Business owners around Shasta Lake have felt the benefits of a revitalized ecosystem as high lake levels have brought tourists swarming to the area.
"We had 3,645 people over three days, with our busiest day bringing 1,438 people. That's a really good day," general manager of Lake Shasta Caverns, Matt Doyle, told Redding Record Searchlight.
The national natural landmark marked the fourth-highest number of visitors in one day in early July, fueling the economy throughout Shasta County.
More than 40 inches of rain from 2022 to 2024 is to thank for the above satisfactory lake levels. As Redding Record Searchlight reported, the lake was at 106% above average in early July, equating to about 1.2 trillion gallons.
The historic levels of tourism paint a picture of how vital environmental prosperity is to human well-being, not just for food, water, and healthy air, but for economies.
One statistic from the European Environmental Agency revealed that "weather- and climate-related extremes caused economic losses of assets estimated at EUR 738 billion during 1980-2023 in the European Union."
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In the United States alone, the tourism sector contributes to about 10% of the annual GDP, according to Statista data. One study from 2021, published in the journal Climatic Change, highlighted that the United States "is expected to have a range of regional impacts [from a warming planet] some of which will have significant impacts on tourism."
With the impacts of environmental degradation on tourism, especially in areas that rely on rich water sources, like Shasta Lake, to attract visitors, it's not surprising that when a healthy environment is present, tourism skyrockets.
The looming threat of fires that typically break out during warm seasons in Northern California has not impacted tourism levels. Where there is a healthy, appealing ecosystem, visitors will always be attracted — so long as fire is not threatening the area.
David Raun, who runs the Shasta Lakeshore Retreat, told Redding Record Searchlight, "There's some forest fires, but they're not impacting the lake. And you know, we really haven't had much problem with the forest fires as far as tourism and impacting our business like we did three or four years ago when it got pretty bad."
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Beyond tourism, Shasta Lake at healthy levels means a safe, functioning environment for wildlife and agriculture. When biodiversity thrives, so too does the surrounding ecosystem.
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