Wildlife is central to both the image and the reality of Alaska. It provides Alaska residents with sustenance, recreation, and both spiritual and esthetic inspiration.
Wildlife draws visitors to the state for both hunting and viewing, and is, thus, an economic asset.
Our research shows that wildlife is, in fact, an underutilized economic asset. Greater returns per visitor to the state may be possible by focusing more efforts on developing and marketing wildlife viewing opportunities. One project within the study estimated the economic impact and value of wildlife viewing by nonresident visitors. See Miller and McCollum for a complete description of the project's methods and results. Information was obtained from 2,316 visitors to the state.