According to a recent study in the journal Environmental Challenges, New England natural lands provide $88 billion per year in recreation-use value to U.S. citizens who partake in wildlife-related activities. Considering that the estimated cumulative federal and state contributions to land conservation in New England amounted to less than $1 billion between 2004 and 2014, that $88 billion (the study’s estimate for the year 2016) is an impressive return on investment.
To produce that estimate, the study’s co-authors used data from the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, & Wildlife-Associated Recreation, and calculated the total annual consumer surplus—the difference between a person's total willingness to pay and the actual amount they pay each year—for hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching in the New England region. In providing one key measure of the value of natural lands, the study’s findings could help inform data-driven policy decisions between land development and land preservation.
The lead author of that study, Grace Lin, is currently a senior at Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York.
Seeking a mentor for a research project required by her high school program, Lin reached out two years ago to co-author John Reilly, co-director emeritus of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Her interest in environmental economics aligned with the Joint Program’s goal of using the National Survey to incorporate recreational demand for land in the Program’s Economic Projection and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model, and Lin agreed to take on this first phase of the work.
“Her effort was fantastic and very professional, so we suggested crafting a journal article,” says Reilly. “Grace is a disciplined and enthusiastic scholar, and will be successful in whatever she pursues.”
The Environmental Challenges study has now won Lin more than a publication credit in a peer-reviewed journal. In March her research garnered a first-place award in the Behavioral & Social Sciences category at the Regeneron Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (WESEF). Over 700 high school students participated in the fair, with about 170 students in the Behavioral & Social Sciences category.
“Through this project, I have learned that research is about continuously growing and improving,” says Lin. “I've learned a lot from my mentors and teachers, and I'm grateful for all the support and inspiration they've given me.”
Icing on the cake: Lin will continue her affiliation with MIT this fall as a first-year student in the Class of 2028.
“I enjoy applying quantitative methods to important real-world problems, which I look forward to learning more about at MIT,” says Lin.
Photo: Grace Lin with her award-winning research poster at the Regeneron Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (Source: WESEF)