This report will support the designation process for the proposed National Marine
Sanctuary in Lake Michigan off the shores of Wisconsin. A study area profile includes a
characterization of the area where the social and economic impacts of resource use take
place and an overview of what is currently known about the uses of the natural and
cultural resources that exist within the study area. For this application, there are two
alternatives being considered and one is sanctuary management’s preferred alternative.
The preferred alternative includes the primary counties of Manitowoc, Ozaukee and
Sheboygan and secondary counties of Milwaukee and Washington. The other alternative
also referred to as study area 2 includes all that contained in study area 1 with the
addition of Kewaunee as a primary county. For where the economic and social impacts
take place, study area profile looks at the population measurements, demographic profiles
and economic profiles of each study area in comparison to the state of Wisconsin and the
U.S. For the overview of the uses of the natural and cultural resources within each study
area, information was obtained on the economic impacts of tourist uses, the number of
fishing and hunting licenses, the number of beaches and grants for maintaining the
beaches, the number of state recreation areas, and the number of maritime attractions.
Although county and study area specific information was not available for recreation and
tourist use of the natural and cultural resources of the study areas, we obtained
information from a state-wide study that contains estimates of participation by recreation
activity and the trends in those activities. This will aid future researchers in filling gaps in
information for the study areas.
Keywords
Population, Population Density, Population Growth, Population Density, Per Capita
Income, Unemployment, Unemployment Rate, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Age, Labor
Force, Personal Income, Employment, Proprietors Income, Proprietors Employment,
Personal Income, Personal Income by Industry, Employment by Industry. Economic
impact of tourism, state recreation areas, beaches, maritime attractions