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II. THE GRAND ISLE COUNTY ECONOMY, DEMAND FOR RECREATION, AND PRESENT LAND USE

The Economy

To appraise..the significance of proposals to increase economic activity in Grand Isle County and how it might be influenced by the Champlain Pathway, it is necessary to review economic trends in that area. Grand Isle County is not only the smallest county in the state, it also has an economic base that needs to be broadened and strengthened.

Population

The population of the county is only 2,927. (1) By modern standards this is an inadequate basis for support of all necessary public services and facilities. The population of Grand Isle County decreased by the largest percentage of all counties in the state from 1950 to 1960. The loss was 14.1 percent. By comparison, the next biggest population decrease during that decade was Orange County with a drop of only 5.9 percent. The county has a high percentage of native born Vermonters -- 84.2 percennt -- while only 7.1 percent of the population is foreign born. The number of households in the county is 846, which is a decrease of 8.4 percent from l950. The number of persons per household is 3.45, compared with the.state average of 3.39. Eighty percent of the population have been in their present homes since 1958 (Table 1).

Table 1. Projected Population of Grand Isle County

Income

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The county has the lowest median income in dollars per family of any county in the state -- $3,638. Thirty-nine percent of the families earn less than $3,000, while 6 percent earn over $10,000. The median income for the state is $4,890. This is still the most agricultural county in the state despite a drop of 50 percent in employment in farming from 1950 to 1960.

Labor Force

The total labor force declined 16.6 percent in 10 years. Males declined from 902 to 664, a drop of 26 percent, while the females in the labor force increased from 163 to 224, a rise of 37 percent, The county has the lowest participation rate in the labor force of all the counties in the state, especially by females. The rate of participation by females in the 14 to17 age class is 7.9 percent and is among the lowest rate of any area in the entire Northeast. The participation rate in the county of 14.6 percent of the 33-to-44 age group of females is also extremely low. Of the employed persons, 8.7 percent are in manufacturing industries, while 24.4 percent have white collar occupations. (2)

Grand Isle County has 16.7 percent of the employed workers working outside the county. For every person who is employed there are 1.86 people who are not. The county's population consisted of 1,478 males and 1,449 females. The median of all county residents was 32.18 years in 1960, while in l950 the median age was 30.4 years. This shows that the younger people are moving from the county due to the fact that the county is unable to provide adequate employment opportunity and post high school educational facilities for its youth.

Manufacturing

There is one significant manufacturer in the county. Thermal Wire of America, Inc., recently completed an expansion program which added 10,000 square feet of factory space. The company is presently engaged in the production of high temperature wire and cables. The company coats the wire with teflon. This effort is expected to increase steadily and provide the county with steady industrial employment. Due to the recent expansion program, the employment of the factory has doubled over the past year and the plan of the company is to employ about 90 to 100 individuals by the end of the year. Thermal Wire of America is an example of the type of industry which can be attracted to Grand Isle County provided there is careful planning development of recreation, housing, and educational facilities.

Unemployment

There is often discussion and disagreement concerning the extent and nature of unemployment in Grand Isle County. The best source of information on this subject now is the manpower resources study by the Department of Employment Security. This study was performed during the period from December 10, 1964 to March 30, 1965, and consisted of interviews with 734 individuals. This. is 78.8 percent of the estimated labor force of Grand Isle County for the month of January 1965. This survey turned up the following facts. Of the persons interviewed, 52 percent were females. Of all those interviewed, 22.6 percent were available for work. There were 16.5 percent who stated they wanted full-time work, and 12 percent stated they would move permanently if necessary to find employment. Another 20.6 percent. said they would commute up to 31 miles or more, one way, each day; for work. Of the total interviewed, 70.3 percent had earned less than $3,000 during the past 12 months, 47.3 percent had worked from 36 to 52 weeks during the past year, and 16.3 percent stated that they had collected unemployment insurance during the past year. The unemployment rates in Grand Isle County are the highest in the state for both males and females. The percent of dual worker families is also quite low.

The Dairy Industry

In looking at the trends in the dairy industry in Grand Isle County over the last 10 years we find the following trends. Total cow numbers have declined about 7 percent as compared to a drop of 9 percent for the rest of the state. Total output of milk has increased 35 percent which is at about the same rate as the rest of the state (Tables 2 and 3).

In the future, milk will be produced from fewer and larger farms. (3) Total milk production will hold it's own and may increase same. It is estimated that about 25 percent of the total hay grown is sold outside of the county. This is certainly an indication that there are land resources available to easily support the present dairy industry.

Table 2. Cow Numbers in Grand Isle County. 1953-65

Number of cows

Table 3. Total Pounds of Milk Produced in Grand Isle County, 1953-65*

* Production per cow; times the number of cows.

There will. be pressures from recreation for the use of land. But in general this will not seriously affect most of the good agricultural land. There is no indication of any widespread pressure for land for building purposes coming from increases in year-round residences.

