This report assesses the 2011 economic contributions of watchable wildlife recreation in Arizona, statewide, by county and by specific types of activity. Direct spending by both residents and non-residents for wildlife watching was analyzed, along with the multiplier effects of that spending. Only watchable wildlife activities that occurred within Arizona were considered. This report updates an earlier study produced by Southwick Associates that estimated the economic contributions of wildlife watching in 2001.1 This updated study is based on raw survey data from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.2 The national survey provides detailed state-level spending estimates. The statewide impacts in this report are allocated to individual counties according to county distributions in the 2001 study. The 2001 county estimates were based in part on a separate survey designed specifically to estimate county-level participation in wildlife watching.
Keywords: economic benefit, watchable wildlife, Arizona, Audubon, tourism