created to assist in regional
marketing efforts.

24

 GLOSSARY
Direct Effect – These effects are a result of the actual activity expenditures.
Economic Activity –Dollars spent within a region that are attributable to a given industry, event, or
policy.
Economic Impact – The net changes in new economic activity associated with an industry, event, or
policy in an existing regional economy. It represents “new” money injected in the local economy from
spending by visitors residing outside of the local economy.
Employment – The total number of wage and salaried employee and self-employed jobs in a region. It
includes both full-time and part-time workers. The data sets used to derive Employment totals in the
IMPLAN model are the ES-202 data, County Business Patterns, and the Regional Economic Information
System (REIS) data.
Indirect Effect – These effects arise due to linkages in the supply chain, such as local industries buying
goods and services from other local industries. The cycle of spending works its way backward through
the supply chain.
Input –Output Models (Analysis) – A specific methodological framework that characterizes the financial
linkages in a regional economy between industries, households, and institutions. Input-Output only
measures economic activity and does not include any non-market values.
Induced Effect – These effects are a result of employee household spending.
Labor Income – All forms of employment income, including wages, benefits and proprietor income.
Multiplier – A key component of input-output analysis is the production of multipliers that indicate the
extent of linked economic activity within a study region resulting from a change in production in a sector
of the economy. An income multiplier of 1.75 means that for every dollar of direct income, a total of
$1.75 of income is generated in the local economy.
Output – The sales revenue or value of industry production.
Retail Margin – Sales receipts less the cost of goods sold. It consists of the “mark-up” or retail trade
margin plus sales taxes and excise taxes that are collected by the trade establishment.
Value Added - Net revenues - the difference between what someone sells a good for and what one pays
for all of the components used in producing a good. This is the same measure as Gross Domestic
Product.

25

 REFERENCES
Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2014. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
http://www.bls.gov/cew/home.htm.
Dean Runyan Associates. 2014. Colorado Travel Impacts: 1996-2013. Colorado Tourism Office.
www.deanrunyan.com/doc_library/COImp.pdf.
“Gold Medal Streams in Colorado.” Colorado Fishing Network. Chinook Software, Chinook
Geoconsulting, In. Web. June 30th 2015.
Loomis, J. and R. Walsh. 1997. Recreation Economic Decisions, 2nd Edition. Venture Press, State College,
PA.
Miller Ecological Consultants. 2006. A Study of Macroinvertebrate Community Responses to Winter
Flows on the Fryingpan River. Miller Ecological Consultants, Fort Collins CO. Pg 22.
http://www.roaringfork.org/images/publications/RFFP_Summary_Report_Sep_10_2006.pdf
Stynes, Daniel. 1999. Approaches to Estimating the Economic Impacts of Tourism; Some Examples.
Michigan State University. https://www.msu.edu/course/prr/840/econimpact/pdf/ecimpvol2.pdf.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Trout Fishing in 2011: A Demographic Description and Economic Analysis.
Report 2011-4. http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/document/id/2090

26

 APPENDIX A: LOWER FRYINGPAN RIVER SURVEY
(Note that the survey was created for and administered by an online application Qualtrics, and so is not
formatted for paper copy)
The Roaring Fork Conservancy, in conjunction with Colorado State University, is conducting this study to
understand visitor use and spending related to the Lower Fryingpan River. This survey will only take 15
minutes and all of your answers will be anonymous. Please answer all questions to the best of your
ability. If you need to go to a previous page please use the back button on the BOTTOM of the page, do
NOT use the browser back button.
Section A: Please tell us about this trip to the Lower Fryingpan River where you are being interviewed
What was the PRIMARY activity you participated in during your trip on the Fryingpan? (check only one)
❍ Fishing
❍ Picnicking
❍ Sightseeing
❍ Wildlife viewing
❍ Hiking
❍ Photography
❍ Other ____________________
What species of fish were you targeting on this trip? (check all that apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑

