Environmental Economics

My new autoresponse to appstate.edu emails

Hello,

John Whitehead is happy to report that he is no longer a part-time academic administrator (i.e., Economics Department Chair). If your email is regarding department business, please redirect it to our new chair Todd Cherry at cherrytl at appstate.edu.

John Whitehead is also happy to report that he is on Off-Campus Scholarly Assignment (i.e., sabbatical) in Fall 2017 and back to teaching, research and service in Spring 2018. If your email is about non-department business, he'll reply ASAP (or maybe not).

Thanks,

John Whitehead

P.S. For the remainder of his academic career, John Whitehead will refer to himself in the third person.

Where I was this weekend

Highly recommended:

In North Carolina’s northwest corner, seven mountain and foothill counties share far more natural beauty and cultural treasures than anyone could ever explore in one lifetime.

You know the mountains are cool and lovely, and you know they’re out there – somewhere. But until you start looking, you can’t imagine what you’ll find. ...

21. Alleghany County

Doughton Park, Blue Ridge Parkway

The parkway can get busy on the weekends around Asheville, Boone and Blowing Rock, but many North Carolinians never make it as far north as 7,000-acre Doughton Park, where the mountain landscape opens up to reveal less forest and more rolling meadows. The North Carolina Birding Trail invites birders to hike with their binoculars, and it points to the special appeal of a spot called Mahogany Rock at the north end of Doughton near Milepost 234. It’s a great place to monitor the migrating streams of hawks, falcons, merlins, eagles and other birds of prey each fall. The National Park Service also has preserved, on its original location, the 1885 Brinegar Cabin that was home to a family of subsistence farmers. If you’re lucky, when you duck inside the cabin door, you’ll meet Jackie Sloop, an interpretive park ranger who grew up in nearby Caldwell County. As she spins wool to be woven with linen into a sturdy fabric called linsey-woolsey, Sloop talks of the challenges faced by Martin and Caroline Brinegar until the National Park Service acquired their cabin for the parkway in 1937. Doughton Park lost major amenities several years ago with the closing of the Bluffs Lodge hotel, a gift shop and restaurant. Luckily, there’s a good restaurant and motel about 3 miles away on N.C. 18 near Laurel Springs, just off the parkway. Freeborne’s Eatery and Lodge has a laid-back vibe that appeals equally to traveling bikers and local families out for Sunday dinner. 

via www.charlotteobserver.com

The cabin was awesome. 

Bonner Bridge is closed

Yikes (for some background here is, maybe, my first post on the Bonner Bridge issue):

The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge Tuesday due to safety concerns, and a Dare County official told WAVY.com the fix will not be quick or easy.

According to NCDOT, crews closed the bridge after routine sonar scanning found scouring concerns; too much sand has eroded from the support structure of the bridge in some areas. The bridge, which is the stretch of N.C. 12 across the Oregon Inlet, will remain closed until additional resources can be brought in to inspect and repair it.

The Bonner Bridge is the only highway access for vehicles between Hatteras Island and the mainland, and its closure is "devastating" to the Outer Banks, according to Chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners Warren Judge. ...

NCDOT awarded a contract to a design-build team to replace the bridge in August 2011, but construction has not begun because of a series of legal challenges from the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association. The most recent challenge was heard in court last October.

via www.wavy.com

This is from a 6+ years ago post on Bonner Bridge:

I'd like for the state of North Carolina to seriously consider a third option: abandoning the bridge project and building ferry terminals on both sides of Oregon Inlet. There could be a short terminal that would work as long as Highway 12 through Pea Island is a viable road and a long terminal that bypasses the wildlife refuge. This option acknowledges that the beach moves and there is not much that people can do about it. North Carolina beach goers have much experience with ferries. The added inconvenience will slow growth on the southern Outer Banks, which is a good thing.

Let the field experiment begin (although, it is a before/after design where a with/without design is preferred)! And OBXers can just leave their hate mail in the comments, no need to send email.

----------

Hat tip: Tim

Picture of the day

Photo Credit: P. Carmen

Location: Moses Cone Manor House on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Alternate titles: "Haab was right about invasive species," or "Why, oh WHY won't people listen when I write?" or "It's a big fish vacuum cleaner."

On April 30, 2012, I wrote:

Here is my solution to any aquatic invasive specie problem. Have the government start a covert marketing campaign designed to convince the public that the invasive specie is in fact a delicacy. They can even rename the specie to make it sound appetizing (think Toothfish to Chilean Sea Bass). But here's the catch... once the public is convinced of the delectable nature of the new exotic seafood, fail to regulate the fishery. As demand increases, prices will rise and the tragedy of the commons will eradicate the invaders.

Over the weekend, I saw this:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

That's what I said...over a year ago. 

People really should start to read this blog more...we do make sense, in a nonsensical way.

And I want credit, dammit.

Pictures of the weekend: part 2 (scenic view)

On Saturday I volunteered at the Blood Sweat and Gears rest stop #1. It was at the Grandview Overlook (MP 285) on the Blue Ridge Parkway, 25 miles worth of the 100 mile ride. Later that day we went for a "grueling" 18 mile ride.