Over the years, milk production has increased from 31.6 million pounds of milk in 1953 to 42.4 million pounds of milk in 1964 -- an increase amounting to 35 percent (Table 4·). Since 1961, three towns have shown increases in milk production -- Alburg, Grand Isle, and Isle La Motte. During this same time period, the towns of North. Hero and South Hero have decreased in total milk production, The greatest decrease has came in the town of South Hero.

To sunrmarize, recent studies indicate that Grand Isle County is not enjoying a boom in economic activity and needs to seek to develop new sources of income. The sale of lakeshore frontage for summer homes is a type of land use which raises the tax base somewhat. It cannot be called an industry. The potential for development of tourism and light industry, based on recreation development, is an entirely different story.

 Table 4. Pounds of Milk per Cow

* Assumed to equal Vermont average.

Economic Location of Grand Isle County

One of the most important factors in any analysis of resource development potential is the economic location  of an area. In discussing the tourist industry, recreation, or light industry, this means the location of the area in reference to population concentrations. In this regard, Grand Isle County is well located. In fact, it is better located than most points in Maine and most areas in New Hampshire.

Map 1 shows that Grand Isle County is very close to one of the largest cities in North America and within a day's driving time on interstate highways of many of the largest cities in the Northeast. A 50-mile radius drawn from North Hero cuts through the center of the city of Montreal, Canada (1.2 million people). A 150-mile radius circle includes Ottawa, Canada, A 200-mile radius cuts into Boston, Massachusetts, and includes all of the city of Quebec, Canada. A 250-mile radius includes such population centers as Rochester, New Pork, most all of Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island. A 300-mile radius, which is still a convenient distance for a family to travel in one day, hits the largest city in the New World, New York City, with its 8 million inhabitants, Just beyond.300 miles includes such population centers as Toronto and Ontario, Canada, and Buffalo, New York; in fact, most of the people of New York State and New England and a vast majority of the people of Quebec and Ontario, Canada (Table 5).

click on map for oversized image!

Table 5. 1960 Population Concentrations in the Grand Isle County Tourist Shed by States and Provinces

This location is ideal for purposes of developing the tourist industry. The number or people within a convenient driving distance of the county is so great that it is safe to say that the economic development of tourism will be limited primarily by the facilities supplied. There is no possibility in the next few years of over constructing facilities provided that they are based on natural attractions and balanced with both public and private investment.

Demand for Recreation Facilities

To talk about the potential of the railroad right of way for recreation development it is necessary to review the demand for out door recreation facilities as reported in numerous studies. Fortunately, a great deal of attention has been given to this subject  during the past three years and so we are able to draw on a number of studies for an evaluation of the opportunities for recreation development in Vermont in general, and in Grand Isle County in particular. Some of the principal sources for these appraisals of demand, supply, and opportunity come from the ORRRC study, Senator George D. Alken's office in Washington, VRRC Reports 3 and 12, a recent report by the Department of Agricultural Economics on the recreation development potential of Vermont, and the Interim State Recreation Plan.

The ORRRC studies were a comprehensive and intensive survey of outdoor recreation in the United States. They arrived at the conclusion that there is a deficiency in the supply of outdoor recreation facilities in the Northeast and in Vermont in particular.

Senator Aiken, our senior representative in Washington, continuously studies the economic opportunities of Vermont with special comparison to other states in national trends. He recently stated: "Vermont' s recreational development has not been able to keep up with the demand put upon it. We are still woefully short of campsites."(4)  Senator Aiken was a co-sponsor of the Land and Water Conservation Act which was passed last year and which will now provide $1.5 million for the Green Mountain State for purposes of rectifying the deficiencies which he cited. Senator Aiken stated further that it is necessary to assure that the public has access to the state's desirable winter and sumner recreation areas, and especially to its bodies of water.

Vermont Resources Research Center Report 3 (by M. I. Bevins), "The Outdoor Recreation Industry in Vermont," makes it clear that while Vermont is a leader in developing the ski industry, it fills behind neighboring states in meeting the multiple demands for camping and other recreational facilities.

Vermont Resources Research Center Report 12, "Vermont Resources -- Extent, Management, and Development Potential," summarized the conclusions of many studies which have been made on the Vermont economy since the early twenties. All of the early studies, as well. as the many recent ones, are summed up in the statement "that the greatest potential (for developing the Vermont economy) lies in the development of recreation and tourism and light industry which may be attracted on the basis of recreation development and other amenities."· '(VRRC Report 12, page 73.)

The Interim State Recreation Plan (July 1965) states: "Shorelines and access paths must be acquired in strategic locations, beginning with those most likely to vanish soon and those nearest to the centers of demand. Portions of Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River deserve the highest priority in parts of Vermont where water surface is in short supply . . ."

One of the most recent studies specifically dealing with the economy of Grand Isle County has been published by the Vermont Department of Employment Security, "Manpower Resources of Grand Isle County," May 1965. This report states that the tremendous shorelines of approximately 135 miles in length gives the county a big potential for a great recreation industry. This industry offers the greatest possibillties for immediate development.

