The Economic Impact of Cheyenne Bottoms on Kansas and on Barton County

Abstract

The Institute for Public Policy and Business Research (IPPBR) has conducted a study to determine the usage of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands and the economic impact of the Bottoms on Kansas and Barton County. The type and extent of activities taking place at Cheyenne Bottoms during 1986 were estimated using traffic counters at each of the four entrances to Cheyenne Bottoms, four IPPBR on-site surveys, and data collected by Cheyenne Bottoms personnel and by Kansas Fish and Game. The primary economic impact of the Bottoms on Kansas and Barton County was estimated with user expenditure data gathered by IPPBR on-site and mail-in surveys, and records of state expenditures for maintenance of the Bottoms. The secondary impacts of these expenditures were estimated using the static input-output model which was developed at IPPBR and adapted specifically for this project. It is clear that the presence of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands has a quantifiable and significant impact on all sectors of the Kansas and Barton County economies.