Headwaters Economics Inc

HEADWATERS ECONOMICS, INC. IS AN INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT RESEARCH GROUP. OUR MISSION IS TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LAND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS.

HEADWATERS ECONOMICS STAFF DELIVERED MORE THAN 60 PUBLIC TALKS, BRIEFINGS, AND PRESENTATIONS TO THE PUBLIC, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AGENCIES, AND OTHERS, REACHING AUDIENCES OF MORE THAN 6,000 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SIX NEWSLETTERS WERE PUBLISHED IN 2023 AND HEADWATERS RESEARCH AND EXPERTS WERE FEATURED IN MORE THAN 1,800 MEDIA STORIES. IN ADDITION, HEADWATERS ECONOMICS PRODUCED ORIGINAL RESEARCH, DATA VISUALIZATIONS, VIDEOS, AND REPORTS ON TOPICS RELATED TO ITS CORE MISSION.EQUITYDISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS ARE MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE ADVERSE SOCIAL, HEALTH, AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES DUE TO RACE, AGE, GENDER, POVERTY STATUS, AND OTHER SOCIOECONOMIC MEASURES. IN ADDITION, UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS IMPORTANT TO REDUCING VULNERABILITIES AND BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES. PROJECTS IN 2023 INCLUDED:ANALYSIS OF HOW MATCH REQUIREMENTS IN FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS PREVENT RURAL AND LOW-CAPACITY COMMUNITIES FROM ACCESSING CLIMATE RESILIENCE FUNDING. RESEARCH SHOWING HOW FLOODING HAS UNEQUAL IMPACTS DUE TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS, DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING LATINOS IN THE UNITED STATES.UPDATES TO THE RURAL CAPACITY MAPAN INTERACTIVE MAP TO IDENTIFY COMMUNITIES WHERE INVESTMENTS IN STAFFING AND EXPERTISE ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCE PROJECTS. UPDATES INCLUDED FILLING DATA GAPS AND ADDING TRIBAL AREAS.HOSTED AND MAINTAINED NEIGHBORHOODS AT RISK, A FREE ONLINE MAPPING TOOL TO HELP COMMUNITIES FIND NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO HAZARD EXPOSURE AND SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS.OUTDOOR RECREATION & PUBLIC LANDSPUBLIC LANDS AND ACCESS TO TRAILS AND OUTDOOR RECREATION ARE IMPORTANT TO LOCAL ECONOMIES, ATTRACTING BUSINESSES AND DRAWING IN NEW RESIDENTS AND VISITORS. OUR RESEARCH ANALYZES THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF THE OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMY AND HOW COMMUNITIES CAN BENEFIT FROM TRAILS AND PROTECTED LANDS. PROJECTS IN 2023 INCLUDED:ANALYSIS OF HOW NEW METHODS FOR MEASURING TRAIL USE THROUGH NOVEL DATA SOURCES LIKE FITNESS TRACKERS COULD TRANSFORM HOW OUTDOOR RECREATION IS DEVELOPED AND MANAGED. MAINTAINED AND UPDATED DATA VISUALIZATIONS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT VISITATION TO AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF NATIONAL PARKS AND THE SCALE OF OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMY BY STATE.HOSTED AND UPGRADED USER INTERFACES FOR THREE FREE, WEB-BASED TOOLS FOR FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING THE U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE TOOL, THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE TOOL, AND THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE TOOL. THESE TOOLS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP GOVERNMENT AGENCY LAND MANAGERS, ECONOMISTS, PLANNERS, CITIZENS, AND OTHERS EXPLORE SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS NEAR FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT UNITS.NATURAL HAZARDSWILDFIRES, FLOODS, AND OTHER CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS ARE BECOMING MORE EXTENSIVE AND COSTLY AS THE CLIMATE CHANGES. OUR RESEARCH HELPS COMMUNITIES UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE MAY BE VULNERABLE AND HOW TO REDUCE RISK. PROJECTS IN 2023 INCLUDED:TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN 16 COMMUNITIES TO HELP REDUCE THE RISKS OF WILDFIRE AND FLOODS. INDEPENDENT ANALYSES OF HAZARD-FOCUSED FEDERAL FUNDING PROGRAMS (INCLUDING FEMAS BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES (BRIC) GRANTS AND USDA FOREST SERVICES COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANTS (CWDG)) TO EXAMINE WHETHER THEY ARE MEETING PROGRAM GOALS AND REACHING COMMUNITIES MOST IN NEED.IN-PERSON TESTIMONY TO THE SENATE BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ON THE RENEWAL OF THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.RESEARCH AND CASE STUDIES HIGHLIGHTING HOW MIDWEST COMMUNITIES ARE DECREASING FLOOD RISK WITH REGIONAL COLLABORATIONS. REPORT ABOUT HOW WILDFIRE FUNDING DOES NOT ALWAYS GO TO THE MOST EFFECTIVE RISK-REDUCTION ACTIVITIES.CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FEDERAL WILDFIRE MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS. CREATION OF A DASHBOARD TO HELP COMMUNITIES FIND NECESSARY DATA FOR COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANT (CWDG) APPLICATIONS.UPDATED AND MAINTAINED DATA VISUALIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE DATA ABOUT THE NUMBER OF STRUCTURES LOST TO WILDFIRE AND THE CAUSES OF WILDFIRE. PRODUCED A VIDEO, BUILDING FOR WILDFIRE, FEATURING A HOMEOWNER WHO LOST A HOME TO WILDFIRE AND REBUILT WITH WILDFIRE IN MIND.ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTAS THE ECONOMY CHANGES, UNDERSTANDING MAJOR DRIVERS OF CHANGE IS CRITICAL TO MAKING SOUND DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE. PROJECTS IN 2023 INCLUDED:DETAILED REPORT ON THE AMENITY TRAP: HOW HIGH-AMENITY COMMUNITIES CAN AVOID BEING LOVED TO DEATH, DETAILING APPROACHES FOR HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE, FISCAL POLICY, AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE-DRIVEN HAZARDS FOR RECREATION DESTINATIONS. HOSTED AND UPDATED THE ONLINE ECONOMIC PROFILE SYSTEM (EPS) WITH THE LATEST STATISTICS FROM MORE THAN A DOZEN FEDERAL DATA SOURCES. THIS FREE ONLINE TOOL PRODUCES CUSTOMIZED SOCIOECONOMIC REPORTS FOR COMMUNITIES, COUNTIES, TRIBAL AREAS, STATES, AND REGIONS.