Rainbow trout
Cutthroat trout
Brown trout
Other ____________________

What was the total amount of time spent on this trip away from home?
_____________# of days
How much of this time did you spend fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River?
_____________# of days (decimals ok)
Was your trip to the Lower Fryingpan River? (Check only one)
❍ The primary purpose or sole destination of your trip from home
❍ One of many equally important reasons or destinations for your trip from home
❍ Just an incidental stop on a trip taken for other purposes or to other destinations

A

 What were your primary methods of travel from your home to the Lower Fryingpan River? (Check all
that apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑

Car/Truck
RV
Airplane
Other ____________________

Approximately, what was your one-way travel time from your home to the Lower Fryingpan River?
_______________# of hours
_______________# of minutes
Approximately, what was your one way <strong>travel distance</strong> from your home to the Lower
Fryingpan River?
_______________# of one way miles
Including yourself, what is the number of people in your group that are traveling with you on this trip?
______________# of people in your group
During which of the following months do you fish on the Lower Fryingpan River in a typical year? (check
all that apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Including this trip how many fishing trips on the Lower Fryingpan River have you taken in the last 12
months?
________________# of annual fishing trips

B

 Do you also recreate at Ruedi Reservoir?
❍ No
❍ Yes
Answer If Do you also recreate at Ruedi Reservoir? Yes, I have taken the following number of trips in the
last 12 months Is Selected
You indicated that you also recreate on the Ruedi Reservoir. How many trips have you taken to the
Ruedi Reservoir in the last 12 months?
________________# of trips
Section B: Trip Expenditures
Before answering the questions below please refer to the REGION MAP handout from your interviewer.
Please indicate the amount you and members of your group with whom you shared expenses (e.g. other
family members, traveling companions) spent in the region (Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield Counties) on each
category during your trip to the Lower Fryingpan River. An estimate is fine.
Fishing Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Fishing tackle and other fishing gear: ____________
Equipment rental: _________________
Guide fees: _______________
Fishing License (specifically for this trip): ______________
Fishing Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your fishing expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (Enter a number between 0 and 100): _______________%
Fishing Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your fishing expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (Enter a number between 0 and 100):________________%
Fishing Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your fishing expenditures what percent was spent in West
Basalt? (Enter a number between 0 and 100):________________%
Food Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Food and drink from grocery stores: _________________
Food and drink from restaurants: _________________
Food Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (Enter a number between 0 and 100): ___________________%

C

 Food Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (Enter a number between 0 and 100):_________________%
Food Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in West Basalt?
(Enter a number between 0 and 100):___________________%
Other Retail Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Other (non-fishing related) retail: __________________
Other Retail Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent
in Pitkin County? (Enter a number between 0 and 100)_______________________%
Other Retail Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was
spent in <strong>Downtown Basalt? (Enter a number between 0 and 100): ____________________%
Other Retail Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent in
West Basalt? (Enter a number between 0 and 100):___________________%
Travel Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Gasoline: ______________________
Rental Car: _____________________
Other: _______________________
Travel Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (Enter a number between o and 100): ________________%
Travel Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (Enter a number between o and 100): _________________%
Travel Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in West
Basalt? (Enter a number between o and 100): __________________%
Accommodation Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Camping (Tent/RV)
Hotel/Motel
Other
Accommodation Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in Pitkin County? (Enter a number between o and 100): ________________%
Accommodation Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what
percent was spent in Downtown Basalt? (Enter a number between o and 100): _____________%
D

 Accommodation Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in West Basalt? (Enter a number between o and 100): _______________%
Including yourself how many people in your group shared the majority of expenses?
_______________# sharing expenses
Section C: Important features in your decision to visit the Lower Fryingpan River today
How important were each of the following characteristics of the Lower Fryingpan River in your decision
to visit today.
Please check one box for each item
Not Important
Gold medal
designation
Number of fish
caught
Size of fish caught
Wadeable flows on
the river
Being close to
where I live
Parking availability
River crowding
Stream clarity
Weather
Insect hatches
Other

Somewhat
Important

Important

Very Important

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

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❍

❍

❍
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❍
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❍

