The film industry is one of the few businesses which rewards you for open space. Car commercials are looking for that narrow curvy mountain road, Feature Films are looking for the wide open vista without power lines or development, Still shoots are looking for the fabulous panorama of mountain peaks to frame the product. A Feature Film can make a small town's revenue for the entire year. Think of it - the production company brings in a crew which fills up the hotels, eats at local restaurants, rents office space, uses local services, and purchases everything from lag screws to juniper trees. Because there is so much money at stake there is stiff competition for film production.
Many states offer tax rebates and some offer state sponsored loans to smaller productions.
It's not all a bed of roses. The Film Industry is full of stress. Perhaps a fence is moved that shouldn't be moved or a tree chopped down that shouldn't be chopped down. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. Other places have had to deal with the same problems and they have found ways to work with the Film Industry and preserve their own special environments.