National monuments protect places of historic or scientific interest. Headwaters Economics assessed how these monuments affect the economies around them.
The report comes as Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials consider selling or developing some federal public land. Many of them argue these designated areas hinder local development.
Headwaters researcher Megan Lawson disagrees.
"What we've just found repeatedly is that that's not the case," Lawson says.
Lawson helped analyze 30 large national monuments, including Montana’s Upper Missouri River Breaks. She says since its designation in 2001, nearby communities have seen steady growth in employment, population and income.
"We haven't necessarily seen that the monument has brought a lot of new economic activity to the area," Lawson says, "but we don't see any evidence that the monuments have taken anything away either."
The monument consists of more than 100 miles of the Missouri River and hosts a diverse array of wildlife and history. Lawson says protecting it does not come at the cost of its surrounding communities.
