III Strategic Assessment:
Within the County’s economic and physical setting, the following Strategic Assessment has been developed. This Strategic Assessment serves to focus this Strategic Economic Development Plan on Goals, Programs and Actions that will effectively lead to the Mariposa County EDC moving toward achieving its Mission Statement.

1. Strengths
Mariposa County is centrally located within California in addition to being recognized and accessible to all of the major metropolitan markets in the state. The region has strong name recognition by virtue of Yosemite National Park in addition to its clean environment and the high quality of life of its residents.

Yosemite National ParkYosemite has been an internationally recognized icon for over one-hundred years. The images of Half Dome and the name “Yosemite” have become synonymous with the high Sierra of California, outdoor recreation and a quality of life to which many people aspire.

Quality of Life
Residents of this area enjoy a social environment that is relatively crime free. Social and community networks are strong as are traditional rural values. The scenic resources of the area provide a backdrop for a life style that is oriented towards the regions outdoor recreational resources. Nature, natural processes, and ecological concepts are a part of the everyday life of the region’s residents.

Clean and Healthy Environment
One of the most telling commentaries on the environmental health of the region is the view of the stars in the night sky. Mariposa has excellent air quality and background light levels at night do not obscure the view of the star-scape. Though less visible, the region is free of the types of industrial, agricultural and water pollution that are part of the everyday life for many people who reside in the metropolitan centers of the state.

Mariposa Youth and Our Educational System
Perhaps one of the most important indicators of community health and well being is the quality of, and public support for, our school system. This important measure of community character not only finds its way into the scholastic achievements of our students but is also reflected in the level and depth of commitment the community shows towards its young people and their sports and social programs.

Community Values
Largely due to the fact that Mariposa County is a community which was formed in a rural environment and somewhat vulnerable to the extremes of nature, a strong community identity and involvement has evolved over the years. This, in turn, provided a fertile setting for a secure, friendly and concerned community character to evolve. The outward sign of this character is reflected in the many comments of area visitors on the “friendliness” of our county’s residents. Another measure of this strong sense of community is the level of citizen involvement in almost every aspect of Mariposa County’s community affairs.

2. Weaknesses
Physical Setting: Mariposa’s natural physical character is both the source of the region’s strengths and its weaknesses. Steep terrain, shallow soils and limited ground water supplies have been an impediment to the region’s development since the 1850s.

Limited Water
Brief periods of intense rainfall for a few months are followed by several months of dry weather. Due to terrain and shallow soils, much of the region’s rainfall ends up in the San Joaquin Valley’s rivers and streams. Sub-surface water supplies are limited with respect to production and expense to develop.

Difficult Terrain
With the exception of the lower foothill areas along the Merced County boundary on the western edge of the county, Mariposa’s terrain can be generally characterized as steep to very rugged.

Poor Transportation
Primarily due to the steepness of the region’s terrain, highways, streets and roads tend to be narrow and twisting. The State Highway system, including Highways 120, 132, 140 and 49, provide primary connections between areas within the county and between the county and the outside world. Much of the residential development in the rural areas of the county is served by a private system of streets and roads. Many of these roads are un-surfaced and poorly maintained. There is no rail service in the county and the Mariposa-Yosemite Airport has limited capacity to handle large aircraft.

Limited Infrastructure
The Lake Don Pedro area and the community of Mariposa are the only areas of the county served by surface water systems. The balance of the county’s development is supported by wells pumping from groundwater supplies. There are several public and/or community wastewater treatment systems in the county, but most development utilizes septic systems for wastewater treatment and disposal. Lack of developed water and wastewater infrastructure places severe limits on the types of development which can occur in the county.

Government Land Ownership:
Another factor which is both an asset and a weakness is the extent of federal land holdings in the County. These vast tracts of land contain most of the county’s recreational areas. These lands are the prime source of the region’s visitor industry. These lands are also managed by three federal bureaucracies which have only limited concern for the overall economic health and well being of Mariposa County residents. Federal land management policy is directed toward achieving national goals and policies. Administration and decision-making for these federal lands tends to be centralized in San Francisco, Denver and Washington D. C.

Narrow Economic Base: The County’s early development was based on resource industries such as gold mining and logging. As these industries declined, cattle ranching, tourism and retirement became the mainstays of the County’s economic base. In recent years, tourism and recreation-oriented residential development have been the dominant economic forces in the County. This has resulted in a high level of service sector seasonal employment growth. New employment opportunities have been primarily in lower skill (lower pay) service jobs and in the government sector. Lack of alternative employment opportunities results in a very narrow level of skills in the labor fore which discourages non-recreation oriented employers from locating in the area.

3. Opportunities
As we approach the beginning of the 21st century, a number of opportunities have begun to appear on the horizon. The overall growth of California is at once a source of potential problems and opportunities for residents of Mariposa County. Increased recreational visitation to the county has resulted in economic expansion and traffic congestion. With the selection of Merced as the site for the 10th University of California campus, the entire Central Valley region can be expected to enjoy a prolonged period of economic growth through the early part of the 21st century. Technological innovation is removing many obstacles which have limited economic growth and development in Mariposa.

