Are More Visitors the Answer?

 Are More Visitors the Answer?

Each year, six million people visit Wyoming's best-known tourist sites, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Devils Tower. Those are impressive numbers and bring in more than a billion dollars. Interestingly about that, many folks visited Wyoming State Parks last year, bringing in close to another billion dollars. One big difference is that more than sixty percent of State Park visitors are Wyoming residents. Overall visitation to Wyoming State Parks was up over twenty percent last year. Great value for residents with a yearly park pass. Camping in state parks remains popular, with many parks full to overfull each weekend, and sometimes sites are hard to find mid-week – a nice dilemma.

The mining and extraction industries continue to drive the most revenue for the state. With doubts about the future of these industries, although most of the monies are likely safe for another decade or so, something else needs to move up. Tourism ranks second in revenue raised for the state and might be the best candidate for growth. Overall about 12% of jobs in Wyoming are part of the tourism industry. We need the tourists and probably need to do more to encourage growth in the industry.

Agriculture and manufacturing follow as the third and fourth essential money raisers for our state — each industry contributes about a billion dollars to the state coffers each year. With about 1.4 million cows (nearly three per person), Wyoming agriculture centers around the beef industry and remains strong. Wyoming does not have a lot of tillable land. Of all the farm and ranch land in the state, only about 10% is used for crops.

Manufacturing in the state is growing slowly because a big part of manufacturing in the state centers around the oil and gas industry, with refineries in five Wyoming communities facing an uncertain long-term future. Banking on manufacturing and or increasing it might not be sustainable as a goal for the long-term future.

What We Can't Do – We can't do much about the coming decline in the mineral extraction industry. We cannot create another National Park, and we will have a tough time increasing agriculture production in the state. Some might argue that the cattle and maybe sheep/goat industry has room for growth, but with the government controlling half of Wyoming – who knows what will or will not be allowed.

What We Can Do – Work on tourism!

Get people to stay longer. I thought it was a shame that the National Parks destroyed so many mountain goats in Teton Park in 2020. I would love to have seen some moved to state parklands. After all, the 12 Wyoming State Parks make up about 100,000 total acres; an additional park attraction would be a welcome addition. I know the arguments about disease and competition with Big Horn Sheep and local domestic sheep and goat herds. But, others have found a way – why not us. We were thrilled to see a mountain goat in the Black Hills a few years ago – it was a special treat.

Speaking of the Black Hills, I know of Wyoming people who go to Custer State Park to see wild horses and Burros and pay to drive through the park that also features a nice bison heard. Why not here?

We have bison at Hot Springs, and they seem to do well. The addition of bison, wild horses, and mountain goats could make some of our parks even more attractive.

We need to keep expanding for younger people and those new to the state parks scene. Additions, such as ziplines, sledding areas, remote camping areas, and more hiking and biking trails engage a wide range of citizens and visitors. I have noticed some additions recently to parks, like the archery range and hidden treasures in Guernsey, both great ideas.  

I also like the passport/prizes idea that some states use to increase tourist numbers. Any person could purchase a small passport-like book with places to stamp or have signed when visiting a park. Pretty simple - each passport holder gets one year, or half a year, to visit all 12 parks to enter the giveaway. The prizes would be sponsored and funded by private individuals or donors who would be recognized in the passport. (These passports would make terrific Christmas stocking stuffers). With this one, I am hoping that gas prices will not remain where they are now as I write this.

I have a lot more ideas. Some might even be good. Who knows?

What do you think?

My New Slogan for Wyoming

Wyoming

Wide-open spaces & not many people

Time to dream

Hike a trail

Climb a mountain

Breath deeply & look around

It's pretty special

Wyoming

It is time to quit being reactionary and become visionaries for our state.

Have a terrific week!

 

Oh What Can We Do

A little different slant on today’s posting. I seldom post anything, on any of my blogs, about political goings on. No, not the presidential race, actually no race at all, but instead the all-important money. In politics, money matters.

Wyoming as I am sure all readers of this blog know is going through some tough times, extremely tough. Natural gas prices are down, crude prices are low and for all practical purposes, it looks like the coal industry may be on its last legs. So what can we do?

I, like most, am not sure, but what I do feel strongly about is where we are cutting money. Now don’t take this wrong, we need to cut, what we once had may be gone forever. In the last day or two, I have read several articles about cuts, most talking of why every area needs to be cut.

Every area, really – WHY? This is turning into the equivalent of the modern-day idea that everyone is a winner. Which by the way, they are not. We do not need to keep everyone happy by cutting something from everyone. Cut where and what we must, but not everything.

Tourism

Yesterday I read of deep cuts to the tourism advertising budget. Tourism is fast becoming our number one industry and soon will be. Instead of cuts, this is the one area where we need to spend more, not less. Tourists and their money is Wyoming’s lifeline, and we need it now more than ever.

If we take money from tourism, especially from advertising, or from State Parks and Cultural Resources, we are giving up. Might as well just throw up our hands and ask Washington for money, like so many others.

