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<br />:;1 II. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Social and economic analyses are conducted by the Forest Service to figure out what effect the agency <br />has on local communities and the people using the natural resources. The human element is an <br />important part of ecosystem management, and people will be considered in resource decisions made in <br />the Revised Forest Plan. The social and economic effects of each alternative will be determined and <br />compared along with other factors when evaluating the proposed alternatives. <br /> <br />A sodal impact is a change in social and cultural conditions that directly or indirectly results from a Forest <br />Service action. To determine those changes, the Forest will look at the effects of proposed actions on <br />the entire San Luis Valley. One objective of social impact analysis is to identify potential public needs and <br />concerns that resource managers consider in their decision making. Another objective is to inform <br />agency decision makers and the public of potential social effects that may occur from our actions. <br /> <br />An economic impact occurs when actions taken by the Forest Service directly or indirectly change the <br />employment base, the type of goods and services offered, or the population. A change in the <br />employment base can occur by either creating or eliminating jobs or shifting jobs between major sectors <br />in an area. <br /> <br />The Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) affects or encompasses a ten-county area (Figure 11-'). Within <br />this area, the management of the RGNF's resources primarily affects the economic and social activities <br />of the six-county San Luis Valley <br />(SLV). The economic affect on <br />the remaining four counties of <br />Custer, Hinsdale, San Juan, and <br />Archuleta Counties is very small. <br />This is because of low acreage <br />and/or very little, or no, <br />permanent populations within <br />RGNF boundaries. <br /> <br /> <br />The SL V economic area is <br />comprised of Alamosa, Conejos, <br />Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, <br />and Saguache Counties. These <br />counties are generally <br />characterized by. their low <br />population densities, high <br />unemployment, and low per~ <br />capita income. <br /> <br />Figure 11-1. Colorado Counties and the Rio Grande National Forest <br /> <br />11-' <br /> <br />.... ...f' '< r"'\ <br />\.'"-.!.:.'*. <J <br />