The are four objectives of this research:
Estimate the value of Great Lakes beach recreation along Ohio's Lake Erie coastline and use the results to estimate the value of particular beaches;
Estimate the value of Great Lake beach amenities;
Develop a measurable data set of beach amenities which can be used by managers on a repeated basis to measure and value improvements in beach value;
Produce policy analysis of alternative management options in coordination with public officials in charge of managing beaches.

This research proposes to survey beach users and beach amenities along Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline to determine both the economic value of beach recreation as well as the economic value of specific amenities associated with those beaches. The amenities range from ecological resources such as water and sand quality, to physical resources, such as parking spaces, lifeguards, and restrooms. The results will be used to assist both state and local policy-makers and managers as they determine how to allocate budgets. It will further be useful in Sea Grant Extension for educating the public about the values placed on public resources.

Freshwater beaches provide a diversity of recreational opportunities to visitors in the Great Lakes region, yet managers and policy makers know relatively little about the value of beach recreation or the tradeoffs associated with managing for alternative beach amenities. One reason for this is that market prices do not exist for public beaches or their amenities, so managers have little economic information available to guide decisions. This can be corrected in part through a non market valuation study such as the one proposed here. Another reason that this information is not available is because few researchers have attempted to estimate economic values for freshwater beaches. This differs substantially from saltwater beaches, where NOAA has sponsored a large body of research into economic valuation. The main rationale of this proposal is to provide additional information on economic values associated with freshwater, Great Lakes beaches and their amenities. The information generated will be targeted directly to policy, management, and other interested local communities.

This study will utilize hedonic and random utility travel cost models to estimate the economic value of Great Lakes beach recreation. Such methods will allow the researchers to estimate not only the value of each beach or an entire set of beaches, but also the value of particular amenities of these beaches, and changes in particular amenities or sets of amenities. Amenities include environmental characteristics, such as water quality and clarity, sand quality, views, and associated natural areas, as well as physical characteristics such as restrooms, parking spaces, hiking trails and campgrounds. Two data sets must be collected for these purposes. First, a visitation data set will be developed by sampling beach users during the summer and fall of 1998 for each of 19 beaches in the study area. The level of particular amenities will be obtained partly from secondary sources (in the case of water quality in particular), and partly from primary measurement and sampling at the beaches.

At the end of the first year of this project, the team has collected a sample of 1600 beach users at 15 different Lake Erie beaches. In addition, the team has developed a dataset on amenities for each of the beaches. A working paper describing the general results from the survey has been written, which will be the basis of fact sheets on beach use along Lake Erie's shoreline. The information can be used by state and local policy-makers interested in land use and beach decisions along the Lake Erie coast in Ohio.