❍
❍
❍
❍
❍
❍

❍
❍
❍
❍
❍
❍

Based on your fishing experience during this trip, would you say the river level was:
❍
❍
❍
❍

Too high
Too low
About right
Did not notice river level

Section D: Changes in winter flows
Fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River occurs year round, but flows during the winter months impact the
quality of fishing throughout the season. Currently the minimum flows in the winter are about 40 cubic
feet per second (cfs). At 40 cfs anchor ice is more common. Anchor ice in the winter can adversely affect

E

 fishing quality in the summer. When winter flows are 70 cfs anchor ice is less common, contributing to
improved fishing quality in the following summer.
If water managers maintained winter flows to at least 70 cfs throughout the winter (making anchor ice
less common), how would it affect your annual fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River?
❍ I would increase my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.
❍ I would not change my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.
❍ I would decrease my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.
Answer If I would increase my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River is selected
You indicated that you would increase the number of trips you would take to the Lower Fryingpan River
if winter stream flows were maintained at least 70 cfs, by how many more trips to the Lower Fryingpan
River would you take in a typical year?
________________# of Trips
Answer If I would decrease my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River is selected
You indicated that you would decrease the number of trips you would take to the Lower Fryingpan River
if winter stream flows were maintained at at least 70 cfs, by how many fewer trips to the Lower
Fryingpan River would you take in a typical year?
_________________# of trips
Section E: Changes in summer flows
Flows above 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) result in currents that make it difficult to wade into the river
to fish and most anglers find it safer to fish from the banks. Currently on average 77 days a year the
Lower Fryingpan River flows are above 250 cfs.
If the number of days on average each year that the river was non-wadeable decreased from 77 to 29
days (a gain of 48 more wadeable days):
❍ I would increase my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.
❍ I would not change my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.
❍ I would decrease my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River.

F

 Answer If I would increase my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River is selected
You indicated that if the number of days on average each year that the river was non-wadeable
decreased from 77 to 29 days you would increase the number of fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan
River. How many more trips would you take to the Lower Fryingpan River in a typical year?
__________________# of Trips
Answer If I would decrease my fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan River is selected
Q46 You indicated that if the number of days on average each year that the river was non-wadeable
decreased from 77 to 29 days you would decrease the number of fishing trips to the Lower Fryingpan
River. How many fewer yearly trips would you take to the Lower Fryingpan River in a typical year?
________________# of Trips
Section F: Please tell us something about yourself:
These last few questions will help us in evaluating how well our sample represents visitors to the area.
Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used for the analysis of this study.
Statistics will only be reported in average form, and <u>you will not be identified in any way.
Are you?
❍ Male
❍ Female
What year were you born? ______________
How many members are in your household?
___________________# of persons
What is the status of your employment?
❍
❍
❍
❍
❍

Employed full-time
Employed part-time
Unemployed
Retired
Other ____________________

How would <strong>you rate your skill level </strong>as an angler?
❍
❍
❍
❍

Total novice (1st time today)
Beginner
Intermediate
Expert
G

 What is your zip code? _________________
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Please use the space below for any comments or
suggestions you have for us:

APPENDIX B: RUEDI RESERVOIR SURVEY
The Roaring Fork Conservancy, in conjunction with Colorado State University, is conducting this study to
understand visitor use and spending related to Ruedi Reservoir. This survey will only take 10 minutes
and all of your answers will be anonymous. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability.
If you need to go to a previous page please use the back button on the BOTTOM of the page, do NOT
use the browser back button.
Section A: Please tell us about this trip to Ruedi Reservoir.
On this trip to Ruedi Reservoir what activities did you participate in? (check all that apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑

Motorized boating
Non-motorized boating
Water sports (such as water skiing and jet skiing
Fishing from shore
Fishing from boat
Picnicking
Swimming
Camping (Tent or RV)
Other ____________________

Which of these activities was your primary purpose for this trip? (check only one)
** List of selected responses from previous question**
What was the total amount of time spent on this trip away from home?
______________# of days
How much of this time did you spend recreating on the Ruedi Reservoir?
______________# of days (fractions ok)
Was your current trip to the Ruedi Reservoir? (Check only one)
❍ The primary purpose or sole destination of your trip from home
H

