Estimates of recreational use values may remain stable over decades

Recently published work by a cooperative team of researchers, including participants from the University of Montana and the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, reports the economic value that private boaters of the Grand Canyon assigned to their recreational experience remained relatively stable between 1985 and 2015 when adjusted for inflation. But the larger finding of the study indicates that data from past high-quality user valuation studies can remain valid for as long as decades, reducing the need for resource managers to replicate studies when evaluating policy changes.