MonticelloLive

Outdoor recreation is a $730 billion/year industry in the United States, provides 650 million jobs, generates $88 million in state tax revenues, and accounts for 8% of consumer spending. Ron Nassar with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Coordinator of the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, presented this fact along with a presentation on tourism opportunities in Southeast Arkansas to the Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition, Inc. on December 13, 2006 at the University of Arkansas-College of Technology in McGehee.

In his introduction of Nassar, Representative-elect Robert Moore, Jr. stated, “The Mississippi River is one of Arkansas’ greatest assets, and is a large source for our economic future. The most paramount of our needs right now is connecting Yellow Bend Port to the Intermodal Facility by rail, and the Mississippi River is going to become a transportation resource and part of the new economy in this area. For this to happen, we need to realize the potential we have for a better way of life, and broaden our horizons to become visionaries in the area of tourism.”

The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee is a cooperative, nonprofit organization of state and federal agencies formed to address the challenges of renewing and effectively managing the natural resources of the Lower Mississippi River, while promoting the wise use of the natural resources of the Lower Mississippi River through cooperative efforts involving planning, management, information sharing, public education, advocacy and research.

Nassar pointed out that we need to think of conservation as a separate economy. In 2004, the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee contracted with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to produce an economic profile of the region. The study looked at 113 county corridors in 7 states and found that the River is directly related to $128 billion and 900,000 jobs.
 
The outdoor recreation dollars do not directly come from hunting and fishing. Based on the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, over 841,000 people enjoy wildlife viewing in Arkansas which contributes $1.3 billion to the Arkansas economy, while 782,000 anglers and 431,000 hunters contribute a combined $1.04 billion in retail sales. Money is being spent on recreation trips and through a ripple-effect economy. With access to the largest river and ecosystem in the U.S., Southeast Arkansas has vast resources to offer the recreation and tourism industry.

The Delta, a 24 million-acre forested wetland, once supported a diversity of species in unimaginable numbers and the ecosystem encourages an outdoor lifestyle today. In addition to fishing, birding, wildlife watching, hunting, boating, canoeing, and camping on the River afford a never-ending adventure. History and regional culture have created the Blues and Southern Cuisine, making the Delta a continuously interesting, informative, and tasty tourism attraction.

With the unique culture, natural resources and friendly people in Southeast Arkansas, taking advantage of these assets is a huge economic development opportunity for Southeast Arkansas. The Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition, Inc. supports the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee in its efforts to revitalize the Mississippi River, and will promote the River and its natural resources for rural economic development growth in the Cornerstone region.
 
The Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in September 2003 by leaders of Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and Lincoln Counties to achieve job creation and income generation; human resource development; reversal of out-migration trends; improved infrastructure, including telecommunications; entrepreneurial development; technology development and application; and voter registration.  The organization serves as an economic development group for the Southeast Arkansas Region.