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Show fishing. In Washington alone the commercial value of the fish and fish products is estimated at over 100 million dollars annually. Game fish are also important. The thousands of miles of fishing streams and the more than 1,500 square miles of water surface in natural lakes pro- vide an asset of resident game fish of major proportions. Recreation Private recreational developments are commonly small and are widely dispersed along highways in mountainous regions or along the shores of lakes and streams. Some of our most spectacular and beautiful national parks are located partly within the basin. Several wilderness areas and other scenic attractions are in the national forests. The large area of potential recreational land and its diversity make this a field of great potentialities. Major Basin Problems and Potentialities Four g-eneral problems face the Columbia Basin today: (1) Providing job opportunities; (2) bal- ancing trie economy; (3) offsetting the isolation of the basin; and (4) retarding depletion of the resource base. Providing Productive Job Opportunities for a Rapidly Growing Population The rapidly increasing population of the Co- lumbia Basin clearly calls for further development of the economic base of the region. To accomplish this to the fullest extent will call for increasing de- velopment of the region's water resources because additional power will be necessary for expansion of manufacturing, and irrigation water will be nec- essary for any sizable expansion of agriculture. Balancing the Economy The industrial life of the Columbia Basin is heavily dependent upon the extractive industries. Greater diversification and expansion of manufac- turing are desirable. Achievement of the potential increase will require additional large quantities of electric energy, as well as an increase in the size of the local market for manufactured goods. Offsetting Isolation of the Basin The Columbia Basin, in the far northwest corner of the Nation, is isolated from any large population group (except adjacent California) which might serve as a market. Development in industry, agri- culture, or commerce will be handicapped by hav- ing to overcome heavy transport charges to distant major markets. The same high cost factor needs consideration with regard to importing raw ma- terials. Measures that will help to lower the trans- portation costs, such as low-rate inland navigation, can be of significant assistance to the region. Retarding Depletion of the Resource Base Three of the major resources of the Columbia Basin are deteriorating. Range lands, both public and private, have been too heavily stocked and forage production is declining. The more acces- sible parts of the timber areas have been and are being cut far in excess of their potential growth rate. This is also true of the related Puget Sound area in western Washington. Agricultural lands are deteriorating rapidly in the areas of extensive dry farming, and to a lesser extent in some irriga- gation districts. Profitable attention to all of the region's prob- lems must include development of unused water resources. The major undeveloped resources of the region are in its streams, and water use is the key to regional expansion. |