 ❍ One of many equally important reasons or destinations for your trip from home
❍ Just an incidental stop on a trip taken for other purposes or to other destinations
What were your primary methods of travel from home to Ruedi Reservoir? (Check all that apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑

Car/Truck
RV
Airplane
Other ____________________

Approximately, what was your one-way travel time from your home to the Ruedi Reservoir?
______________# of hours
______________# of minutes
Approximately, what was your one way <strong>travel distance</strong> from your home to the Ruedi
Reservoir?
______________# of one way miles
Including yourself, what is the number of people in your group that are traveling with you on this trip?
______________# of people in your group
During which of the following months do you visit the Ruedi Reservoir in a typical year? (check all that
apply)
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Including this trip how many trips have you taken to Ruedi Reservoir in the last 12 months?
_________________# of annual trips to Ruedi Reservoir
I

 Do you also recreate on the Lower Fryingpan River?
❍ No
❍ Yes
Answer If Do you also recreate on the Lower Fryingpan River? Yes Is Selected
You indicated that you also recreate on the Lower Fryingpan River. How many fishing trips in the last 12
months have you taken to the Lower Fryingpan River?
_______________# of trips
Section B: Trip Expenditures
Before answering the questions below please refer to the REGION MAP handout from your interviewer.
Please indicate the amount you and members of your group with whom you shared expenses (e.g.,
other family members, traveling companions) spent in the region (Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties) on
each category during your trip to the Ruedi Reservoir. An estimate is fine.
Water Recreation: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Equipment/boat rental: _________________
Boat repairs: _______________
Boat repairs: _______________
Fishing tackle and gear: ________________
Fishing license (specifically for this trip): ________________
Water Recreation Expenses in Pitkin county: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent was
spent in Pitkin county? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Water Recreation Expenses in Downtown Basalt: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent
was spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Water Recreation Expenses in West Basalt: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent was
spent in West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
Food Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Food and drink from grocery stores ________________
Food and drink from restaurants _______________
Food Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
J

 Food Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Food Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in West Basalt?
(enter a number between 0 and 100) ____________________%
Other Retail Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Other (non-boating related) retail ___________________
Other Retail Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent
in Pitkin County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _______________%
Other Retail Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was
spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Other Retail Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent in
West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________%
Travel Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Gasoline for auto/boat __________________
Rental Car __________________
Other __________________
Travel Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) ____________________%
Travel Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
Travel Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in West
Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Accommodation Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Camping (Tent/RV) ___________________
Hotel/Motel ____________________
Other ______________________
Accommodation Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in Pitkin County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) ________________%
Accommodation Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what
percent was spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________%
K

 Accommodation Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Including yourself how many people in your group shared the majority of expenses?
_____________# sharing expenses

Fishing tackle and gear: ________________
Fishing license (specifically for this trip): ________________
Water Recreation Expenses in Pitkin county: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent was
spent in Pitkin county? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Water Recreation Expenses in Downtown Basalt: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent
was spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Water Recreation Expenses in West Basalt: Of all your water recreation expenditures what percent was
spent in West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
Food Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Food and drink from grocery stores ________________
Food and drink from restaurants _______________
Food Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
Food Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Food Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your food expenditures what percent was spent in West Basalt?
(enter a number between 0 and 100) ____________________%
Other Retail Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Other (non-boating related) retail ___________________
Other Retail Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent
in Pitkin County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _______________%
Other Retail Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was
spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _________________%
Other Retail Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your other retail expenditures what percent was spent in
West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________%
L