Regional Population GrowthRegional growth in the central San Joaquin Valley has made this area more accessible to a larger population and helped expand visitor periods from a few summer months to span a longer period of the year. Developing markets for local goods and services in this growing region provide new opportunities for economic expansion in the county.

UC San Joaquin at MercedThe UC campus at Lake Yosemite northeast of the City of Merced is planned to be developed within the next 10 to 15 years. Construction and development investment for the campus is expected to approach $700 million; one of the largest public investments planned in the state in the foreseeable future. The campus will eventually accommodate 25,000 students and employ 9,000 people. Direct annual economic wealth generated by this new campus is projected to approach $193 million annually. Some of this economic impact will help stimulate the Mariposa County economy.

TechnologyInnovation in communication and energy technology in recent years can be expected to have a beneficial impact on Mariposa County. Modern telecommunications resources, including digital fiber optic technology, facilitate development of businesses in the County that provide information as a product. The cost of expanding and/or extending electrical power, while increasing for conventional service, is decreasing for solar and other alternative technologies.

4. Resources
Economic development efforts in Mariposa County must rely on the creative energy of the county’s residents, business and government leadership. To some extent the county can utilize its tourism and life style image in business promotion efforts. However, the promotion of Mariposa is not a significant weakness. The high costs of development which result from terrain and other natural factors, and federal public land management policy regulating the visitor economy are the major impediments to sustainable economic growth in the County.

Fortunately, Mariposa County is endowed with some very unique assets which can be mobilized to overcome the impediments to sustainable economic growth.

Community WillMariposa County residents have a tradition of overcoming tremendous obstacles to achieve community goals. In the early years, attracting Bank of America to Mariposa and more recently the formation of Yosemite Bank are examples of the types of creative energy the community can bring to bear on an economic problem. The development of the Mariposa County History Center, the California Mining and Mineral Museum and similar community cultural resource development efforts also typify the community will to overcome obstacles. The key ingredient in this effort has historically been the ability to develop community consensus on the problem and its solution.

NetworksMariposa, as a community, has a well developed network of social and civic organizations, all of which share a commitment to Mariposa. These local organizations donate thousands of hours annually to support various projects and activities to benefit the community.

As a result of the image and identity of Yosemite, the federal land holdings in the county, and importance of the region as an environmental resource, Mariposa has an extensive network of contacts that extends across the United State and abroad. These contacts all share an interest and concern in preserving the environmental resources of the county.

Through these local, regional, state and national networks, the Mariposa County economic development strategy has a strategic resource of people and contacts which can help implement community economic development goals.

Community WealthAn effective measurement of community wealth must include more than simple monetary worth of a community. An approach to measuring wealth used by some economists relies on measurements of different types of community capital. These measurements include:

1. Social or Human Capital includes the education level of a community’s population, poverty, employee skills, and other indicators of social or human well-being. It also includes service organization memberships, cultural resources and educational resources.
2. Natural or Natural Resource Capital includes the region’s forests and woodlands, lakes, rivers, and streams, its farmland and scenic resources.
3. Financial Capital includes more traditional indicators of wealth and economic health such as bank deposits or savings ratios, income, employment, etc.

The Sierra Business Council has been developing a Wealth Index of the Sierra counties which is to be published in 1996. This Wealth Index will examine 45 indicators that can be easily updated over time to assess the overall economic performance of a Sierra county.

Based on the methodologies employed in constructing this Wealth Index, the natural capital of Mariposa, like other Sierra Nevada counties, is expected to be very high. Similarly, the county is likely to rate relatively high in some forms of human capital. In terms of financial capital, however, Mariposa has major needs in most infrastructure categories (sewer, water, streets, schools and miscellaneous public and cultural facilities).

While the community has a shortage of public and community capital facilities, there appears to be ample supplies of other forms of financial capital. In general, regional studies indicate that most business startups where financed with owner equity and that conventional commercial lending sources are able to meet most non-venture capital needs of business development. It is also noted that most business startups based on new millennium information technology do not require high rates of capitalization, but, rather, rely on human capital (education, technological skills, specialized expertise, business contacts and business management experience).

While Mariposa County has some serious deficiencies which can limit or block economic development, it also contains many important resources which can be employed to improve the County’s economy.

5. ThreatsIn the process of achieving economic growth, there is a great danger that success might be measured in terms of narrow and/or short-term economic benefits. Growth in new job opportunities, expanding community wealth, and a growing population can all have an adverse impact on the quality of life which most people have moved here to achieve. The key operative concept of the Mariposa County EDC’s Economic Development Strategic Plan is Sustainable in the Corporation’s Mission Statement To Promote Sustainable Economic Growth In Mariposa County