EPS provided technical analysis to support the designation of Berryessa Snow Mountain region in northern California as a national monument. EPS’s report, Economic Impact Analysis: Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Designation, played an important role highlighting positive economic effects and building support for the designation. In this study, EPS quantified spending and employment expected to result from the elevation of Berryessa Snow Mountain to national monument status. EPS found that the designation could stimulate visitation to the area, increase tourism spending, and generate a gain of nearly $26 million in economic activity and nearly $500,000 in tax revenue for local communities over five years.
EPS was retained by The Winters Chamber of Commerce and environmental groups including The Wilderness Society and Conservation Lands Foundation, to provide economic analysis needed to underpin the presidential designation of a new national monument. While proponents had made a strong argument to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and had gained the support from state legislators and other regional leaders, the group sought a robust economic analysis to improve the appeal of the proposal in Washington. When the designation was announced and approved in 2015, the EPS estimates were cited by the White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and newspapers across the country