 Travel Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Gasoline for auto/boat __________________
Rental Car __________________
Other __________________
Travel Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in Pitkin
County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) ____________________%
Travel Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in
Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) __________________%
Travel Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your travel expenditures what percent was spent in West
Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Accommodation Expenditures: What amount did you spend in the region on the following:
Camping (Tent/RV) ___________________
Hotel/Motel ____________________
Other ______________________
Accommodation Expenditures in Pitkin County: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in Pitkin County? (enter a number between 0 and 100) ________________%
Accommodation Expenditures in Downtown Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what
percent was spent in Downtown Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________%
Accommodation Expenditures in West Basalt: Of all your accommodation expenditures what percent
was spent in West Basalt? (enter a number between 0 and 100) _____________________%
Including yourself how many people in your group shared the majority of expenses?
_____________# sharing expenses

M

 Section C: Important features in your decision to visit the Ruedi Reservoir today:
How important were each of the following characteristics of Ruedi Reservoir in your decision to visit
today?
Please check one box for each item
Not Important
Reservoir water
levels
Main marina boat
ramp open
Being close to
where I live
Number of fish
caught
Size of fish caught
Weather
Other

Somewhat
Important

Important

Very Important

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

❍

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❍

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❍
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❍
❍
❍

Section E: Please tell us something about yourself:
These last few questions will help us in evaluating how well our sample represents visitors to the area.
Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used for the analysis of this study.
Statistics will only be reported in average form, and you will not be identified in any way.
Are you?
❍ Male
❍ Female
What year were you born? ________________
How many members are in your household?
_____________________# of persons
What is the status of your employment?
❍
❍
❍
❍
❍

Employed full-time
Employed part-time
Unemployed
Retired
Other ____________________
N

 What is your zip code? _____________________
Thank you taking the time to complete this survey. Please use the space below for any comments or
suggestions you have for us:

O

 APPENDIX C: REGION MAP HANDOUT
This handout was shown to all survey takers when answering the surveys’ expenditure questions.

P

 APPENDIX D: TECHNICAL METHODOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS
In this analysis, we estimate the total economic impact of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan
River and Ruedi Reservoir to the regional economy using an economic impact software program known
as IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for Planning). Originally developed by the U.S. Forest Service, IMPLAN is an
input-output model that is widely-used to quantify how businesses use technology, labor and materials
(i.e., inputs) to produce a product (i.e., output). The IMPLAN software and database (www.implan.com)
establishes the characteristics of economic activity in terms of 10 broad industrial groups, involving as
many as 528 sectors. In practice, the IMPLAN model is used in every state and hundreds of communities
across the nation to catalog economic activity and predict the effect of alternative policies and various
economic changes. In this analysis, we use IMPLAN to generate information on a number of important
economic indicators.
In order to use models such as IMPLAN to examine the role of an industry in a local economy, analysts
should have information on the final demand (i.e., expenditures) for any related goods and services. The
angler expenditure data we collected in the surveys serve as the basis for our analysis. In this study, final
demand is expressed by the total expenditures by category. To determine the direct and secondary
effects, we matched the total expenditure data with the IMPLAN sectoring scheme, and entered the
appropriate amounts as a final demand “shock” to the model. This generates estimates of both the
direct and indirect economic effects. As appropriate, expenditures were entered either on an industry or
a commodity basis. For the retail sectors, we applied IMPLAN’s default household margins. Secondary
effects are based on the IMPLAN Type SAM multipliers, with households endogenous.
Because IMPLAN models are quite stable from year-to-year, we applied the 2013 multipliers (the most
recent year available) to the 2014 survey data. In the remainder of this Appendix we define multipliers
and other topics related to this analysis. The material is largely drawn from the IMPLAN User’s Guide. A
detailed description the IMPLAN sectoring scheme is available on the IMPLAN website.
A Method for Determining Unique Local Expenditures
To adequately represent the impacts of recreational fishing on the Lower Fryingpan River and Ruedi
Reservoir, it is necessary to only examine the local activity uniquely supported by the industry. Careful
economic impact analyses of recreation-related activities distinguish between “new” economic activity
and that which would have occurred anyway. For example, if fishing was not available and anglers chose
instead to spend their money on other local activities, such as movie tickets, then the economic impacts
generated by the fishery are simply substituting for other local economic activity. Conversely, should the
Lower Fryingpan River or Ruedi Reservoir be the sole reason that substantial new monies enter (or
remain in) the region, then the impact can be attributed to the Lower Fryingpan River or Ruedi
Reservoir. Accordingly, to measure the “true” impact of angling on the Lower Fryingpan or Ruedi
Reservoir on the local economy we must consider only economic activity in the region that would
otherwise not occur. Estimates of the number of trips by angler type were derived from the surveys. A
Q