A recent planning report by the Department of Agricultural Economics (Ag. Econ. 65-6) cites Grand Isle County as an area ideally suited for comprehensive development of recreation facilities and a park atmosphere on a scale to challenge the national parks for the tourists attention and dollars.

The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation has recommended water access be given a high priority in planning the development of the Grand Isle County area.

Present Land Use

Consideration of the potential for recreation development of the railroad right of way or of the whole county should be based on a detailed inventory or present land use. Unfortunately, no such inventory has been made. The next best approach is to bring together available facts and observations on land use and to draw from them a general picture of the types of use, the trends, the pressures, and the needs which exist in the area.

Here are some facts concerning present land use. There are seven state parks on all of Lake Champlain with a total frontage of 38,400 feet. Grand Isle County has two state parks with 13,300 foot frontage. There are 23 fishing access areas on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, eight are in Grand Isle County, Both state parks and fishing access areas are restricted in use to a few of the many recreational uses of shorefront (Tables 6 and 7).

Many property owners in Grand Isle County have forbidden the use of their lands by towns in the area for swimming and water access. Many areas which were traditional swimming places are no longer available. No town in this area owns public access to Lace Champlain. This includes all the towns from Colchester to Alburg. One town has permission from a private owner which provides access, but this type of permission will disappear quickly with a change in ownership. There are very few picnic facilities in the whole county. In 1965 there was no picnic use of Grand Isle State Park and nearby Sand Bar was filled up and turned away day-use visitors on weekends.

Table 6. Vermont State Parks on Lake Champlain and their Water Frontages in Feet 

Table 7. Vermont Fishing Access Areas on Lake Champlain, 1965

Would-be campers are being turned away from the park areas which are full during the weekends of the summer vacation season, · (Those from Montreal are only 45 minutes away from Grand Isle County.)

When the ties were removed from the Alburg section of the right of way on Lake Champlain, residents of the town of Alburg, as well as Canadians, immediately began to use this beach.

At Tromp Point and Bow Arrow Point, individuals are trying to use the land and reach the lake for fishing.

Private development of the lakeshore has gone on at an ever increasing Fate in the form of private camps, vacation homes, youth camps, motels, lodges, etc., to the point that undeveloped lakeshore frontage is at a premium and land back from the water's edge has 'considerably lower value because of the lack of access.

Lake' Champlain is serving a small percentage of people relative to its size because, for all practical purposes, it is landlocked in private ownership. People wishing to use the lake without trespassing are forced to use the state highway causeways. Evidence of people trying to use the lake in this manner may be seen on any summer weekend from the Sand Bar Bridge to the Richelieu River wherever the state highway borders the waters of the lake.

The recreation business has been confined to a few low investment tourist facilities, plus cottage development on shore property. The nature of the cottage summer home developments has been to cut off development in depth and most of it has been on the basis of minimum levels of investments, i.e., housing, valued under $20,000 with no new motels, resorts, or tourist attractions. Recreation facilities on the island are amazingly scarce in contrast to the potential.Some of the island towns even lack a public beach! South Hero has a public beach opposite the public dump.

Lakeshore string development can only serve a limited number of people that can afford the $50 a foot frontage rates. A much larger number of people that would be willing to stay in public campgrounds are prevented from staying in Grand Isle County and are passing through, keeping in their pockets the money that could have been left in the pockets of Grand Isle County merchants` providing them with goods and services.

The dangers of losing access are crucial. To illustrate this, during the field survey, two researchers were threatened by an irate landowner as they stood on the railroad right of way. They were told that as soon as the state sold him the right of way lot adjoining his property he would prohibit all public access across his land to a piece of potential recreation land the state now owns on the lakeshore. This incident emphasizes the need to keep the entire railroad right of way ownership in the hands of the State of Vermont until technical surveys show where access is needed to areas the state owns or will acquire, Any sale of land that is allegedly "not needed" for recreation development may destroy indispensable access to other valuable land.

THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS MUST BE DRAWN FROM A STUDY OF THE PRESENT LAND USE IN GRAND ISLE COUNTY.

• 1. Town public access to Lake Champlain is inadequate.

• 2. State public access to Lake Champlain is inadequate.

• 3. Present land uses are (a) of a low investment type and (b) follow a pattern that freezes out further investments.

• 4. The number of people who are trying to find access to the lake indicates that the supply of access is far short of need.

• 5. No state land should be sold until a recreation plan is agreed upon.

(1) Nonresident ownership will be covered in a more detailed study being conducted by the VRRC.

(2) This section is based on "Manpower Resources of Grand Isle County," Report of the Small Communities Program of the Department of Employment Security, May 1965.

(3) Discussions with Robert White, County Agricultural Agent; Arthur Pickard, Soil Conservation Service; and Dwight Eddy, Department of Agricultural Economics.

(4) The Burlington Free Press, Wednesday, August 4, 1965, p. 3.

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