Just my thoughts but remember the old saying – Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is? We talk about the importance of tourism and supporting our parks and cultural areas because they bring money into the state and reflect well on Wyoming. It is time to back it up.

Oh – Oh – Where Should We Go?

Nearly everyone has heard of Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Jackson Hole and Devils Tower, I have visited and love everyone, but we have more, so much more. How about a trip to see one of the following.·        Hot Springs State Park·        Buffalo, Wyoming and the area around·        Cody, the city, and Museum·        The Trails Center in Casper·        Cheyenne, the capital and Frontier Days·        Any and all of Wyoming’s National Forests and Mountain Ranges·        Fort Laramie – The fort that opened the West·        The incredible Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Guernsey State Park·        Wild horses, Buffalo, Bears, Elk, Deer and other wildlife·      Hunting, Fishing, backpacking, camping, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, snow machining or how about a Cowboy or Cowgirl game in Laramie?

That is just ten quick things off the top of my rather worn out mind. I am sure there are many more, people, places and things that need to be visited in our great state. Things to do year round, summer, fall winter, spring. We need to keep this in the minds of tourists everywhere, it might be our lifeline to the future.

**All photos today are things I believe everyone enjoys about Wyoming

There you have it, Now if I can just get down from my pedestal . .

Bring on the Tourists

Must Be In Wyoming

With Wyoming coal now suffering at the hands of environmentalists, the downturn in crude oil prices, and natural gas, seemingly in abundance everywhere, Wyoming, once again, is seeing an economic slowdown. We have been through these before the last big one in the 1980s and a smaller one in the 90s. The difference is that this time there may be no natural recovery. 

So now is the time for Wyoming to go to work. Survival without the huge money from the minerals industries. At one time ranching was Wyoming’s lifeblood, no longer. It should, and will stay as part of Wyoming’s economy, but will never be able to put the state on its back and carry it. Farming is iffy in our high country and now with corn prices falling to half what they were two years ago I would suspect we will see less, not more farm products growing in our state.

What can we do?

 First, we cannot spout only gloom and doom. Nor can we simply continue to say we need to promote more businesses to open or move to the state – that should be a given, and always a part of the state's economic strategy.

My two cents worth

I believe that we need to put more money, not less, into parks and park staffs, expand, historical, cultural and physical opportunities in Wyoming’s State Parks. Game and Fish needs to continue to expand stocking, and fishing opportunities and the state needs to look into additional trout fishing areas. The area where I live on the North Platte River, below Guernsey Dam, could be a fantastic fishery, but I don’t see the fisherman there any longer. I not sure why the fishing is no longer as good but with a state park and Fort Laramie nearby it would, and could be a day long stop for tourists. I am sure there are places and situations like this all over the state, and we need to keep working on them.

The View North From Guernsey State Park's Brimmer Point

Tourism

Visitors spent nearly three and a half billion dollars in our state last year. We saw a five percent growth in that vital industry in 2015. The State Parks and Historic sites and Game and Fish do a terrific job with limited resources. Now might be a good time to spend significantly more in these areas, expand staff and spend money to make money. Keep this high growth industry on the move.  Adding to facilities, expanding opportunities for visitors. The question will undoubtedly be, where do we get the money? Find it? I have long marveled that out of state boaters are not charged to put a boat into Wyoming waters. Out of state camping fees could be slightly raised, as could out of state hunting and fishing licenses. Our lodging tax is also low compared to surrounding areas.

We are going to need to see growth in tourism every year. There needs to be a way to get out of state visitors to spend more days when they visit. I think Wyoming’s office of tourism is on the right track building an awareness of Wyoming and all the historical and recreational opportunities available here. Now may be the time to spend money.

Who Doesn't Want to see a Grizzly? - Just Not Too Close

10 Things we have, in Wyoming that no one else has

1.     Fort Laramie – The most important outpost in the American West

2.     Frontier Days – The greatest rodeo in the world (Real Cowboys)

3.     Unspoiled areas, without roads and wires – unparalleled opportunities for backpacking and wilderness camping

4.     Incredible wildlife – Visitors could see more wildlife driving through than they will be able to see anywhere else

5.     Devils Tower – Legends and Movies

6.     Yellowstone and Grand Teton – Magnificent

7.     Great snow for winter enthusiasts of all kinds

8.     Hunting and fishing as good as it gets in the United States

9.     More Pronghorn than people

10.   So many places to sit, all alone, where nature overtakes the modern world

Lots and Lots of Pronghorn - These Guys are Fast

5 things we do not have in Wyoming

1.     Busy Highways and traffic jams

2.     Huge shopping malls

3.     Air pollution

4.     Urban sprawl

5.     Unobstructed views – sorry too many mountains in the way

I May Have Stretched the Truth Here - Guess We Do Have the Occasional Trafic Jam

Need a good read?

How about a book about the building of Guernsey State Park? 

Or a Wyoming Cowboy story?