 copy of the Lower Fryingpan River survey is provided in Appendix A and a copy of the Ruedi Reservoir
survey is provided in Appendix B.
Input-Output Definitions
Multipliers
Input-output models are driven by final consumption (or final demand). Industries respond to meet
demands directly or indirectly (by supplying goods and services to industries responding directly). Each
industry that produces goods and services generates demand for other goods and services and so on,
round by round. These so called ripple effects are described by multipliers. A multiplier examines how
much spin-off economic activity is generated by a marginal change in an industry. For example,
multipliers can describe how many total jobs (employment) in the economy are created when an
industry adds one new job. In general, input-output modelers describe three types of multiplier effects
when examining the role of an industry in a county economy.
1. The direct effect is the contribution of the industry itself. It may represent the total revenue
(output), employment or employee compensation. The value of the direct effect multiplier is
always 1.
2. The indirect effects are effects of the industry on its suppliers. This multiplier captures the
additional activity in businesses that provide inputs to the industry of interest.
3. The induced effects capture the impacts of changes in spending from households as income
changes due to the direct effect. This effect captures the impact of spending by a) employees of
the industry being studied, and b) employees of the input supplying businesses. These effects
usually show up in retail and service industries. In the study here, the secondary effects are the
sum of the indirect and induced effects.
In this study we use the IMPLAN Type SAM multipliers. The Type SAM multiplier is obtained according to
the following formula:
Type SAM multiplier = (direct effect + indirect effect + induced effect) ÷ direct effect
Input-output analysis is a means of examining the relationships within an economy both between
businesses and between businesses and final consumers. It captures all monetary transactions for
consumption in a given time period. The resulting mathematical formulae allow one to examine the
effects of change in one or several economic activities on an entire economy.
Industry output is a single number in dollars for each industry. The dollars represent the value of an
industry’s total production. In IMPLAN, the output data are derived from a number of sources, including
U.S. Bureau of Census economic censuses and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment
projections. Another way to think about industry output is as the total revenue generated by an
industry.
Employment is the total number of wage and salaried employee and self-employed jobs in a region. It
includes both full-time and part-time workers. The data sets used to derive employment totals in the
R

 IMPLAN model are the ES-202 data, County Business Patterns, and the Regional Economic Information
System (REIS) data.
While output captures the total dollar value of economic activity, its use as a measure of economic
activity can be over-counted, in that it captures the value of all intermediate stages of the production
process as well. For example, the price one pays for a car at the local auto dealership in large part
represents economic activity that occurred in the production process. If one were to consider the price
one paid for a car as the contribution to the local economy, then one would likely be overstating its
impact. This is called double counting. To avoid double counting, economists usually examine economic
contributions in terms of value added. At the local level, value added is equivalent to the concept of
Gross Domestic Product, in that it examines the unique contribution of an industry to the overall
economy. In input-output analysis, value added consists of four components.
1. Employee compensation is wage and salary payments as well as benefits, including health and
life insurance, retirement payments, and any other non-cash compensation. It includes all
income to workers paid by employers.
2. Proprietary income consists of payments received by self-employed individuals as income. This
is income recorded on Federal Tax Form 1040C. Note: labor income is the sum of employee
compensation and proprietary income.
3. Other property type income consists of payments for interest, rent, royalties, dividends and
profits. This includes payments to individuals in the form of rents received on property, royalties
from contracts, and dividends paid by corporations. This also includes corporate profits earned
by corporations.
4. Indirect business taxes consist primarily of excise and sales taxes paid by individual to
businesses. These taxes occur during the normal operation of these businesses but do not
include taxes on income or profit.

S