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U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

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The value of beach recreati<strong>on</strong> Beaches are am<strong>on</strong>gthe coast’s most important recreati<strong>on</strong>al resources.Their ec<strong>on</strong>omic value is comprised of the expendituresthat visitors make to visit the beach and thevalue to the beach-goer over and above what theyspend. A significant body of research has attemptedto measure these values. While the research methodsand approaches have differed, most of the researchhas shown that the n<strong>on</strong>-market values of the use andenjoyment of beaches are significant.Southern California has am<strong>on</strong>g the most famousbeaches in the world. The beaches of Orange Countyattract upwards of 150,000 visits per day in the summer.Studies of the value of use and enjoyment 21 ofsouthern California beaches range from $18.00 perday for Santa M<strong>on</strong>ica beaches to $23.00 per day forHuntingt<strong>on</strong> Beach. (Hanneman, M. 2001) Thebeaches of Ohio are less well known, but just asimportant to the residents and visitors. Studies of thenorthern Ohio beaches of Headlands State Park andMaumee Bay found values similar to California of$15.60 per day for the former and $25.60 per day forthe latter. (Sohngen, B. et al. 1999) Summed over ayear, the value of using Santa M<strong>on</strong>ica beach is estimatedat over $200 milli<strong>on</strong> for the 12 milli<strong>on</strong> visitorsto these beaches. The comparable value forHuntingt<strong>on</strong> Beach is over $12 milli<strong>on</strong>, while theOhio beaches are valued at $6.1 milli<strong>on</strong> (MaumeeBay) and $3.5 milli<strong>on</strong> (Headlands) based <strong>on</strong> thelower number of visitors. These studies illustrateboth the potential size of the n<strong>on</strong>-market values ofbeaches, and the lack of data which exists in manyother beach-oriented coastal regi<strong>on</strong>s from Maine toHawaii.Because of the complexities in estimating thesen<strong>on</strong>-market values, it will probably never be possibleto compile a single picture of these values of theocean and coasts in the same way we can with measuressuch as employment, wages, and output. Butthese illustrati<strong>on</strong>s show that these n<strong>on</strong>-market valuesare often large and understanding them is vital to ourability to manage ocean and coastal resources to bestadvantage.C 16A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY

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