Photo credit: Boone Area Cyclists facebook page

Field Research--Invasive species

During my recent vacation (a whirlwind family tour of the Western Caribbean), I spent some time on the island of Roatan (off the coast of Honduras).  Being a good environmental steward--stop laughing--I spent some time talking with a representative from the Roatan Marine Park--OK, my family was shopping and I was bored so I stopped by a kiosk for the Marine Park*.  I learned that their #1 concern right now is the impact of the invasive Lionfish on tourism.  So upon my return to snowy Ohio, I looked up the Marine Park website and saw this:

Economic costs from invasive species can occur through loss of recreational and tourism revenues. This is a particularly the case with the invasive Pterois volitans (lionfish) on Roatan where so much revenue is dependent on the tourism industry. When economic costs of invasions are calculated as production loss and management costs, they are low because they do not consider environmental damage; if monetary values were assigned to the extinction of species, loss in biodiversity, and loss of ecosystem services, costs from impacts of invasive species would drastically increase.

I think something more specific than 'drastically' is needed.  I think I may have found my calling.

Also intriguing:

Lionfish were accidentally released into the Atlantic from Biscayne Bay Florida in 1992 following hurricane Andrew. Genetic analysis reveals that lionfish in the Caribbean have likely all originated from this population

*To prove my good stewardship I bought a Roatan Marine Park t-shirt for $10.  On the back it has a WANTED poster for lionfish with the caption "Eat More Lionfish."

I know, I just know, that you're hoping for another BFD moment

Don't get me wrong, I'm above the median excited about the vice presidential debate at Centre College ... :

Centre, Kentucky’s most exclusive liberal arts college, believes the $3 million that it will spend to host the event is worth every penny because it will serve as both a teaching opportunity and a chance to lure some of the best young brains in the nation and the world. 

Danville officials see it as a chance to ultimately draw businesses and new residents to the city that this year was named by CNNMoney as the fourth best place in the United States to retire. ...

Roush said there is no hard evidence to prove the 2000 debate helped the school but he believes hosting debates helps to teach students that they can succeed in whatever they try. ...

He added that no educational money is spent on the debate. The $3 million it costs — including $1.6 million that goes directly to the commission — is raised from donors specifically for the event. ...

Another change is that 12 years ago, Boyle County, in which Danville is located, was completely dry. And despite the fact that the debate was sponsored by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, not a drop of alcohol was to be had.

But in 2003 Danville went “moist,” allowing liquor sales at just a handful of large restaurants. In 2010, the city went “wet,” allowing bars and package liquor stores.

So instead of leaving the county for restaurants where they could have alcohol with dinner, as they did in 2000, visitors are expected this year to partake locally. Scott said there are 14 restaurants with liquor licenses in town and one bar.

via www.courier-journal.com

But I do have a few comments:

1. No hard evidence that the $3 million is worth it? The teaching moment would have to be worth over $2000 for each of the 1300+ Centre College students to make it a good deal.
2. No educational money is spent for the event? It is quite possible that the $3 million raised for the debate results in reduced money raised from private donors for educational purposes. 
3. Can you believe that the 2000 vice presidential debate was awarded to a dry town? The only beer that could be found was at the frat houses. I'm
4. Finally, are the rumors true? Joe Biden will drive his Trans Am from DC to Danville and Paul Ryan is organizing a pre-debate marathon?

One reason to visit Boone

The word of Boone’s great roads and trails have caught the national media eye again. The folks over at Velo News have featured Boone and Rocky Knob as one of the top US riding areas. Stop by a local shop to pick up the rag.

via rockyknob.wordpress.com

I agree with everthing except the Ingles promotion, I prefer Harris Teeter (more freebies). Click for a larger image:

 

What do Burmese pythons, Asian beetles and Asian carp all have in common?

Answer: They are all univited (and unwanted?) guests in U.S. ecosystems.  That, and they're all Asian.  But I'm sticking with the invasive species angle.

Ohio officials have long considered the Asian carp a dire threat to Lake Erie’s $10 b illion-a-year tourism and fishing industries. Concerns have grown since 2009, when DNA tests indicated the fish had slipped past a Chicago-area electric barrier meant to keep them out of Lake Michigan.

The carp eat most of the food that native fish rely on. Some specimens can weigh as much as 50 pounds.

“The key is to stop them before they get in, and that’s why these physical barriers are so important,” said David Ullrich, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative director. “We need a higher degree of certainty.”

...

Ohio government leaders, including Gov. John Kasich, express support for the barriers but are concerned about funding the project.

Kristy Meyer, clean-water director for the Ohio Environmental Council, said the risk justifies the expense.

“One out of every 10 jobs on the lake is supported by tourism,” Meyer said. “That’s all at risk."

via www.dispatch.com

Just a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation to see if the risk justifies the expense:  The proposed barrier costs $3,000,000,000.  My quick calculation is there are roughly 300,000 people employed in Ohio Lake Erie bordering counties who are not employed in Cleveland or Toledo (I'm ruling out urban jobs as they are unlikely to be affected by loss of tourism).  If 1 in 10 of those jobs are at risk, and Ohio's portion of the cost of is 50%, then we are talking about $50,000 in expense per job loss prevented ($1,500,000,000/30,000).  Worth it?  You be the judge.