Study highlights economic impact of new access along Montana’s lower Yellowstone River

More public access along the lower Yellowstone River has the potential to generate an additional $5.3 million in local spending and could create more than 50 new jobs in the region.

“That is amazing,” said Beth Epely, executive director of Eastern Plains Economic Development Corp., during an online press conference highlighting the study. “If a new business moved into my town with 56 new jobs, that would be headline news.”

The report noted southeast Montana, as a tourism region, generated more than $492 million in visitor spending in 2019 and supported more than 5,200 jobs. Those jobs sustain people in small communities who help create the fabric of Eastern Montana, Epely said.