Putting a Dollar Amount on an Ecosystem
Flathead Lake’s Economic Worth Estimated Between $6-$10 Billion
By Kate Downen, 7-25-06
The war between development and environment tends be too simplistic and trite in the Flathead these days. That's why, just maybe, a report by a UM economist may add a more interesting facet to the debate.
On July 5 the Bigfork Eagle published a story highlighting the work of Jack Stanford, director of the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS). Stanford, who has done extensive work on the biology and ecosystem of the Crown of the Continent and its "Crown Jewel," Flathead Lake, said that a UM economist estimates Flathead Lake's economic worth between $6 and $10 million dollars.
This may be wishful thinking, but aww, heck: Could viewing Flathead Lake as both a precious, worth-fighting-for natural resource and an economic asset be the beginning of a bridge between the "development" and "environment" communities?
Have a look and decide for yourself; the article is worth a read.
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